The Citroen SM is one of those vehicles that is tantalizing to enthusiasts for completely obvious reasons. Yes, its looks are off-putting to some, but overall, this car has all the ingredients that help to explain why good men make bad decisions around this car: unusual styling, with long, low proportions; the heart of an Italian thoroughbred; limited production numbers, which translates to exclusivity; and being completely over-engineered, which somehow makes us think that it’s our civic duty to bring it back to life. Whatever the motivations, owning a Citroen SM gets even more tempting when it’s one of the relative few equipped with a manual gearbox like this car is. Find it here on eBay with bids to $2,150 and no reserve.
The SM doesn’t appear to be alone in its dimly-garage of Italian dreams. When you look at this photo in full-size form, the backdrop will remind you of why the Midwest is a great place to be a car enthusiast; the Citroens are in a huge expanse of a steel building that I’m guessing occupies plenty of acreage, free from the annoying eyes of neighbors that frequent suburban settings. The seller sounds like a Citroen enthusiast, as he seems to have multiples and certainly plenty of parts. One downside to having too much of a good thing is, however, that it becomes hard to find needed parts, and the seller claims he’s having a difficult time putting his hands on the carburetors at the moment.
The carbs and the air conditioner compressor have been removed; nothing else was supposedly disturbed. However, the seller does acknowledge that he was in the middle of an electronic ignition conversion that sounds like it stopped halfway through the job. The interior is complete and features brown leather that looks very usable in the other listing photos. The SM is a famously complex vehicle that can challenge even the most seasoned of restorers; suffice to say, bringing this one back will not be cheap, but if the seller’s claims of minimal rust hold true, it could very well be worth saving one of the SMs with three pedals. Rust is said to be limited to the bottom of the fenders at the door junction.
The engine is a 2.7L Maserati unit shared with the Merak and the Quattroporte II. It always gets a lot of love for that reason alone, as if nothing else, it will make some extremely nice sounds once it is put back together. Lesser cars have been restored solely for the noise they will someday make, so it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see this SM get rescued on the basis of having the 2.7L V6 and the manual gearbox. Many of these cars were equipped with the automatic owing to their excellent highway cruising capabilities, so this one is a standout that should absolutely be brought back to life if the rust is as limited as the seller promises and no other parts have gone missing. Sure would be nice if he could dig up those carbs, though!
I’m watching this one! Last week I went to look and purchase the 71 Citroen DS that was languishing under a shed roof near me. Unfortunately he did find a buyer for it. This would be a much bigger hurdle for me than a regular DS but I like the colors and the fact it’s a 5-speed. Plus I would have to drive 3000 miles round trip. So that’s a 4 day journey.
I would drive a 3000 miles round trip if I could get it for only $ 3000.00 Once restored, even if only turned into a reliable runner, it will command well over $50K USD.
You wont find a half decent SM in Europe for under $70K USD.
Lovely looking car. I don’t get why Citroens never sold well in the USA, at least when compared to that of Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and Japanese cars, such as Toyotas and Datsun (at the time) Nissan. My guess is that they were such complicated cars, and without a proper service network to maintain them, they’d be allowed to deteriorate. That’s sad. :(
Correct Gig Harbor. I own a ’53 Citroen Traction Avant and a ’75 Citroen Dyane (2CV Platform and slightly updated body). A DS or SM Citroen is a career to own and maintain and beyond my mechanical skills. We have excellent specialty car service here in DeKalb, but I don’t want to own any car I cannot maintain myself. I also have the good fortune to know Mr. John Chasen the world’s foremost Ctirologist.
That’s what it takes to keep a car running like it should, a specialist who knows how the damn thing works. For some reason, the French car makers when they offered them here in the USA, they didn’t offer an extensive service network to keep them running.
Always liked the SM car … perhaps see you at the Tides … be well …
had one when they were new, at age 21. the car was by far the most amazing driver (I worked for both mercedes and bmw) of all the 50 cars I have had. reliability? that’s another story. over engineered? understatement. magnificent driver? not the fastest thing on the road but elegant in it’s masterful handling and just fun to drive. this car will cost a fortune to get back on the road, make no mistake.
Sold for $5100. I sent a email to the owner through eBay. The car did not come with the carburetors which is another big ticket item added to the list. He sent another picture showing the drivers side. It wasn’t very clear but I think the buyer is going to be challenged with more rust issues than indicated. I seriously considered but a good friend talked me off the ledge.
I have seen them on the road however it’s not on my bucket list…. I get the feeling that it would be like owning a wooden sailboat.
They didn’t sell well because it was almost impossible to find someone who’d work on it, and those who would tended to be both expensive and short-tempered. There was one shop down near San Diego that specialized in Citroens, although their published rates were scary, at least for me when my FIL “gave” me his DS. Those quotes indicate that what he was REALLY giving me was my turn at trying to revive a complex car he’d been neglecting for years.
Chuck Forward, newly become the co-owner of the Autobooks store in Burbank and a very good amateur Citroen mechanic, offered his wife’s Alfa 164S (my wife’s dream car at the time) as an even no-cash swap, which we took after a full three seconds of careful thought. Chuck fixed the car very nicely and drove it to the store on a Saturday. A certain local TV personality/comedian saw it and came running in. “WHOSE CAR IS THAT??” A transaction later it was his. I think it’s still on his Garage page. YOU know the one …
BF doesn’t have an emoji option, so…. WOW!
Ended: Feb 11, 2022 , 9:21AM
Winning bid:US $5,100.00
[ 14 bids ]
Located in:Potosi, Wisconsin
Wisconsin car? I live in Wisconsin. This car is going to be a rust bucket. Someone just paid $5,100 for a nightmare!