Getting My HubNut On: I Drove A Citroen SM Through A Storm. Not What I Planned.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 ต.ค. 2020
- In today's video, I take a brief look at the incredibly quirky Citroen SM. The successor to the fabulous DS, it was in many ways a big improvement - but a sales disaster. Let's take a brief drive to see if we can work out why.
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Ok, a few corrections and comments -
Firstly, the SM was the ‘Sport Maserati’; of that, any (French) aficionado will tell you;
Secondly, the SM was NOT as DS successor - remember, the DS has 4 doors, this only two. The DS successor was always intended to be the CX.
Further, there was not a choice of engines, the first models were 2.7l carburettor, later models were the bored out 3 litre with injection coming in at various times depending upon the market (strangely enough, US markets often meant carbs and lower power rather than what we usually consider to be ‘cleaner’ injection systems - Triumph had the same problem with the TR5/TR250 and TR6pi and TR6 carb models).
And the brilliant Cibié triple headlamps, featuring the same cornering system as on the revised DS, were standard from the beginning. It was ONLY the American spec models that lost that beautiful glassed in front end with three, certainly for the day low profile, square lamps on each side.
Timothy BOLTON-MILHAS As an owner of a 71 SM I must correct you SM stands for Sa Majesté translated from French as Her Majesty .
@@jakebonorio8325 That sounds like the Déesse idea of the DS. But the SM was not conceived like that - Citroën even built breadvans to go racing - and the technique is all found in the Maserati Merak, including the oleopneumatic suspension. (I do understand Sa Majesté - I actually live in France which is where it was confirmed by a number of Citrophiles to be Sport Maserati...)
@@SabotsLibres I thought it was "Series-Maserati!" Learn something every day.
Timothy BOLTON-MILHAS I too am resident in France and member of SM owners club ,never have I come across anyone who believes
SM stands for Series Maserati , I have on good authority from Patrick Regembeau specialist restorer whom rebuilt the engine to my SM , as a leading leading authority on the marque I would have believe in his expertise knowledge . I would also recommend the book Sa Majesté by Peter Pijlman a comprehensive history with data on the SM . Having discussed with other SM owners we believe Citroen would not have the engine manufacturer brand precede Citroen in the title .
I'm sure there are many different opinions out there but I personally acknowledge the correct title is Sa Majesté .
@@jakebonorio8325 it means Special Maserati! Why? Because of the 2.7 litri engine which was only down tuned for the French market for tax reasons back then in ‘71-72 and of course the upcoming oil crisis first half of the seventies.
Is this true? According to Maserati it is because the legendary DS already meant déesse (Goddess) and was/is a masterpiece of course. Citroen agreed to name the car special Maserati to add some “name” on their flagship!
It’s a masterpiece way ahead for it’s time and it always will be but an SM with the Merak SS engine (3.2liter) would really be awesome and hey.. it exists today! Greetings 🙋🏻♀️🏎
'All the expense of a Ferrari, but without the social stigma', is how I've heard one owner described his SM.
Yes exactly the Citroen is mar more couth.
I heard someone say "The best way to make a Jaguar E-Type look invisible, is to park an SM next to it."
The SM was not the successor to the DS, the CX was.
I think the CX did appear after the SM. 1974 saw the CX hit the streets
@@ACERASPIRE1 It did, but the SM didn't replace the DS; It was commissioned as part-Grand Touring DS, part-technical exercise. It was a muscle flex of what their engineers could do. The CX replaced the DS in 1974, as you say (although the DS did continue produciton until 1975, presumably to use up the bits).
Actually the CX and the SM replaced both the DS. The CX was ment to just replace the simplified version ID later called Dsuper, and the SM was ment to go upmarket. The 5 door version was not produced in mass (SM opera). Then the oil crisis arrived, and Peugeot was told to take Citroën over from the french government...
The CX was indeed the DS replacement, whereas the SM was a development of the DS upmarket to a halo car for Citroen. There were DS mules with the V6 Maserati. Much of DS front substructure including inboard disc brakes plus 5 speed gearbox of DS used.
