CITROEN SM

SM Auto 3.0 Carburettor only 26,000 miles (42,000km) from new, finished in gris largentière with rouge leather interior.

Chassis number 00SD2001 is unique and historically significant, believed to be the very last SM to leave the Javel factory in Paris (the full story is below for those interested).

Although the car arrived here with us looking very presentable and rust free it was wearing its original paint, which was just starting to show its age. We therefore made the decision to have it stripped down and completely repainted in our trusted prize-winning body shop, needless to say the results are a simply stunning, blemish free body. We then decided to have the seats completely re-trimmed by a renowned trimmer in very high grade leather which as I'm sure you will agree looks quite superb. On top of this we have carried out our usual level of fastidious detailing which brings this vehicle up to a standard placing it among the best remaining.

The cars last owner was SM guru Andrew Brodie whom records show acquired it on 1st June 1986. In that time all of the relevant upgrades were carried out on this car which are necessary to make them useable and reliable. This included solid vales to replace the sodium filled items, modified timing chain tensioner, braided oil cooler pipes and a modified speedo drive pick-up on the gearbox to prevent it from loosing fluid.

BELOW IS A DETAILED HISTORY OF THE END OF SM PRODUCTION AT JAVEL

The SM had been on sale for 5 years and sales had tailed off – partly fuel crisis, partly initial quality problems, partly european market saturation, partly loss of american market due to the car not meeting fixed head lamp height regulations. It had been manufactured at full capacity for 3 years so was fulfilling market tragets, and this was without a RHD version. At 5 years it was ready for sales to be revitalised – a rhd version was about to be launched, and a european spec 3.0 auto had been promised for 2 years, exhibited at the paris show oct 1973 and oct 1974. In addition, Maserati were completing their SS engine, offering the mouthwatering prospect of a 220bhp SM, the only aspect of the car testers found wanting. As the XJS HE revitalised sales of the initial XJS, the future looked bright for the most advanced car on sale.

Due to the fuel crisis, and citroen’s huge cashflow problem (development of SM, GS, CX) plus building completely new factory at Aulnay, plus misguided set up of Comotor with NSU (to make rotary engines), Citroen were bankrupt by July 1974 and it was announced Peugeot and Citroen would merge as 2 equal partners, to commence Jan 1975. However, one man would have to head the entire partnership to have final day in important decisions – and a peugeot man was chosen. The partnership would begin Jan 1975.

Production of the 1975 model year SMs was split – the Javel factory in the centre of paris was closing down, and production of the SM was scheduled to be moved to Aulnay, where the CX was to be made. Production of the SM at Javel paused june 1974 to be reorganised.

Production of the EFI sm was contracted to ligier, they set up a production line and began to produce vehicles late 1974.

The euro SM auto was to be made at Javel, with the idea that it would be moved to Aulnay within a year. In oct 1974, a batch of 500 chassis no.s starting 00SD2001 – 00SD2500 were released at Javel for the 1975 production year. 00SD2001 was completed early January 1975.

At the start of Jan 1975, the first instruction issued by the head of the peugeot citroen empire was to cease production of the SM. Ligier production continued till July 1975 (presumably a 12 month contract had to be honoured), but only one car from the intended production run had been completed. This is that car. It was the last SM to leave Javel.