And in true SM style, this concept created by DS looks like a car from the world of tomorrow.
DS Automobiles is this year celebrating a decade since it spun off as a separate flagship marque from Citroen. And in order to mark this occasion, the automaker has decided to take a crack at bringing to the present one of the most iconic cars in its twin-chevron parent automaker’s history — the SM.
Dubbed the SM Tribute, there is certainly much to gush about this particularly striking retro-futuristic one-off. Though just before delving into greater detail on this concept, it would actually serve well to first regale on what exactly made the original car so great.
Serving as a sporting successor to the legendary Citroen DS, the SM was truly the zenith of Citroen at its most opulent (and wacky) high-point in its history. This wedge-shaped two-door Maserati-powered flagship of the twin-chevron marque was after all showered with praise in many contemporary reviews, as being a car that offers ‘a combination of comfort, sharp handling, and braking not available in any other car at the time’.
It also incidentally was one of the most technically innovative cars of its time too, with it being an absolute tour de force when it came to offering some totally futuristic tech toys for a car that came out in the 1970s. Among the more notable bits of kit found on the SM that were downright space age for its time included self-levelling headlights that swivelled with the steering, variable assist speed-sensitive power steering and rain-sensing automatic wipers.
Unfortunately, a combination of Citroen’s own bankruptcy and an oil crisis that took place a few years into its life sadly spelt the end of this large flagship just half a decade after it came onto the scene. This modernised concept showcased by DS is however touted here by its maker as being an idealised what-if scenario for the SM, as if it had remained in production after 1975 and “continued to develop over the past five decades.”
This half-century of hypothesised continued development nevertheless looks to not have really altered the overall iconic shape of the SM, with this tribute car by DS having kept much of the original’s door-stop silhouette and edgy lines. The signature wraparound cover for the headlights and numberplate of its forebear has also similarly been retained on this modernised one-off, though what lies within the housing is now a 3D screen acting as a light bar instead.
Having this concept painted in Goldleaf further adds to the 1970s throwback vibe its general exterior aesthetic is going for too. Though the one design touch that makes this concept a true SM Tribute has to be the cutout in its rear fender, which serves as a visual nod to the removable wind-cheating wheel spats of the 1970s car.
And while on the topic of wheels, in spite the massive 22-inch rollers on this concept that take the place of the original’s 15-inch items (of which fibre glass were actually an option back then), this tribute car actually sit nearly 35 mm closer to terra firma “for aerodynamic purposes”. Here’s hoping then that the groundbreaking self-levelling and driver-raisable hydropneumatic suspension of its predecessor is to be made available on this concept, if it ever makes the leap into reality that is.
In giving the full dimensional date for this concept here meanwhile, this still-two-door SM Tribute is said to come in at 4,940 mm long, 1,980 mm wide and just 1,300 mm tall. These figures put it around the same stately size as its forebears, but slightly more compact than the contemporary GTs currently offered by the likes of Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
As for what lies within the SM Tribute, the deck chair-like seat decorated with horizontally striped cushions and curved dashboard design pay direct homage to the 1970s original. The massive central curved screen console, infotainment projection system and its steer-by-wire steering ‘rectangle’ with integrated screen on the other hand rightfully continues the tradition of its forebear in showcasing some truly outlandish technology.
While the original SM had a Maserati V6 driving its front wheels, there has been no word from DS yet as to what exactly powers this concept. Though given that both have once again converged under the Stellantis umbrella, it will likely be not too big an ask for the Italian trident marque’s to loan its new Nettuno six-cylinder in making this a true-to-its-roots tribute act.
That said, any further talk on powertrain will likely be academic for now. Such is that sadly, no plans thus far for DS to actually put this outlandish SM Tribute into production…
