We aren’t sure why people derive pleasure from vandalizing other people’s property, especially those that target old cars. Why damage a classic car that is already hard up and in need of attention? The seller of the Citroën Wagons we featured a few days back has listed another car. This one is a 1973 Citroën SM and has been parked in their barn for the past 20 years or so. Sadly, during its time in the barn vandals stole parts off of it, but at least they didn’t shoot it. Take a look at this Maserati powered GT here on eBay.
If you thought the DS was a marvel of engineering, then you’ll find the SM to be brilliant! When Citroën began developing the SM, they knew they needed an engine as marvelous as the rest of the car was. The French company knew they would need the engine expertise of the Italians, so they went out and bought Maserati. With the Maserati part’s bin at their disposal, they were able to build a sports car that could actually be driven comfortably over long distances. The idea didn’t come without hiccups though, as neither Citroën’s hydraulics nor Maserati’s engines were known to be reliable. If you were diligent about keeping both properly maintained, then you typically had yourself one incredible machine.
The original 3.0 liter Maserati V6 is still in the car, but as you can see someone has stolen a few pieces from this engine bay. This is why we hate vandals, now the next owner has to go through the headache and expense of figuring out what’s missing and replacing it. Thankfully, the seller is offering it without a reserve and bidding is still only at $500.
We wish people could learn to respect each other’s property, especially their barn finds. We are guessing that with this car, someone needed some parts and decided that since this one was parked, it wouldn’t miss them. Let’s just hope none of the exceptionally rare pieces were taken and that everything can easily be replaced. With each car this seller lists the more curious we become about what else might be hiding in there! Can you identify what’s parked next to this SM?
If bidding stays low then I might throw a bid in there.
good luck. since there is no reserve someone is going to be the new owner of this car. the current bid on all 3 of the citroens are low, but the chevette is at $3750!
Although I think I might go for the wagons instead, Imo they’re better looking than the sedans.
It really burns me up when this happens. Even if it’s an old Pinto, don’t just destroy it for no reason. Somebody might want parts or might even want to get it running again. Especially with very unusual, cranky and hard to find cars like an SM, leave it for others who actually need and want it.
Well said, couldn’t have put it better myself.
Thanks!
Looks like the carbs are gone and also the rad, the big distributor, the green accumulators, and who know what else. Now, even if it turns over, the engine will need to be removed and taken completely down. A friend bought a nice low-mile V8 pickup that was just missing its bolt-on FI unit. He got the right FI unit to replace the missing one, bolted it on, and it started right up. Unfortunately there was a death rattle in the engine. When it was torn down, they found a couple of the original nuts that held on the FI unit inside a couple of cylinders. The thief had either dropped, or purposely put the nuts into the intake passages. You never know what’s down inside an engine with no intake components, because some of the valves will be open.
Nasty thing to do to this poor SM. Unless the buyer has a stash of parts this could be a headache to put right…an expensive headache.
This SM would be a very good project in France at the the price shown in the bid.
Parts can be found in France as there are several specialists which sell second hand or new or refabricated parts. The SM at a time was dramatically outpriced in France, it is more reasonable today. A SM in good condition of driving would be found for 10K.
The most difficult parts to find are the interior and mostly the upholstery. This SM does’nt look too bad in this recpect. What a pleasure to ride in a SM, I did and I do remember
Glad to hear there is still support for these cars in France Jean. The SM was always on my list of cars that were hard to keep running but worth it, like a Jaguar E type. I’ve only seen one and that was many years ago, but it was a cool car.
Hi Andacar,
You are right about the difficulty to keep these cars running. The most important problem in the SM was the engine which was fragile and needed constant and expensive maintenance. Otherwise, contrary to what many people think, the hydraulic system was and still is very reliable. Citroën started the hydraulic on the DS in 1956 and improved it year after year to get it very reliable. All the citroëns after 1967 used the LHM hydraulic fluid which was the solution to nearly all the problems. If you are interested about SMs have a look on Google about a man called REGIMBEAU. He designed and built a 2.5 litre turbocharged diesel engine that he fitted on his own SM with a six speeds gearbox. His car ran over 600000Km…
He also proposed to rebuild the Maserati engine with the necessary improvements to get it reliable. I am afraid that the information you will get will be in french. If you take the project, I would be very happy to help.
High bid $6,100 by t***c with 10 feedback @ 50%
My guess is that it will be back up for sale…….
Could that other car be a Citroen Mahari Wagon?