Citroën, 1973, SM

Citroën "SM", 1973

The Type A, the first Citroën car, was introduced in 1919, when the great French entrepreneur converted his activity from the production of bullets to cars at the end of the war. Citroën learnt in the United States the more advanced production techniques and was also able to take advantage of the most daring and sensational advertising methods: on July 4, 1925 the famous Citroën writing made of 280,000 electrical lamps lighted up the Eiffel Tower and the famous Cruises made on Citroën tracked vehicles became famous as well.
In 1934 Michelin took over the company firm. The 1934 Traction Avant, 1948 2 CV, and 1955 DS 19 have been the most important cars in Citroën history.
In 1968 Citroën took control of Maserati.
The SM model was the first product coming from the cooperation between Citroën and Maserati: in fact, the 6-cylinder engine fitted on the new model was designed by engineer Giulio Alfieri, Maserati technical manager, and entirely built in Modena.
The SM was extremely advanced and some of its solutions are still cutting-edge, like the headlights connected to the steering-wheel that follow the corner radius or the adaptable power-steering that becomes firmer according to the car speed.