1971 Citroen SM review from Netherlands
"The 1973 oil crisis stopped the future"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Steering wheel worn out.
General comments?
Great car, great looks.
It has speed dependent steering assistance, 5 gears, 180HP, air-co, Citroen suspension.
I bought it from a Dutch guy who owned it for 2 years (and drove it 500km) He was the one who imported it from France (Lyon) where the previous owner lives who decided to have it painted black instead of the original "corn-blue"
The interior is red and looks/feels like new, but definitely is original (32 years old!!)
Under the hood everything is original; even the ignition and the hoses of the oil cooler (these hoses I should renew!)
The water pump leaks tremendously and should be revised, if possible.
Last summer I went on vacation and found out that I could stuff all my luggage in the trunk (I also own a Peugeot 505 Turbo Injection which has a giant trunk, but then I also have to use the rear seats and the SM even carries its spare wheel in the trunk!!!)
Although it's a sports car, four adults can be transported comfortably at more than 200km/h!!
The drive handles kinda foggy, but when you take it over 165km/h the handling becomes very good (because of the speed dependent steering)
This car was really built for the future seen from the late 60's:
"driving on the motorway at 180-200km/h!
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| 1971 - SM V6 double overhead cam per cylinder bank An innovative conundrum |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1971 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.7 carburator Manual |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 106231 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 110868 kilometres |
| Previous car | Renault 25 |
| Date of Entry | 15th February, 2003 |