| This
front engine, front wheel drive car offered 3
different engine options during its 6 year run,
including a 2.7 liter, 2.7L with fuel injection,
and a 3.0L. Its main competition in the market
was the Porsche 911. Production numbers show
12,920 SM's were produced, making it a rare car
to see around today. It was exported to the United
States, where it competed mainly on the luxury
car market. It had to be modified to fit US standards,
including doing away with the unique 6 headlamp
setup, which really identified the car as a racer.
Although sales in the U.S. were great at first,
they stopped when Citroen was denied an exemption
from the 1974 5 mph bumper law, which required
bumpers to be at a uniform height, both rear
and front. This made little sense, as even a
high school physics student knows that the front
of the car will dip during heavy breaking. The
batch of 134 cars made illegal by the ruling
were shipped to Japan. This ban was eventually
lifted, and you can import some of these once-illegal
cars into the US market, and many collectors
have. If you are looking to buy one, your best
bet is to try eBay, where prices are usually
the lowest. You can also find plenty of parts
there. |
