DS resurrects the Citroen SM from the 1970s

French car marque DS has unveiled SM Tribute, a one-off concept car envisioned as a modern take on the Citroen SM grand tourer that his the spotlight in the distant year 1970. The idea was to produce a vehicle looking as the original SM would look if it had been in production all along, receiving updates and all.

The car comes very close to the original in terms of size and proportions, being just 30 mm (1.2”) longer and only 20 mm (0.8”) taller. At the same time, it is 140 mm (5.5”) wider and rides on much larger 22-inch wheels.

In a nod to the original SM, it wears aerodynamic hubcaps on the rear wheels and lacks a radiator grille. The original had a see-through cowl spanning the entire width of the front end; the modern version has a LED display installed in the same place.

The interior is deliberately modern-looking with a large display on the dash, but still evokes associations with the car from half a century ago. For example, the driver’s part of the dashboard is slightly raised and the seats sport horizontal stripes. They do look more ergonomic than their period-correct counterparts, and the same applies to the trapezoid center console. A rectangular display sits in the middle of the steering wheel, and the wheel itself is almost rectangular as opposed to the original’s round one.

DS has neglected to mention any powertrain details or comment on the production prospects of this new Citroen SM. If anything, it looks like a one-off design study.