|
Body
|
Saloon
|
|
Transmission
|
Manual
|
|
Exterior Color
|
Gold metalic
|
|
Upholstery
|
Leather
|
|
Steering
|
Rhd
|
|
|
VIN
|
00SC2423
|
1973 Citroën SM £60,000
Chassis number: 00SC2423
Registration number: NUN 5M
2.7 litre Maserati engine equipped with electronic fuel injection.
Just over 65,000 miles and five owners from new.
Offered from long-term ownership with excellent service history.
Recently maintained by McGrath Maserati.
In the late 1960s, Maserati and Citroën entered into a mutually beneficial partnership in order to produce the most exotic Citroën of all, the SM. Maserati developed a new V6 engine allied to a Citroën 5-speed transaxle driving the front wheels. The rest of the car was pure Citroën, a technological masterpiece with styling by Robert Opron. Produced in much higher numbers than any contemporary Maserati, but lower numbers than most family Citroëns, the SM enjoyed great success during the first half of the 1970s and was an important milestone in the history of Maserati because it led to Citroën actually purchasing the company.
Built at the Javel plant in Paris on 26th July to international specification, this particular SM was fully optioned, including leather upholstery, tinted windows, air conditioning, three loudspeakers and electric aerial. Originally exported directly to Barnes Garage, the St. Helier, Jersey Citroën dealership, it is the only SM to be registered new on the Channel Islands. It was registered to the dealership’s owner and used sparingly, including annual trips to Paris for maintenance by Citroën.
After ten years of ownership, the SM then passed to another Jersey-based owner who kept it fastidiously maintained at Citroën specialists and enjoyed it for another ten years. The car was then imported to the UK by well-known SM aficionado Andrew Brodie in 1993 and sold shortly after to a UK-based owner who kept the car for just over a year.
In 1995 the car was bought by its 4th owner who used the car more extensively, including for European tours, averaging around 2,000 miles per year. The record of fastidious maintenance was continued, with Hertfordshire-based Citroën specialists BL Autos looking after the car throughout this period. At this time, the km/h speedometer head was replaced with a mph one, with 34,207 kms (21,255 miles) showing at the point of replacement.
The current owner, a notable local car collector, purchased the car on 14th May 2006, re-registering it on the ‘NUN 5M’ plate it wears today, and which is included in the advertised sale price. The SM has been used and enjoyed for the past 19 years, with frequent use including several tours on the continent, along with visits to Le Mans and Scotland. BL Autos continued to look after the car until McGrath Maserati took over in June 2022, continuing the pattern of consistent care and maintenance that has kept this SM in such exceptional, original condition. Notably, the all-important inlet and exhaust valves were replaced by BL Autos in 2017. It is now offered for sale with just over 65,000 miles and five owners from new, all backed up by a huge history file.
Nothing else looks like a Citroën SM or drives like one – a combination of effortless controls, supreme comfort, and Italian power. They have always had a strong following but like many cars of this era, they have been through the cycle of low values and reluctant restorers. It is therefore rare to find one in truly excellent and original condition, but the car you see here is one such example.
