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The Citroen SM, an alliance between Citroen and Maserati, is celebrating its 40th birthday this week. Photo Gallery
What do US comedian Jay Leno, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, author Grahame Greene and actor Lee Majors all have in common?
At one time all four have owned the beautifully crafted Citroen SM coupe. The luxury sports tourer, an alliance between Citroen and Maserati, is celebrating its 40th birthday this week. It was first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show on March 11, 1970.
Technically innovative, the Citroen SM was highly regarded for its futuristic styling, prestigious quality, `magic-carpet' suspension and outstanding performance. Officially recognised as one of the world’s exceptional cars in the early 1970s, the SM came third in the European Car of the Year Awards in 1971.
The winner was Citroen's GS. The SM also received the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award in the US in 1972. Powered by a Maserati V6 engine, the SM was one of the fastest front-wheel drive cars of its day, with a top speed of more than 220km/h. The two-door coupe was also a competitive rally car, winning first race at the Morocco Rally in 1971.
Pioneering innovative technology, the SM introduced a new type of variable assist power-steering, which made it easier to manoeuvre at low speeds and provided greater resistance at higher speeds for improved control and handling. The car also had hydro-pneumatic suspension with automatic height correction and six headlights with automatic leveling, a device that is still absent on many modern cars.
Four power-assisted disc brakes - inboard at the front - with independent front and rear circuits, automatically adjusted braking power according to vehicle load and weight distribution.
French Presidents from Georges Pompidou to Jacques Chirac used two specially modified 4-door convertible `presidentielle' models, created by coach builder Henri Chapron.
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