1971 Coupe vs Citroen test reprinted in drive-my.com

[restart]

https://drive-my.com/en/test-drive/item/1624-gian-test-citroen-sm-2-7-vs-bmw-3-0-cs.html
Interesting old school writing?

 

[Philippe db]

Nice read and interesting to see the cars they are compared to. A Dino 246, Iso Rivolta, and 911S cost the same. An E-Type was half the price. Amazing.

 

[zinz]

"Neither car can approach the sort of drag strip acceleration of the Anglo-American bastards"

So funny.... I have a 1966 Car and Driver with articles on the 2000CS and a Plymouth Satellite with... a 426 Hemi.

Anglo-American Bastards indeed...

Good times,

Ed

 

[Ohmess]

I have never driven a car with a hydropneumatic suspension, and I have heard that both the Citroen and Mercedes Benz versions were quite good. Anyone know why they were banned in the US (given our decrepit roads, they might come in handy)?

 

[lsquaredb]

They weren't banned. Citroen decided it wasn't worth it to design cars for the ever-increasing US safety and emissions regs. Some of Citroen's innovations were at odds with DoT requirements. For example, in Europe, the SM had six halogen self-leveling, steering headlights that were under glass fairings. In the US it got a hideous static installation four round tungsten sealed beams.

 

[OLDBENZ]

Interesting - I have a CSL and an SM. Very different cars but both manage to take me back to my childhood in the 70s. I have had both just over a year. The CSL has only cost me a replacement headlight grille (courtesy of a pheasant which was careful not to damage any paintwork) whereas the SM has already chewed through a head gasket.

 

[Bmachine]

A mighty fine stable you got there!!!

Is that an Alfa Giulia we barely see on the left?

 

[OLDBENZ]

Thanks. It is a DB6 on the left.

 

[Bmachine]

Thanks. It is a DB6 on the left.

Stunning! Congratulations.

 

[WISE9UY]

Nice read and interesting to see the cars they are compared to. A Dino 246, Iso Rivolta, and 911S cost the same. An E-Type was half the price. Amazing.

Great article and great read. The comparisons are good too and here comes the biggest question... had you spent the 5k back in the day and kept whatever you bought in the garage, what panned out to be the best buy? Amazing to think the Dino 246 cost essentially the same but think they go for a quarter million now. Interesting other mentions in there too of long gone marques like Iso and Jensen... thanks for the trip back in time!

 

[3.0CS]

Great article! I am lucky to have both a 3.0CS and a Citroen SM. Really different cars, one better than the other in some respects but both great, with stunning looks, though the SM was as odd and futuristic back then as it seems to me now, versus the very conservative but strikingly beautiful Karmann coupe design.