CX had transverse engine and was designed for the Wankel. It got the SM steering with 2.5 instead of 2.0 turns lock to lock. Early 2000 manual CX steering was 4.5 turns lock to lock.
CX Prestige and wagon had same wheelbase as DS at 123 inches.
The SM was such a futuristic and visionary car at its time, gorgeous!
Sexy Machine.
So true about the UK being a place where you can be blinded by, and be basking in, bright sunshine, while simultaneously being utterly deluged by rainfall. Having said that, it built an empire, that weather did. _...Ahhh, good, ol' Blighty!_
It always brings a smile to my face when I see cars like this driving around. For some reason modern cars in general just dont do it for me.
Great review as always. (Pretty much 😝 )
That’s because modern cars are just boring and all look the same these days. Modern Tech but just dull😒
A boyhood dream car for me. I would reco Jay Leno’s vid of the SM as he covers the car and its history in good detail.
I'm restoring an SM, love this car! The engine on the one in this video needs a little work, smokes a bit.
All things _(and people)_ from 1970s France smoked! What a wonderful project you've embarked on. Happy restoration, sir. ✌️😎👌
Am I allowed to come and help? I’d love to work on an SM!
I thought someone would pick up on that! Yup - they all do that when they have been sitting for a bit after ‘spirited’ driving. This is my SM. It had a complete overhaul a few years ago, with everything checked, replace/fixed as required and only a few 1000 miles done since then.
Engine and cooling were weak spots. Lucky to get 10K miles between major repairs (timing chains, bearings). Accessories all driven by a shaft linking crank to cams, so that would get sloppy in no time. Parts were mostly 10x what you would expect to pay for generics. But a blast to drive.
@@bobtheelectrician6692 They are not that bad, my car has 180000 miles on it. Todays modern chains and parts easily go 4-50000 miles before requiring changing. But yes, they are not the inexpensive to work on..
An amazing car. It was never meant to be a replacement for the DS even though it expanded on that car's technology. The CX was the direct successor to the DS. The SM was more of a tech statement by Citroen and a flagship model. I have always wanted one.
Thanks for a great video James... it was fun making it with you! ;-)
My pleasure - a wonderful experience!
The SM is insanely cool, way ahead of it's time. What a fantastic looking car!
That shifter... err... grate(?) is outstanding!
Having driven 2 SMs the gear change is smooth and precise.
From France: I'm happy english lovers speak about this car; I'm proud that you recognize it as a special and well done car. I also know that you take care of it ! thanks for this video ! keep it a long time !
I used to own a CX and it was serviced by a guy named Andrew Brodie who owned a garage in Willesden north London, he was a master at fixing Citroens, he had one or 2 of these in his workshop he was restoring absolutely stunning looking cars
Dave Inglis. Back in the 1980's, my then boss bought a lovely metallic light green SM from Andrew Brodie. I drove it to the Swiss Alps when we worked on a chalet in Gstaad, for a few months.
What a fabulous car it was!
My boss left me with the SM when he returned to England and I drove it for the next few weeks before driving back to England in it when my work was done on the chalet.
As mentioned before, the SM is a special car! The look of it is space age! The fantastic bank of front lights and the inside headlights turning with the steering! Very useful for those Swiss mountain hairpins!
The extremely precise steering, so light when going slowly and, getting progressively heavier, the faster the car goes.
The brake 'button' , which is a unique sensation, in that, you don't push your foot 'down' on it, you just sort of put your foot 'on it' and the car decelerates!
A bit of getting used to but, once mastered, is a very enjoyable experience!
Then, of course, the suspension!
The 'floating' sensation is a motoring experience that has to be enjoyed!
A year or so later, my boss gave me the chance to buy the SM from him.
By that time, I had gone all American, and had a 1974 Chevy El Camino!!
No accounting for taste, me! :-D
Clearly a man of exquisite taste to be driving an SM, Mr Martin!
