Yahoo Finance The SM Tribute Is the Latest Stunning Retro Concept from France
France seems to be leading the world in retro car design at the moment. Last week, Renault showed off the R17 EV coupe concept inspired by the 1971 Renault 17; now, on Wednesday, comes an even more daring reimagination of the Citroen SM that launched in 1970 and was briefly sold in the U.S. during 1972 and 1973.
Confusingly, this new SM Tribute hasn’t been built by Citroen, but rather by DS — a separate brand since 2014, and one that takes its name from another famous Citroen. (Both DS and Citroen are now part of the vast Stellantis Group.)
The SM Tribute was built for the Chantilly Arts & Elegance concours in France that starts on Thursday, and is not meant to preview a production model. But DS has been dropping some big hints about producing something very similar. “We are working on the genes of our iconic models to fuel our research into the shape of future models that will come along at the end of the decade." the company’s design director, Theirry Metroz, says. Which definitely isn’t a "no."
Work on what has become the SM Tribute began in 2020 with a series of sketches from a competition within DS’s design department to reimagine the original SM. That has now escalated to the creation of this physical concept, although one that only shows off exterior design; the images of the interior are all rendered.
The new car’s basic form has stuck close to that of the original DS, a point made by the images of the two cars together, and the fundamental dimensions are impressively similar as well — the concept is just 1.2 inches longer and 0.8 inches taller than its inspiration, but it is a more substantial 5.5 inches wider than the old car. The most obvious difference between the priorities of 1970s car designers and those of today comes with wheel size: the SM Tribute sits on 22-inch alloys, while the original car had 15-inch steel rims.
While the SM Tribute’s form language is much more edgy and angular than the flowing lines of the original car, many details have made the transition, including the contoured glass cover over the headlights and the covered rear wheel arch, although now featuring a gap at the top and a line of LED lights. The digitally imagined interior features some very Seventies colors and what looks to be a heavily pleated leather seat, together with a yoke-style steering wheel utilizing an integrated digital instrument panel.
What is completely lacking from the official release: any mention of a powertrain. The original SM was powered by a 2.7-liter Maserati V-6, but this one would almost certainly be an EV if it, or anything similar, made production. Stellantis's STLA Large architecture used by the upcoming Dodge Charger Daytona and Jeep Wagoneer S would seem a likely choice should it reach the streets, however.
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