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While I was in town this morning I spied one of my all time favorite cars in a petrol station forecourt with it's bonnet and boot lid open, it's owner spannering away. It was a German plated US imported Citroen SM.
The fuel hoses to the carbs had split and without Jubilee clips he had no means to make good a repair. With an already hot engine soaked it petrol, I suggested I nip to the local motor factors to pick up some clips.
The guy was super thankful. All I wanted to see was what the V6 Maserati and Citroen hydraulics looked like under the bonnet. It looked a bit Heath Robinson to be honest.
The US models didn't have the faired in directional headlamps and I thought the side repeaters spoiled it's lines, but the owner assured me the unfaired lamps allowed him to see in the dark unlike the European models.
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Wow. What an amazing car. I would have hated to be a mechanic in the UK back in the 70s used to fixing escorts and cortinas only to be faced with that!!
Well done on helping the driver too buddy. Karma will reward.
Hope you are well BTW.
What a beautiful car, but the thought of having to do any spannering to that makes me feel a bil ill!
I'd be happy enough changing one of those two relays down on the left, or swapping the air filter. Other than that, no thanks..
One of my favourite cars of all time. Looks in good condition too.
Lovely cars - always liked them - but must be a nightmare to work on!
I read somewhere that the cam belt is at the back of the engine by the bulkhead, so changing a cam belt must be pretty much an engine out job.
Glad my cam belt is at the front...!
The engine is placed wholly behind the axle line with the gearbox out front, so any timing stuff would be a nightmare to get at in situ.
You can just make out camshaft driven shaft which externally drives the hydraulic pump, air con and alternator. I believe the hydraulics were no less complicated than on the DS and CX. They only started to get really clever with active ride in the XMs. At least you can see the big bits.
Wow, jealous! Used to have a Corgi one.
Beautiful.
They aren't that complicated (although I owned 3 XM v6's so this might be a biased view!) compared to a modern car. Certainly more complicated than contemporary cars though. The hydraulics are much like a DS/CX and less complicated than a XM/Xantia.
GG plates are local to here. Shame that German classic reg. plates are made up on modern stock, and not in style contemporary with original reg.
I guess the green balls are something to do with the floaty suspension?
McConechy's not help him out with a jubilee clip? On second thoughts I wouldn't piss on that company if they were on fire.
Green balls of floaty suspension they are indeed.
Id love to own one of these or a cx just for the whacky interior.
Noooooooooooo.
This looks like the same car.
I was going to say that there are a lot of fire damaged SMs...
That ones in Manc though? Faired in headlamps as well.
We saw one of them in the Maranello car park.
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Hang on it's not the same car. The burnt out one is the European spec with faired in headlamps. The one I saw was a US spec with unfaired lamps and side repeaters. Phew!
My grandad's neighbour had one of those, he called it the flying saucer. All home maintained because he didn't trust anyone else not to **** it up, he said "It'd dead easy to work on- after a couple of years you can get the engine out in no time at all" 😆
Saw a lovely example in blue earlier this year
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I love big old Citroens.
Holidays to France are always a good opportunity to spot them
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When I was younger my parents had a BX estate which was probably the last quirky family car they made. That had the green suspension globes.
Oooh liking the estate. There was a Corgi one with a cameraman on the roof IIRC. I couldn't even afford that!
"It's dead easy to work on- after a couple of years you can get the engine out in no time at all"
😀
When I was younger my parents had a BX estate which was probably the last quirky family car they made. That had the green suspension globes.
The XM, Xantias and C5 and C6 still use hydropneumatic suspension.
My XM had an even had a sport setting which stiffened it up. Once you've driven with it you'd never want to go back to a steel sprung car.
I understand that Bentley and Mercedes also used a similar set up but never let on to prospective customers.
I had the 3L v6 XM and it was a wonderful car. Such a joy to drive, ended up with a lot of exotic cars after that and none ever matched up
Again, grew up in a family with a series of Visa's, BX estates and an AX. Brother then went on to buy an SM but never got it on road befire he emigrated...
My last XM was a year 2000 24v (one of the very last ones built). A great car and probably the only one I regret selling.I had the 3L v6 XM and it was a wonderful car
When I was younger my parents had a BX estate which was probably the last quirky family car they made. That had the green suspension globes.
I had a BX - a 1.9L estate - and it was a good car. My dad had the GTi version as well - that was fun.
My XM had an even had a sport setting which stiffened it up. Once you've driven with it you'd never want to go back to a steel sprung car.
My old man moved onto XM's after the BX's. I drove his V6 XM a few times but while it was comfy it was a proper barge on the corners.
Those SMs are beautiful, I have a Matchbox one somewhere in bronze. That's the closest I'll ever get to owning a real one, sadly.
When I was very young my Dad decided to replace our ageing Peugeot 504 estate with a new car and took my mother and I for test drives. He fell in love with a Citroen CX, but I remember feeling properly car sick from the moment the wheels turned, sadly.
He bought a Lancia HPE...which was rustproofed upon purchase and was still going strong some ten years later.