Fascinating to watch a younger man look at this car. It was a really high-end car when new and did "performance" differently. A high-speed cruise (Grand Touring) is very much its element. btw I seem to remember that it was a Maserati engine, due to, if I remember correctly, Citroen for some strange reason buying Maserati.
They bought Maserati pretty much because they wanted the engine!
Yes it like it was purposely built for those European auto Bahns. A big cruiser rather than a racer.
Exactly this! Citroen bought Maserati because they wanted better engines. Unfortunately this coincided with the 1970s oil crisis and was one of the major causes for their bankruptcy and consequent forced merge with Peugeot.
This is one of my all time favourite cars ever . Thanks James 👍
Kudos to the owner for importing it. Maybe get it back to true Euro spec in time.
I have all the kit to do it... but actually the Euro headlights look pretty but don;t work as well as the American ones! lol! (ps. it's my SM!)
The chevrons actually come from the chevron type gears, invented by citroen. Thoses types of gear allow for a torquier gear for the same power. After citroen invented it, all the other car makers started using it.
I've heard people say that in automotive engineering the French copy no one and no one copies the Friench. Only one out of two is true I guess. Great machine here.
By the way I love your pfp. I can tell from the cross-section of that rotor you've got some good knowledge and enthusiasm for engines. Thanks for the fun fact!
The main reason for those 'herringbone' gears is that they don't produce axial forces like helical gears do. So the herringbone gears don't need a trust bearing and can transfer a lot of torque like a straight cut gearset, all while operating quietly! (unlike straight cut gears!)
It was licenced to Citroen who commercialised the herringbone gears.
Quiet also compared to straight cut gears.
JayEmm and Hubnut are my two fav TH-camrs by country mile.
I prefer Ian from HunNut. He drives more real affordable cars and comes across more genuine and down to Earth. Sometimes watching this channel feels like your watching Top Gear. Super expensive cars most people will never drive, never mind own.
I watch Hubnut too
Then may I introduce you to Doug Demuro and Schmee? Another couple of know-nothings posing as journalists.
I owned the XM estate for years... what a great car! You could drive all thru Europe and step out as fresh as a daisy, so comfortable. And so much space, if you felt tired you just pulled over, stretched your legs into the passenger seat and took a little cat nap.. simple!
One of the most charismatic and appealing cars ever. Love the colour of this and supplanting the lights from a French car would improve the front end no end. Great review
This is the content I come to Jay for.
One of these would be in my 10 car garage.
You can see the quality of the ride through the video,super smooth
My first ever Matchbox car, bought for me by my dad. I was about 3 or 4yrs old. Metallic burgundy. This would be part of my 10 car garage if 1. I had the money, and 2. I had a garage...
A car to appreciate and love. Nice to cruise around in.
This is my favorite car this Citroen SM.
What a car this is. Beautiful
If I ever have the money, I'll have one of these beauties. The pinnacle of French automotive innovation.
A big thank you to you and the owner. Citroen = idiosyncratic = wonderful. Lovely choice for a review.
Hello Jay, Jay Leno owns a Citroen SM, and Jay Leno said if it really rains a LOT, then he has the best view out of the front window of his Citroen SM compared to all of his other cars! There exist a modified Citroen SM that can do 320 km/h.
Love French cars, maybe the XM and Xantia were the last truly adventurous Citroëns.
@@lukemallory7832 My dad had a C5 and it was the most comfortable car I've ever experienced. Handled like a boat and had the turning circle of an oil tanker but for cross continent voyages there are few better choices
@@lukemallory7832 yeah definitely not a pretty car but it was a reliable mileage monster. My grandad had a xantia for a long time but I don't remember much about it apart from him saying that it never broke down in the time he owned it. I continued the tradition with a xsara estate which I can only describe as the worst car I've ever owned, it was constantly broken but never broken enough to die. A new and interesting fault would manifest every time you got in it but it'd always get you where you needed to go despite considerable protest.
