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Detroit, 1:19 AM
Tue Nov 17
31 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of DrLemming DrLemming
    11/10/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    Fun posting. Does the SM really lend itself to retro? I'd prefer that Citroen reconnected with its DS animal spirits. A big part of what made that car iconic was that Citroen took the risk of using cutting-edge aerodynamics. These days no one's doing much innovating on that front. #citroensm
     Reply
    DrLemming was starred DrLemming was unstarred
    Image of Miscellanea Miscellanea
    11/10/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    Yes, please! Although I argue that I don't want one coming from Asia. I want one straight from the originator itself: Citroen. Same body, just new technology.

    Also, kudos for using a picture from one of my favorite architects even if it was in part due to a google image search.

    [www.afgh.ch]
     Reply
    Edited by Miscellanea at 11/10/09 9:05 AM Miscellanea was starred Miscellanea was unstarred
    Image of Elhigh Elhigh
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    The case for a contemporary Citroen SM is very simple: a historical SM. First there is the name: SM may stand for Sport Maserati, yet it may also stand for Sado-Masochism. In either case, the name stands to reason. In this age of growing acceptance of fetishism, this is not a bad thing.

    Could the French build it again? Maybe. But the Italians could certainly chip in - one need look no further than a 2003 Fiat Multipla to know that wackiness on the assembly line is still available.

    Should the Japanese build it? Probably. But only for a few years, and then sell the tooling and line back to the French. If a Japanese company is allowed to keep at it, they will engineer all the quirks out, and then you'd just have another Camry. Have someone like Daihatsu do the work - they're associated with Toyota on one end, but they're associated with Briggs and Stratton too - nothing like some cheerfully peculiar relationships to keep a Citroen wunderwagen what it ought to be: brilliantly weird. #citroensm
     Reply
    Elhigh was starred Elhigh was unstarred
    Image of Mobius Mobius
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    Wanted: Grand Tourer:

    Job description:
    1)Take the suitcase
    2)Pick up the wife
    3)Get to 70mph
    4)Play Mozart all day
    5)Stay at 70mph
    6)Slow down
    7)Pull into Casino Square
    8)Show off curves #citroensm
     Reply
    Mobius was starred Mobius was unstarred
    Image of skitter skitter
    11/09/09

    @Mobius: Damn, no curves.
    I was so close. #citroensm
     Reply
    skitter was starred skitter was unstarred
    Image of F1Morgan F1Morgan
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    I might be stoned for this but is there any chance of an engine swap in the car? Change out the problem bits and you can still drive it... #citroensm
     Reply
    Elhigh promoted this comment F1Morgan was starred F1Morgan was unstarred
    Image of Elhigh Elhigh
    11/09/09

    @F1Morgan: Fie on you!
    /looks for stones #citroensm
     Reply
    Elhigh was starred Elhigh was unstarred
    Image of Armand Armand
    11/09/09

    @Elhigh: Here, you can borrow one of my stones.

    Also, F1Morgan, no, there's no chance. Even if you did find a more pedestrian motor that will sit behind the SM's gearbox in a longitudinally mounted/ FWD drivetrain, you'll still have to deal with the hydraulics. #citroensm
     Reply
    Armand was starred Armand was unstarred
    Image of evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    Peter, you're totally preaching to the choir here.

    But I think Citroen has found enough of it's former zaniness tempered with some actual business acumen to do it themselves. #citroensm
     Reply
    evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars was starred evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars was unstarred
    Image of bzr bzr
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    I would say that the Japanese already did, to a far less exotic extent: the Z32 300ZX was one such grand tourer that, despite its weight, still handled well enough to be interesting, with enough high-tech wizardry to be impressive and enough luxury to be comfortable.

