1973 Citroën SM

*** UPDATE: This car has now been sold for £30,000 all inclusive ***

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The Citroën SM is a high-performance coupé produced by the French manufacturer from 1970 to 1975. The SM placed third in the 1971 European Car of the Year contest, trailing its stablemate Citroën GS, and won the 1972 Motor Trend Car of the Year award in the U.S.

The SM combines many unusual and innovative features, some of which are only just becoming commonplace on cars of today. It borrows heavily from the innovations introduced on the DS, by including hydro-pneumatic (oleo pneumatic) self-levelling suspension and self-levelling lights that swivelled with the steering.

Of course the heart of the car is a gorgeous Maserati 2.7 litre unit that was also used in the Maserati Merak from 1972 to 1982. Later versions of the Merak SS had much larger valves and developed 160 kW (220 hp). The Ligier JS2 sports car also used this V6 engine. The final SMs were produced in the Ligier factory in Vichy.

A total of 12,920 SMs were produced during its lifetime with only 2,500 of this injection model, making this variant quire rare.

Take a look at this road test review to learn more about the car.

Surjit is like us here at Trade Classics, a proper petrolhead and can talk cars all day long; he has a wide make / model range of interest. However, he perhaps doesn’t like to hang onto his cars for as long as we do! For Surjit the thrill is in the research and the chase of a new car, then running it for a year or two before finding a new owner. Surjit has a particular passion for the Citroen SM and has two in his collection. He has a silver carburettor model and this fuel injection is the one that he’s decided to sell (mainly because he prefers the silver colour). Other car marques in Surjit’s collection are Alfa Romeo and Fiat. Aside, he’s decided to consign his 1959 Fiat Multipla with us too.

Surjit purchased this SM from Auto Classica in Sweden (a well regarded classic car dealership) and had it transported back to the UK. Surjit only buys excellent condition cars; this one certainly fits that bill. It had been subject to a full restoration a few years before and was in both excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition. During Surjit’s ownership he’s made sure it’s been well looked after, and fixed any niggles as and when they came up. We’re really pleased Surjit had decided to ask us to handle the sale of his SM as it has to be one of the finest examples for sale in the UK today.

If you like your cars subtle in nature then this may not be the one for you! However, if you like to stand out a little, love the 70’s and quirky French design, then this is the car for you. It looks simply stunning and beautiful when we visited it in the morning sunshine.

Wheels & Tyres
The car is fitted with its original wheels and wrapped in Michelin tyres. The tyres all have good tread and even wear.

Bodywork
The bodywork is exceptional and after going over the whole car we only found two very small bubbles. One bubble on the lower part of the OSF wing and one on the NSR wing to the right of the wheel. It’s difficult to see under the car, however, Surjit assures us it’s in rot free condition. The bonnet, doors and rear boot all open and close perfectly and the panel gaps all look visibly correct and even across the car.

Paint
The paint is very striking and there are no visible signs of any colour difference across the panels, even in direct sunlight. The benefit of an older restoration is the likelhood of anything untoward coming through are much lower. Also, the car has always been garaged.

Glass and Trim
Both are in excellent condition across the car. The chrome is really very good and looks great against the gold paint.

WOW is the word for this interior, it’s hard to think on a nicer place to be. The condition is simply exceptional and colour combination fits the car and the exterior colour perfectly.

Seats and Carpets
Of course the seats have been subject to restoration in the past and are in excellent condition, both visually and structurally. The carpets have been replaced at some point in the past too. The headlining is excellent with no signs of any sagging.

Dashboard
These are like new and there is no wear or splits on the dashboard. We did notice the RPM gauge is not working at the moment and would need to be looked into.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick
Both are in original condition with no issues.

These are complicated cars, both in terms of their suspension and that beautiful Maserati engine. The good news is this car has been very well maintained and everything, including the suspension, works just as it should.

Engine and Gearbox
The car started first go from cold and settled into a smooth tickover. There were no signs of any smoke and the engine felt very smooth when revving. Clutch and gear selection felt good with no issues noticed. Selecting reverse was also easy with no issues.

Suspension and Brakes
We didn’t take the car for a drive on our visit, however, we did manoeuvre it around the driveway and the assisted brakes felt good and we tested the suspension that worked perfectly too (see the video).

The Drive
As mentioned, we didn’t take the car for a drive, however, Surjit confirms that car drives and stops with no issues at all. In fact Surjit has used the car regularly during his ownership and has covered over 1,400 trouble free kilometers.

Electrics and Other
Windows and heating system all work correctly. The lights are directional based on the steering and Surjit is just confirming they work correctly, as they are currently pointing inwards. If there is any issue here then Surjit will remedy before the new owner picks the car up.

The car was imported from Sweeden in 2016 with a limited history file. We have photographed all the paperwork that comes with the car (see the media pack).

The odometer is reading 77,008 kms and whilst we can’t guarantee this mileage is correct, the car’s condition and wear certainly matches a mileage of this size.

HPi Check Results
– Our own HPi check is in progress.

Previous MOTs
– 19.01.2016 – 75,600 kilometers
– 11.01.2017 – 76,342 kilometers
– 24.01.2018 – 76,185 kilometers

This is actually only the second SM that I’ve had the pleasure of spending a bit of time with. I can honestly say it looks beautiful and its uniqueness captures your imagination and turns into a desire to own one. I can see why Surjit loves them and has them in his collection.

I personally love the gold colour, it just fits perfectly with the era and quirkiness of this cars personality. I particularly loved sitting inside and have not sat in such a comfy and ergonomic seat for such a long time. It’s the kind of place you’d love to sit in, keep cool in air-conditioned luxury, whist winding your way down to the South of France.

If you’re seriously on the hunt for a proper and sorted SM, then I can’t think of a better example and you need to snap this fresh-to-market one up.

ADAM PURRIER
This auction listing was written by Adam from information gained from Surjit (owner and seller of the vehicle) and having visited and photographed the vehicle.

If you have any specific questions about the vehicle then please use the comments section below. Surjit will receive a notification and will reply as soon as he can.