Considering a Citroen SM, what do I need to look out for?
You need to look out for a specialty shop within driving distance. West coast= SM World. Central US= Excelsior Motors. East Coast= Dave Burnham. Buy a well-sorted example or you will regret it. You can easily spend thousands of dollars on a car with needs and they all need something! I bought a very nice example about 18 months ago from Jerry Hathaway at SM World out in California. Great guy and the car is awesome! Also, don't buy one with the automatique. Find one with the cool euro headlights which absolutely MAKES the car. Good luck! Here are some pics of mine: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hello; as a long-time owner and restorer of SM-s and their engines, I am glad to notice the increasing interest among Maserati people for this car. There is a number of standard problems to address, some of them inherent with the design or components, some of course age-related. It is not as rustprone as the DS or its halfsister the Merak (where everything hidden from view was also hidden from any kind of protective coating, like in the F Dino...). Most important is to have an engine with solid exhaust valves, new chains and modified follower for the primary chain - in generally good condition of course! Original oil hoses are not to be trusted after many years and they do run alongside most of the engine bay! These may be said to be the most important immediate things to check for, and my guess is that most good cars will have them done. Basic advise is to spend more money on a good car and not hope for bargains, but then you need to know a good car so find someone familiar with the SM to help you check. There is a section of the English Cit club for the SM, you may find help there. You are welcome to waste my valuable time with questions: [email protected]. Regards, Lars
Welcome Lars! When I wrote my book I wanted the right person to explain hydraulics in layman's terms as opposed to grease monkey gibberish and the one person I chose was Lars so anyone interested in SM's is in good hands with him and his extremely qualified advice. He is a true Maseratista and has other interests such as his cello playing It must be underlined for those Maseratisti who may wonder if it is appropriate to have SM's discussed here that the SM engine order by Citroen and the subsequent purchase of Maserati by Citroen in 1968 allowed huge investment by Citroen to rebuild the factory, industrialize it put some order where it was badly needed and there is no doubt that the factory that de Tomaso took control of in late 1975 -months after new Citroen and therefore Maserati owner Peugeot decided to shut down Maserati- would not have been viable if it had been in the shape Citroen found it in 1968. Therefore the SM and Citroen's purchase of Maserati allowed the firm to continue, saved Maserati. Just as the Biturbo did years later and Fiat, love them or hate them with SUV and diesel, lack of appreciation for Maserati history, do now. For all these reasons the SM should very much be considered part of Maserati history. Furthermore it is a wonderfully efficient pleasant car, fast enough for today, able to carry four in unrivalled comfort, to this day. Just have the right competent shop sort it out, that is the one VITAL point, no amateurs, don't even think about it. SM's are still quite cheap so as Lars advises speak to the experts mentioned by him if you are in the US. If you are in other countries ask here and we will be glad to point you to the right people. Best regards, Marc
Mark this is very similar to aircraft or any garden variety hydraulics on the Maseratis at least. The suspension on the SM is a bit more complex. Grease money gibberish? LOL I hope you have a bit of respect left for mechanics while tootling down the Mulsanne straight in some hairy vintage piece. They're keeping you alive!
Hi Bob, Yes an SM has more hydraulics than a Khamsin or Bora but as you say yourself it is just plumbing and the system is actually very reliable if used regularly. Like any cars they don't like to sit unused six months at a time. Regarding my expression grease monkey gibberish it was simply meant to imply that I wanted a plain English explanation of the system by someone who has a life outside of the worskhop someone who would not have the overly technical vernacular some techies do have, otherwise that part of my book would have missed the chance to clearly explain the matter, since many who still not have understood. It helped bring new people in by allaying their fears brought on by hearsay. I have the greatest respect for mechanics, was one during my mandatory year in the French army in 83-84, was my own mechanic in 3 years of French karting championship and my first year in Formula Ford single seaters before a year with a ppro team and a year as factory driver in Formula Renault (with a joke of a manufacturer I won't mentio here!) I was friends with several of them then and now and have the greatest respect for them such as when a suspension problem threatened to cancel my Ferrari 512M test drive two months ago but the guys saved the day with amazing work and did so very quickly. I respect 99% of them, it is just those whose head and thoughts never come out of their engine bay that I have a problem with and some are so caught up in what they do that they have difficulty speaking in layman's terms but that happens in many professions, such as with computer techies. Best regards, Marc
I was just yankin' your chain a bit Mark ... Yes, lot's of misconceptions and fear of the unknown regarding the braking system. However ... Maserati could have done much better than those Bosch hydraulic cylinders. I guess they grabbed what seemed like high quality stuff at the time. After all the cars originally were only meant to be used for four years and then you were supposed to get a new one!
