Citroën SM

- It's not about the arrival, it's about the journey. - Lemon

In 1966 Citroen commissioned Robert Opron to create a stylish, comfortable car for long distances. In 1968 Citroen took over the fountain of Neptune in Maggiore; Maserati.

Maserati. Why? Because of the extremely reliable... uh... fast engines! The engine of the Maserati Merak was tuned so that the torque was mainly present at the bottom, which made it incredibly comfortable to fly.

And especially that last one, they took it very seriously. She fitted the Citroen SM with a 90 litre petrol tank and thanks to her drop-shaped design and few air intakes her Cw-value came to just 0.26. The Veyron is at 0.36, for your reference.

The SM was way ahead of its time. Citroen introduced the speed-dependent power steering, carbon/glass fibre composite wheels and the distant precursor of a (good) rain sensor. Also the comfort in the Citroen was impressive, functioning with the hydropneumatic level control. This system also controls the braking system. In the beginning we had to get used to the 'mushroom seat' as a brake pedal, we sat with our nose against the windscreen. But; you get used to it! That made it the most powerful and safest braking system of its time!

Ours is of course a bit extra special. Its dark grey/blue colour gives the SM just enough body. The dark brown leather interior, which has been partly renewed, fits in beautifully with this. The maintenance history is partly present and she always slept on a heated floor with her last owner. Jay Leno, Bill Wyman, Carlos Santana preceded you. You belong in that list too, don't you think?

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