@@lukemallory7832 the C5 used to be amusing to watch if you parked it on a slightly uneven surface, it'd fidget around for age trying to figure out how to level itself out. I've heard other people mention the xantia rocking but I can't remember whether it was just something they did or a fault? My current car is a mk4 mondeo tdci, it's fairly characterless but in decent mechanical order for 170k miles. The only real annoyance is the diesel particulate filter getting bunged up and putting the car into limp mode if you're not really careful bringing it up to speed, easy enough fix though, just have to take it out on the motorway for an hour or two every once in a while. How about yourself?
It is a shame that everything after the CX and phase 1 BX was rather conventional when it comes to the interior. I have an early XM and even that is missing a lot of the Citroen quirkiness. Not to mention the facelifted XMs and Xantias which look like Peugeot on the inside.
Ide say the BX was probably the last of the really smooth riding Citroen's. When I was young my mother had a DS safari. It was really my dad's car but he rarely used it... Then later in there lives when dad no longer had company cars he bought an XM. It was very comfortable looked cool, black with black leather. He did nearly 300k in it with only an auto gearbox rebuild and some new spheres.. no rust no real issues. At the same time my mother had a BX, it rode just like a DS to me leaned loads into and out of corners.. but just floated along at speed just like the DS.. never been in a C6 I'm guessing it's like a pinned down XM???
Great review of a great car. Thank you Jay.
Such a design icon! Beautiful and very very cool!
Even down here in SW France SM's are a rare sight. Many more DS's about in the summer.
Its not an "old car"! It is the most beautiful GT car ever made!
Looking forward to you driving a BX and an XM. Childhood memories right there!
Oh thank you very much for this and also to the current owner.
I have my 1972 Citroen S M with 33400 original miles on the odometer.Sleep in garage not far from my bedroom.She gives me a lot of pleasure when I drive her around my city.She attracts many curious people and she seems to answer their questions when I open her hood. What a beauty. She is my Sweet Motorcar for ever...A bientot.
Una macchina fantastica... Difficilmente nella storia dell'automobile troverete un modello così iconico
Ricordo di averne vista una da ragazzo nei primi anni ‘70 a Milano, appena uscita sul mercato… e me ne innamorai!
Anche mio padre era un fan di questa macchina, ma non poté mai permettersi di comprarne una.
Ancora adesso per me è una delle macchine più affascinanti mai prodotte
Ma una macchina così bella ed affascinante… non può essere guidata indossando una camicia così orribile e di cattivo gusto come quella che indossi in questo video! È una bestemmia! 😂
Back in the 80's a bloke down the road from me had a SM. Back then I thought cool, these days, that guy was super cool. 🇮🇪
Now that's a proper car. Stunning.
Great review
Loving the noise from the wipers 😂 proper sign of an old car lol
Love a go one of these, gorgeous sleek shape and style. Pity Citroen could make a new concept SM for the modern time.
It's one of my personal favourite Citroen, it's advancements were quirky and brilliant, and it's a French car having an Italian engine! I love it!
I have a real interest in older Citroen. I have been waiting for a 3.0 Xantia for ages. Getting rare now....
@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne And more expensive, I suspect...
@@lgz2006 Yes. Typical. You could pick one up 5 years ago for less than £1,000...not now.!
@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne OK! That wasn't the price what I expected from 5 years ago for a classic Citroen!
We need cars like this again!
Man it looks so cool !!
Beautiful and stylish, saw this vehicle in an old Burt Reynolds movie decades ago when I was a nipper, been intrigued by it ever since.
This guy is light on Citroen acumen.
Awesome video, been waiting for this since the DS review. The car will look better without the beam deflector stickers on the headlights and with the glass covers back on. This is probably the finest car Citroën ever made. I still have an olive green Matchbox die-cast model from my childhood, and schoolboy memories of a white SM that used to park on the street two blocks away from where I lived in the early 90s. It's so evocative of a lost era it makes me want to reach for an unflitered Gauloises cigarette, and then put it out in a chrome trimmed ashtray (and I don't even smoke). According to Tony Rudd, that gearbox worked so well in the S1 Esprit you paid for the gearchange and got the rest of the car for free. The button brake is entirely appropriate in a quirky sci-fi Citroën but should never have ben carried across to the Masesati Bora. Maybe a 2CV next, James?