Hi all, Great to see that people has interest in SM in the other side of the pond. Don't hesitate to send us request for parts / manual etc. Lot of frenchies loves the SM, they are still quite common here and quite affordable, considering the value for money. I'm living close, in the center of france, to one of the best specialist of the SM and DS, parts are still plentiful, even NOS : just seen a beautiful one, driving my Peugeot to work this morning. Those cars are pretty reliable if used regularly, hydraulics much more reliable thant the Bora etc because no Bosch actuators or switch used, just the best of Citroen parts which are very well built and very reliable and used in millions of DS / GS / CX and so on. Take care of the engine : the weak point is the timing chain tensioner (sooo many ancillaries are driven by it) The "Euro" nose and glass is a must, be careful of the resin wheel rim used for some versions, beautiful but could be dangerous, composites plastic aging not very well known. Have the best of it...in the USA or import one from its birth place. Cheers
I guess Lars has mentionned the Sodium filled original valves which are quite prone to break. A set of new ones, made in good SS steel cost just a few $$$, and it's quite obvious that any SM engines must be open if it has stayed idle few years... A pristine rebuilt engine 0 hours cost approx 5000€ in Europe. A good SM about 15k to 25k in France. concours ones... well difficult to say but so many have been already rebuilt and are available on the market. not yet infected by the speculation. but prices are already inflating quickly It's still a mechanic car... otherwise you need to have a good mechanic and workshop in your area, well used with the Citroen peculiarities... not very common in the USA
A photo of a valve, what I find from my Sm engine. Didn't had run about 30 years, and that snapped when I took a head off. Also tried some other valves, it was too easy to crack them... The price for six stainless exhaust valves was $150 some years ago. Not expensive at all... It is quite simple car at all. Hydraulics are very reliable, and can be serviced by yourself. I have done to my car nearly everything by myself (with a freind who has also same illnes to older Citroens, and also have Merak), from hydraulics to engine, including electrics... If you need to ask something, you can send E-mail or PM to me, I'll try to answer as much I can... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hello All, Just have to say that the Citroen Community [ I'm not naming names - you know who you are ] has in great part if not wholly saved many many Meraks with their willingness to unselfishly share and disseminate information relative to the mechanical/hydraulic workings thereof. To this end, the Merak Group owes a great dept of gratitude!!!!! Just Sayin! Ciao, George
The injected Sm´s are more prone to burning up than the carburetted ones. Ironically, the SM´s problems stemmed from Maserati engines and Bosch EFI, the Citroën bits works just fine. Don´t be afraid to buy an Sm, just make sure the engine has good valves and chains and that the Bosch EFI has the right injectors and good fuel lines. cheers, Göran
SM's are cool cars. I got to see some at Dave Burnham's hanger outside of Albany, NY. I made the pilgrimage to his place to service the hydraulics on my Khamsin. I would have gone the SM route had I not purchased the Khamsin (bigger engine).
After you have found, looked at and driven an SM - I encourage you to share your impressions here. Over the past couple of years, I've test driven several 5-speeds, and liked them. The SM looks phenomenal and it excels at comfort. The cockpit comfort, seat comfort, low noise level, and absorption of road irregularities was top notch. The unorthodox suspension feel was interesting, and the road-feel it telescoped to my hands I felt were at times counter-intuitive. The long term owners I have talked with enjoy theirs very much. And to wit - Yes, the SM's I drove just floated over railroad crossings to the degree that I'd turn around and try it again, just for the remarkable aplomb the car showed. In my opinion, it's less powerful than cars I'd place in the Grand Touring segment. But if a technological wonder that dampens road feel while giving you relaxed comfort in a stylish skin sounds like something you are looking for, then the SM is it. Cheers, - Art
Very well put, my father ran Citroen Portugal at the time so drove from Paris to Lisbon in SM's (2000kms in those days on less than perfect roads) and always felt rested and fresh after two such days on the road in one He used to let me sit on his knees and hold the wheel up the driveway, many childhood memories of SM's in both countries. I have some photos but not right here. Best regards, Marc
