SM Tribute celebrates Citroën's groundbreaking coupé
DS has released images of the SM Tribute, an SM-inspired concept that hints at a new range-topping coupé. DS will show the car at the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Concours, where you can also see the Renault R17 Concept revealed last week.
Much like that car, the SM Tribute is very obviously based on the original SM, a cutting-edged coupé from the 1970s that boasted Citroën's trademark hydropneumatic suspension, a V6 engine from Maserati and innovations like headlights that follow the direction of the car's steering wheel.
In the SM Tribute, DS – Citroën’s luxury car wing – has taken inspiration from the original without ripping off its design entirely. A modern twist comes in the form of the 3D screen between the headlights, where you find a glass faring on the old car. Like the original, the SM Tribute is wider at the front than the back for improved aerodynamics, with a rear end that tapers and back wheels that are partially fared, another design cue of the 1970s SM.
With a length of 4,940mm (up 30mm) and height of 1,340 m (up 20 mm), the Tribute's dimensions are similar to the original, but the width has increased by a whopping 140mm, and the car sits 35mm lower on massive 22-inch wheels that help make it look more planted.
'Luxury' is the interior theme wrapped in Ivory Alcantara with horizontal ribs running across all four seats, sparkling golden trims, a floating central infotainment screen, and a diamond-finished scroll wheel.
The SM Tribute is a design study previewing what we can expect DS to produce in the second half of the decade. There is, however, no information on its power source or engineering. DS Automobile's design director, Thierry Metroz, said: "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.
"What we're sharing, which dates from 2020, and our presence in Chantilly with SM Tribute bear witness to this activity and our research on the subject."
The Tribute is inspired by sketches produced by DS Automobile under the hashtag #SM2020.
"Our community sent us several strong messages during this sketch sharing," says Thierry Metroz. "The first was that it was very attached to the iconic models from our heritage. The second was that it didn't want the original design to be spoilt."
"We wanted to go further. We want to nurture our legacy through our icons, which are the DS and SM. We draw our commitment to avant-garde design from it."
Frédéric Soubirou, DS Automobiles Head of Exterior Design, says: "We were inspired by studying several SM models, including prototypes and the two presidential SMs. They had a striking trait, like a signature. They gave the impression of flying on the road; they were very aerial."
The SM Tribute is revealed on the tenth anniversary of the concours held in the Château de Chantilly French gardens alongside an original SM. In 2016, the DS E-Tense Performance won the Innovation Prize and the SM Mylord (two trophies) and DS 19 La Croisette (one trophy) have been winners in the past.
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