Vehicle Description
Rarely have mass-market automobile manufacturers found success in
pushing high-tech, cutting-edge products to the general buying
public. While innovation and provocative styling are comfortably
within the realm of sports car manufacturers, the average consumer
prefers to sacrifice some technology for safety and reliability.
Yet, Citroen managed to find the sweet spot - embracing the
Avant-Garde in its everyday products while still selling them on a
mass-market platform. From the elegant simplicity of the 2CV to the
technical advancements of the stunningly beautiful DS, Citroens
have long held a reputation for creative engineering paired with
artistic and uniquely French design. Citroen's SM was born of a
desire to offer a sporty car based on the DS to compete with the
Porsche 911. In 1968, Citroen had acquired the ailing Maserati with
an eye toward using their engines in the new flagship. The top
brass in Paris requested a new engine from Maserati for their
project and they were shown a compact, 90 degree V6 that was
basically an older Maserati V8 with two cylinders lopped off. But
this engine was just a one-off to see how the V6 concept would be
perceived. When the green light was given, Maserati's Giulio
Alfieri designed the new V6 from a clean sheet of paper. When the
SM debuted in 1970 it was no longer a lithe sports car, but a
full-fledged, four-seat GT with an exotic, Italian-built 2.7L V6,
choice of a 5-speed manual or automatic gearbox, and front wheel
drive. In typical Citroen fashion, the styling seemed inspired by
science fiction. The long sweeping body featured wheel spats at the
rear and actually tapered like a teardrop when viewed from above.
Headlamps encased in glass were hydraulically adjustable and
swiveled with the front wheels on European models. The
underpinnings were equally space-age with fully adjustable
hydro-pneumatic suspension developed from the DS, high-pressure
load sensitive brakes and fully powered, self-centering steering
that allowed the car to be set up with zero caster, thereby
eliminating bump steer, but requiring a unique approach to driving.
Thanks to its unparalleled ride quality and sonorous Italian V6,
the SM has long been considered one of the finest GTs of the era;
counted among the most admired and advanced cars of all time. This
1972 Citroen SM Automatique is a lovely, expertly maintained
example finished in Blanc Meije over black leather. This US-market
car is one of 1128 SMs imported in 1972, and it spent a number of
years as the personal car of Dave Burnham; a highly respected
Citroen restorer and mechanic, and one of the nation's leading
marque specialists. Mr. Burnham purchased the car from the Benzal
family of Schenectady, NY who had owned it since the late 1970s.
The Benzals had their SM serviced by Carmichael Citroen of Albany,
NY, where Dave Burnham was employed as a mechanic and recalled
working on the car. As one would expect, this car has been
meticulously well cared-for and presents in fine order throughout.
The body is exceptionally straight and clean, with crisp feature
lines and excellent, well-maintained paintwork in the factory
correct color. The bumpers and brightwork are in similarly fine
order, appearing to be factory correct and unrestored, all very
straight and ding-free. Swinging open the big doors reveals a
beautifully preserved interior trimmed in black leather and in
fabulous original condition throughout. The leather seats show some
light creasing, which lends the cabin with a rather inviting
character like a favorite old pair of gloves. Original charcoal
carpets are tidy and in good condition, as is the black headlining.
Rear seats show very little use, and the original upholstered
parcel shelf remains in place and in good order under the rear
glass. The full array of signature oval dials is in good condition,
with the gold-colored fascia and console inlays in similarly fine
shape. Features include air conditioning and electric windows, and
even the seldom-seen original Citroen radio is at home in the
center console, in its somewhat unusual but factory-correct
location, placed vertically between the seats. The original jack
and tools are in place in the factory location in the spare wheel.
The 2.7 liter Maserati-built V6 is in fine condition mechanically
and cosmetically, in keeping with an expertly-maintained and low
mileage car. Nearly $40,000 in receipts show the level of care that
went into maintaining this car in top mechanical order. Timing
chains were replaced in 2009, and then checked and adjusted 5,000
miles ago. Mr. Burnham changed the engine and transmission oils
religiously every 3,000 miles during his ownership. Engine
detailing is to a high quality driver standard and it retains the
original air cleaner and most of the correct labels and decals. The
DIRAVI steering, hydopneumatic suspension and hydraulically boosted
brakes work as they should and the 3-speed automatic transmission
shifts well. Similarly, the undercarriage is tidy and befitting of
a low-mileage car that has been driven but sensibly maintained. The
automatic transmission lends itself rather well to the SM,
accentuating the relaxed, high-speed cruising ability of these
remarkable cars. Rarely do we find Citroen SMs in such sound and
usable condition, backed by meticulous maintenance. This car has be
clearly benefited from exceptional care while in the personal fleet
of a marque specialist, and it remains thoroughly usable. With its
outstanding coachwork and beautifully presented interior, this is a
fine example of one of the worlds most advanced GT cars - courtesy
of the brilliantly creative minds at Citroen.