A classic great: the Citroën SM

Citroën​'s Maserati-engined coupé is still a stunner after more than four decades

Chances are you won’t have heard of Robert Opron. He’s a car designer from the same era as ‘big’ names like Giorgetto Giugiaro, Marcello Gandini and Sergio Pininfarina.

It would be untrue to say Opron faded into obscurity, because he was never in the spotlight to start with. And that’s peculiar because he was responsible for some of the most ‘out there’ and, as it turns out, enduring designs ever.

He did the preliminary sketches for the Alfa Romeo SZ, which ended up being a bit Marmite to put it mildly, so we won’t blame him for that. More notably, he penned Citroën's advanced GS small hatch, the same company’s swoopy and fantastically graceful CX large hatch, and probably best of all the Maserati-engined SM that you see here.

This particular specimen from 1973 is up for sale at London-based specialist dealer Classic Chrome. It’s nicely used, having covered 76,000 miles, and is very ‘period’ in its silver-with-blue paint/leather colour combo. There’s a full and comprehensive service history, and the desirability factor goes up still further with the news that its most recent mechanical work was carried out by well-respected Citroën SM specialist Andrew Brodie.

Why is that good? Well, like many Citroën's through history, these SMs run oleo-pneumatic suspension, which gives it a genuinely magical mix of nailed-on handling, ultra-precise steering and magic-carpet ride comfort – when it’s working properly. The 2.7-litre V6 Maser motor is full of character – when it’s working properly. Brodie knows his SM onions, so you should be able to buy with confidence. When rather more pedestrian classics are fetching huge money, £34,995 for this SM seems like good value to us.

Mainly, though, the SM ‘thing’ is all about that Opron body shape. Not one but two Rolling Stones owned SMs: Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts. And Charlie doesn’t even drive. He just loved the look of it.

---

1973 CITROEN SM

Price	£34,995
Engine	2670cc V6 petrol
Transmission	Five-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power	170bhp @ 5,500rpm
Torque	170lb ft @ 4,000rpm
Recorded mileage	76,000 miles