In a post on the Saab 99 we briefly discussed how in the late-60s and early-70s a handful of iconoclastic automakers tried to mainstream their basic designs. A case in point is Citroen. This leading disciple of aerodynamics adopted a surprisingly conventional look for its SM, which replaced the groundbreaking DS in 1970.
The SM does offer a few interesting aerodynamic features, such as glass-covered headlamps in its non-U.S. versions. In addition, the drag coefficient is quite low at .26 (Wikipedia, 2020).
Meanwhile, the SM’s engineering was interesting enough that the car generated lots of enthusiastic reviews by the U.S. car buff press. As a case in point, the SM was the first import bestowed with Motor Trend magazine’s Car of the Year award (Evans, 2019). That was a surprisingly esoteric choice for what was arguably the most mainstream of the buff magazines.
The Citroen’s angular lines evoked U.S. cars
In a review of the SM, the British magazine MotorSport (Jenkinson, 1972) credulously quoted marketing copy: “Conceived by the styling department of Citroën’s research division from functional data, the shape of SM makes no concession to fashion. Its aesthetics have been rationalised and are the direct result of study of logic and reason.”
Also see ‘Mercedes-Benz W123: Back when form really did follow function’
Of course, Citroen designers paid far more attention to aerodynamics than U.S. automakers of that era. Nevertheless, the SM’s overall appearance is rather angular — and even Americanesque. The side sweepspear has a decidedly Cadillac vibe, while the windshield’s shape could have been inspired by any number of U.S. cars.
One might argue that the SM redeems itself with the rear end’s styling. The low drag coefficient is reportedly achieved by use of a fastback that ends with one of the most dramatic kammback treatments of that era. Citroen added a few unusual styling flourishes, such as a second-story bumper that arches up in a U-shape at each corner.
Yet even here, Citroen’s gimmick is similar to that of the 1969-71 Chrysler Imperial, albeit with a dose of French weird. By the same token, Citroen’s designers apparently insisted on giving the SM full-width taillights that evoked American prestige cars.
But then where to put the license plate? Citroen designers threw it upstairs — and gave the hatchback lid an odd jog upward.
(Pop quiz, 100 points: Visualize what the SM’s rear end would have looked like if Citroen had added a 5-mph bumper without changing any sheetmetal.)
SM ends U.S. sales after only four years
As with the Saab 99, the ultimate test of the SM’s innovativeness is how long the design stayed ahead of everyone else. Here the Citroen arguably didn’t do a whole lot better than the 99, although the latter stayed in production longer.
In 1974 Citroen stopped importing the SM into the U.S., when the automaker was not given an exemption from 5-mph bumpers. The SM’s variable-height suspension made compliance “impossible,” according to Wikipedia (2020).
But even if Citroen had not been stopped by the feds — and the automaker had not gone bankrupt — I doubt the SM could have maintained much of a foothold in the American marketplace. Whereas the DS looked quite advanced for its day, the SM mainly came off as weird.
NOTES:
This is an expanded story that was originally posted June 10, 2017.
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RE:SOURCES
- Evans, Scott; 2019. “Why the Strange Citroen SM Was Our First Foreign Car of the Year.” MotorTrend. Posted July 9; accessed December 3, 2020.
- Jenkinson, Denis; 1972. “The Citroen SM.” MotorSport. Published September.
- Wikipedia; 2020. “Citroen SM.” Page last modified November9; accessed December 3.
PHOTOGRAPHY:
- Author’s photo gallery: “French cars”
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