DS Automobiles pays tribute to the 1970 Citroën SM with the SM Tribute concept

It was 1970 when, after two years of development, Citroën unveiled the SM at the Geneva Motor Show held in March, a grand tourer with a sporty character designed by Robert Opron (responsible for other icons such as the Citroën GS, the Alpine A310 and the Renault Fuego, among other notable models). However, it was at the Paris Motor Show held a few months later that it was truly showcased and dazzled the public.

The birth of a vehicle as revered today as the Citroën SM came about through a collaboration agreement between the French brand and Maserati, the latter responsible for designing, producing and supplying, thanks to the work of Giulio Alfieri, the V6 engine with a 90º bank angle that powered it, developed from the V8 engines the Italians used in competition. Its 170 CV engine, capable of taking it to 220 km/h, was not the only technological advance ahead of its time: it also featured disc brakes, electric windows, power steering, air conditioning, leather upholstery for its futuristic interior, and the hydropneumatic suspension inherited from the DS, which gave it unmatched comfort and grip on the road.

A vehicle so coveted by collectors and motoring enthusiasts certainly deserves a special place within the French brand itself, which is why, in 2020, the DS Design Studio Paris launched an internal design competition to conceive a reinterpretation of the 1970 SM. This resulted in sketches that DS Automobiles shared on its social media that same year. Now those sketches become a reality through the SM Tribute, a homage to such an iconic vehicle but also to ten years of art and elegance since the creation of DS Automobiles.

Whichever way you look at it, the SM Tribute clearly recalls the 1970 SM through modern design lines. An example is that its characteristic lines are preserved, following the airflow from the front towards the rear. Furthermore, its presence becomes even more imposing, since compared with the original SM the SM Tribute gains 140 mm in width, reaching 1,980 mm, while also demonstrating its sportiness thanks to a ground clearance reduced by 35 mm; meanwhile, both the length and the height remain those of the 1970 SM.

Other signature features that have been reinterpreted include the glass area of the SM, which served the aesthetic function of a grille alongside the enormous headlights. This has been replaced by a 3D screen that lights up halfway and framed by a light unit composed of three modules on each side, accentuated by eight vertical DRLs and a diamond-tip design based on a triad shape that converges at a point like the bow of a ship. At the rear, the rear panel is cut in half, causing the rear section to float in an S shape and, as it could not be otherwise, the rear wheels are semi-covered with removable pieces.

Finally, the designers at the DS Design Studio Paris have also reinterpreted the 1970 interior design, while maintaining the characteristic shape of the upper part of the dashboard and even the oval design of the instruments, whose information is read through the use of a projection. Additionally, they included other technological elements that aim to follow the avant-garde spirit of the original SM, such as the curved screen connected to the direct-by-wire steering wheel, all complemented by a sound and ambient lighting system designed to embrace and envelop the occupants.