In 1968, Citroen purchased Maserati with plans to take advantage of the Italian company’s experience with high performance engines. The goal was to design a GT car that combined Citroen’s highly advanced hydropneumatic suspension system with the power of a Maserati V-6. The result was the SM; the car first shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 1970 would become Citroen’s flagship automobile for the next five years. Brilliantly designed and styled, it massively impressed the automotive journalists of the day with its blend of speed, braking, handling and comfort which, like its shape, was unlike anything available in another automobile at the time. It even became the first non-American car to win Motor Trend’s Car of the Year Award.

The SM’s Maserati built V-6 displaced just 2,670-cc, but breathed through three Weber downdraft carbs. Enlarged to 2,965-cc for the 1973 and later cars, even smog-equipped for U.S. deliveries it made 190-hp at 6,250-rpm. Available with a five-speed automatic or manual transmission, it had disc brakes on all four corners. It also carried over the remarkable self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension from the DS, and introduced a new type of variable assist power steering dubbed DIRAVI. The unique and attractive bodywork was penned in-house by chief designer Robert Opron, and gave the car a still very impressive drag coefficient of 0.26. With a top speed of 140 miles per hour, it was the fastest front-wheel drive car in the world in its day. A true technical marvel with no shortage of unique characteristics or charm, the Citroen SM is one of the most memorable cars of the 1970s.

This 1972 Citroen SM is a well-sorted and highly original example finished in fly yellow over a brown leather interior. It is equipped with the later 2,965-cc engine, desirable five-speed manual gearbox, power steering, power brakes and an AM/FM radio. It has been painted once, but otherwise has remained a solid, lightly operated and well-maintained car. Although the systems in these classic SMs are complex, this example has been fully sorted and runs, drives, shifts and steers very well. It will be a fun, reliable vintage car to enjoy on a regular basis as well as a fascinating and rewarding piece of automotive design history that attracts a crowd intrigued by its unique coachwork design and unusually sophisticated drivetrain, suspension and brakes.