The S&M. Kinky Citroen!
One of my favourite cars, it is lovely 👌
I thought that GoPro was going to meet its demise at 6:35!
I was never sure how much the oil crisis really affected the sale of premium and high-end sports cars. I think that a Citroën with a Maserati engine for the price of a Ferrari Dino would not have been the easiest car to market in the best of times.
I learnt to drive in my dad's manual Citroen CX.
it had all the funny steering/ brakes and suspension querks as the am,but with about 1/2 the shove.
If you get offered a CX please,please take up the offer👍
Cool car awesome tech for the day love it
The actor Burt Reynolds had to drive one of these for a film, and liked it so much that he bought one for his then partner (Dinah Shore).
Pls review a C6 from the mid-nouties
the secondary air pump provided extra O2 in the exhaust so it would finish burning and form H20 on the way out the pipe. I was a little cleaner than raw exhaust. I just redid the system on my (beautiful) 77 Lincoln towncar 7.5ltr. now it leaves a puddle on the driveway and not a big black soot stain as it warms up.
My dad used to own a DS and then later a SM he said both a brilliant, though the SM is a clear evolution of DS and is much nicer to use, especially on long road trips.
One of the few that would be in my dream garage .......
Nice old car, quiet unique!
Thanks, nice review, imagine driving a 50 YO car in 1972! The brakes are mid 60's DS/ID, the trans is standard DS/ID from the mid 60's with a 5th gear tacked on and the suspension is straight outta the 1956 DS with the fronts swapped side to side & moved forward to they'd clear a wide engine, the steering rack was an upgrade & hardly anything new, but the speed regulated pressure to it was. Also, looks like a nice job on the accessory drive couplings, necessary to keep the drive shaft outta the hood/bonnet! Also, also, the USofA 5mph bumper regs. & Citroen's usual weirdness and unlikeability helped do it in. A 10mph front end crash would total the frame.
sexy shirt Jay, you forgot a hat to match the full style 100%, from car to driver. I'd give you a 99% perfection rate on this video. A+
Sadly as someone who live in the US, we didn't get many of the fun, funky, and weird french cars. My heart yearns for a Peugeot 205 Gti, but my wallet screams "sacred bleu!"
Also, smog pump was a precursor to catalytic converters, extra air through the exhaust to help burn excess hydrocarbons.
one of the nicest shifting transmissions .ever.
Air injection was used on lots of cars in the 70s and did NOT merely dilute the exhaust. It added air at the exhaust ports to further the combustion of unburned hydrocarbons. Not as effective as catalytic converters certainly, but it did do some good.
Learn something every day
I feel the need to point out that this theory about the oil crisis killing the SM isn't strictly accurate. There were plenty of cars at the time which were equally fond of the dino-juice, and they did just fine. The bigger issue was that Citroen has sunk an absolute fortune into that up-and-coming invention that was going to change the world; the Rotary engine! They created a new company (Comotor) with NSU, and built tonnes and tonnes of engines. They had a factory, they had orders in principle to supply other brands (including Ford) but those who had developed the Wankel-lump found out very quickly (and very expensively) that they were a dead duck in the water. This coupled with the cost of building other new factories; the cost of developing and releasing the CX (which had to be hastily re-engineered, because it was meant to have a triple-rotor Wankel engine from the off...this is why there is no V6 version of a CX; the bonnet is too low, and the 4-cyl has to be mounted canted right over to clear it) all proved a bit too much financiall. Even when ever-conservative Peugeot bought minority shares in wonderful & wacky Citroen prior to the PSA takeover, they'd already made known their disapproval of the SM. The reason the SM died too young was that Citroen was grossly unlucky with the Wankel-rotary engine project, which led to tightening of the pursestrings, and eventual takeover by plain-Jane Peugeot, who were desperate to be the big guns of France. Citroen have been on a leash ever since.
