1971 Citroën SM 2.7 V6
Citroën’s acquisition of Maserati in 1968 gave the French firm access to something it lacked: a high-revving, multi-cam engine capable of propelling a grand touring car.
The SM was the result (introduced at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show) a two-door, four-seat coupe with low, elongated bodywork that carried the visual language of the DS into a sportier silhouette, all factory-produced examples in left-hand drive.
Under the long hood sat a Maserati-developed quad-cam 90-degree V6 displacing 2,670 cc (2.7 liters), producing 170 horsepower at 5,500 rpm (SAE gross) in 1971 and feeding the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox (a three-speed automatic was optional).
The SM carried over Citroën’s hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension and added speed-sensitive DIRAVI power steering that self-centered and varied assist with vehicle speed.
The model occupied an unusual position in the market, a front-wheel-drive, French-bodied, Italian-engined grand tourer with no direct equivalent from any other manufacturer.
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