Citroën SM — The Car of the Future

by Mike Gulett –

When the Citroën SM was introduced in 1970, it looked less like a conventional grand tourer and more like a car from the future. Long, low, and sleek, the SM was Citroën at its most confident—an audacious fusion of avant-garde French design, radical engineering, and Italian performance with a Maserati engine. More than just a luxury coupe, the SM became a rolling manifesto for what Citroën believed the automobile should be.

Design

Styled in-house under the direction of Robert Opron, the SM’s shape was defined by airflow rather than looks. Its dramatic wedge profile, Kamm tail, elongated nose, and tapered tail delivered a remarkably low drag coefficient for the era—around 0.34—making it one of the most aerodynamically efficient production cars of its time.

The front end is iconic: six headlights behind a smooth glass panel, with the inner lamps swiveling in unison with the steering. This was not design just for fun—it was functional innovation, improving nighttime visibility while preserving the car’s clean aerodynamic face. Flush surfaces, minimal ornamentation, and a fastback roofline gave the SM a visual clarity that still looks and feels modern, and futuristic, today.

Inside, the SM doubled down on futurism. The dashboard featured oval instruments, a single-spoke steering wheel, and ergonomics that prioritized comfort over convention. It felt less like a cockpit and more like a luxury lounge—appropriate for a car designed to cover whole continents at speed.

It was anointed the 1972 Motor Trend Car of the Year in the U.S.

Engineering

Beneath its sculptural bodywork, the SM was even more radical. At its heart was a Maserati V6 engine, made possible by Citroën’s ownership of Maserati at the time. While not the most powerful engine in its class, it was smooth, free-revving, and perfectly suited for high-speed touring.

What truly set the SM apart, however, was its technology:

• Hydropneumatic suspension allowed the car to glide over rough surfaces while maintaining precise control at speed.

• Self-leveling ride height kept the car stable regardless of load.

• DIRAVI power steering offered speed-sensitive assistance—light at parking speeds, firm and self-centering on the highway. DIRAVI is a Citroën acronym for “Direction à rappel asservi” literally meaning “steering with controlled return” more accurately described as “power steering with power assisted return”.

The result was a car that could cruise effortlessly at autobahn speeds while isolating occupants from road imperfections in a way no conventional GT could. It could also drive on three wheels in the case of a flat tire.

Importance

The SM represents the pinnacle of Citroën’s most fearless era—a time when the company prioritized innovation over market research and originality over conservatism. It stood alongside the DS as proof that mass-production automakers could think like visionaries.

Culturally, the SM became a symbol of French modernism in the early 1970s. It appealed to architects, designers, and heads of state alike—most famously serving as the personal car of French president Georges Pompidou.

Yet the SM’s ambition also contributed to its downfall. The oil crisis, complex engineering, and Citroën’s financial troubles curtailed production in 1975. Fewer than 13,000 examples were built, making it rare even in its own time.

Legacy

Today, the Citroën SM is widely recognized as one of the most important GT cars ever made—not because it dominated racetracks or sales, but because it dared to redefine what a luxury performance car could be. It blended comfort, speed, and innovation in a way few cars have done before or since.

Looking back, the SM was not merely a car—it was an important statement. One that said elegance could be aerodynamic, luxury could be radical, and engineering could be poetic inspiring us all.

Half a century later, the Citroën SM still looks like the future that almost was.

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

 

 

Research and some text by ChatGPT 5.2. Images compliments of Citroën.