Good post. It had to be said though that Peugeot may have been "plain", but the Peugeot 504 was an excellent car for the time (the 1970s), and 504 Cabriolets sell for a lot of money if you can even find one .
Stunning.
Amazing car! Can you do a review on a Citroen Ax GT/ Ax Sport?
It would be interesting to see you test the Maserati side of the Citroen/Maserati equation; the Bora or Khamsin both stunning cars, the Khamsin being a particular childhood favourite of mine.
HubNut
I nearly bought one from a very nice gent at a classic show, who had the few, tiny mods that bring this car up to date and make it more driveable... As I recall there was something done with the suspension, and the cooling fan.
This is when cars were way more interesting than most today....
Would I have one? If I had space and money to run it...!
Secondary air injection is what the smog pump you are referring to is called in the BMW world. I have one fitted to my UK spec E34 M5. I believe the intended purpose is to add oxygen to the exhaust to help burn the excess fuel from cold starts and heat up the catalyst.
You referred to the Citroën DS pronouncing it dee-ess but it's original pronunciation is day-ess (déesse), french for goddess.
Next try a Citroen C6 but only a V6 one.
That was a much more refined departure at the start than many of the reviews. Befitting the car.
I had a Citroën ad during this. Some hideous C5 SUV hybrid. Yuck.
Oh how the mighty have fallen
No, not "two gears put together" to produce that logo. It was cutting the gears that way (helical?) to reduce the noise which comes from straight cut gears.
That has been one of my absolute dream cars since I was a little boy in the early seventies. I regularly used to see one parked on my way to school (I lived in Amsterdam) and I always had to take a look inside. Sorry to the owner for the finger- and nose marks on your window 😄. Also our famous football player Johan Cruijff used to drive one and he still had one at his home in Barcelona when he died. Two absolute icons.
Bet that auto wiper system actually works better than the ones i have encountered of in all of the latest the range of a company with letters LRJ.😁
The DS single spoke wheel is off set for safety.
Deflect you into the centre of the car in a crash - before seat belts.
And the rear of the car squats under braking - plus load proportioning valve to rear.
C6 was the last true Citroen.
My 2011 C5 2l diesel is great to drive. V quiet with some special glass and windscreen. The pneumatic suspension mops up potholes and rough surfaces. V comfortable, great high profile tyres. Can't understand what the car industry is doing making machines that are uncomfortable to drive.
I've always had a soft side for the Citroen SM
'soft spot' idiot
I haven’t watched it all yet, but that’s an American version, with the repeater sidelights and the horrible headlights. I drove one in the early seventies and it was as wonderful as it looked, and still looks.
I wonder if this is Alex Roy’s SM
Windscreen wiper use without the triangle of doom measure?
ALL the good engineering.
Wish they had kept developing the C6 for a longer production run. The best of the SM, DS, XM & CX. Supreme style and comfort. A worthy successor to the SM.. But likewise only a few were built.
So this car has american headlight and they were swiped for RHD euopean H4 when LHD ones are available. Intersting.
You are definitely plumbing the French weirdness this week!
I believe the CX is the successor of the DS, not the SM. Anyway, I would love to see a CX, an XM and a C6 in the channel, to capture the full evolution of the original DS! Thank you.
One of the coolest cars on the planet.
Is this the SM that Alex Roy sold a couple of years ago?
Well, SM stands for Storm after all...
Funny how I only just recently became interested in Citroen after never having really thought about them. Then all of a sudden there are historical Citroen related videos popping up all over the place. Those clever Frenchies and their subliminal retroactive advertising.
It was not a successor to the DS, it was Citroen's version of a luxury/performance car. The XM was the successor car to the DS.
The last Citroën is the CX (who's is thé successor of the DS). The SM was apart, as beeing a GT coupé
Σωστος! 🇬🇷🏛👍