    Then again, Nissan is half-owned by Renault. Coincidence? #citroensm
     Reply
    bzr was starred bzr was unstarred
    Image of Maxichamp Maxichamp
    11/09/09

    @bzr: Does Super HICAS steering = hydropneumatique? #citroensm
     Reply
    Maxichamp was starred Maxichamp was unstarred
    Image of Sloop_John_B Sloop_John_B
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    I agree with previously stated sentiment of having KoenigSaab do the car. Together they're known for qwerks in car design and batshit crazy sports cars. Put those two ingredients together and you've got the recipe for the next gen Citroen. #citroensm
     Reply
    Sloop_John_B was starred Sloop_John_B was unstarred
    Image of brandegee brandegee
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    Well, the same fearlessness that produced the SM also killed Citroen's independence. Between the rotary experiment and lack of product for the upwardly mobile--yes, even the French dreamed of more than the Ami or 2CV--Citroen couldn't weather the storm.

    Few companies are in the position to take that kind of risk today, especially those with a stingy board of investors and a soft customer demand. #citroensm
     Reply
    brandegee was starred brandegee was unstarred
    Image of scroggzilla raids again scroggzilla raids again
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM

    Well done, Peter. Of the many things that I like about the SM, the thing I like best is that they rallied them. Sucessfully too. The idea of taking such a technically complex machine and beating the crap out of it on some North African rally stage makes my brain whir. #citroensm
     Reply
    scroggzilla raids again was starred scroggzilla raids again was unstarred
    Image of Novaload Novaload
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    Well done, Pete. They should bring those weirdos back from the dead immediately. Just look at the opening profile shot. Nothing like it. Ever. #citroensm
     Reply
    Novaload was starred Novaload was unstarred
    Image of that ain't the way to have fun, son that ain't the way to have fun, son
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    : the SM’s components combine to make a car that has the ability to cruise in complete comfort at 125 MPH between fillups without breaking down.

    Ah, yes, but it is French, so at the very least you'll have to stop and get a fresh pack of smokes every 90 minutes.
     Reply
    Edited by that ain't the way to have fun, son at 11/09/09 12:41 PM that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
    Image of Franzouse Franzouse
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    Aww Pete! Great postulate, great write-up, awesome job.
    I'm glad to see someone's pandering to the weirdo-jalop crowd in-between weekends! #citroensm
     Reply
    Franzouse was starred Franzouse was unstarred
    Image of tonyola tonyola
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM
    Ironically, the SM was a case of being a "car of the future" that was introduced five years too late. 1970 was the cusp before the world began sliding into economic uncertainly, increasingly onerous legislation, malaise, and a general sense of lowered expectations. Had the SM been brought out in 1965, it would have enjoyed a few years as a harbinger of a future that still looked limitless.

    Harmonic Convergence of the planets. The Tunguska Event in Siberia. The Beatles. These were one-time events unlikely to be repeated in our foreseeable futures. I put the Citroen SM in the same category. #citroensm
     Reply
    tonyola was starred tonyola was unstarred
    Image of Jamesface Jamesface
    11/09/09

    In reply to The Case for a Contemporary Citroën SM

    Nah. Disagree with your choice of Honda there. Sure, Honda has the great engines, the racing pedigree, the engineering purity... All those things that Citroen didn't have in the SM. What Citroen did have in spades at the time was sheer lunatic genius, which is not an attribute that readily springs to mind when you think of Honda.

    No, I think the perfect progenitor for the New SM has, by chance, just been formed. I propose that the people you're really looking for are Koenigsaab.

    Looks at the similarities between Koenigsaab and Maseroen: One partner has experience with big engines, the other has none. One partner can make a car with suspension and seats that will cosset you across a continent, the other has a do-it-inhouse approach to engine making. One does great cabins, the other bespoke supercars. Both have a customer base that defines loyalty, despite some horrendous mis-steps (by Saab anyway). Both are the result of skin-of-the-teeth buyouts from bankruptcy.

    And even more fortunately, Saab already has a styling exercise on the same subject. This, on the Zeta platform, with a detuned Koenigsegg V8 would be your new Citroen SM. And with that, the defence rests.
     Reply
    YankBoffin promoted this comment Edited by Jamesface at 11/09/09 12:01 PM Jamesface was starred Jamesface was unstarred
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