SM TRIBUTE to be shown at Chantilly Arts & Élégance
In the spring of 2020, DS Automobiles shared a series of sketches and renderings called #SM2020 on social media. The drawings were the result of an internal creative competition between the designers at DS DESIGN STUDIO PARIS about a reinterpretation of the majestic Citroën SM introduced in 1970.
Today Stellantis announced that as a result of a that study, a concept known as the SM TRIBUTE, will be introduced on the tenth anniversary of the Chantilly Arts & Élégance a concours event held in the French gardens of the Château de Chantilly on September 15, 2024.
A narrative between DS Automobiles and its community
“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,” confides Thierry Metroz, DS Automobiles Design Director. “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. Our community sent us several strong messages during this sketch sharing. 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.”
The DS DESIGN STUDIO PARIS team works regularly on the legacy of the historic DS and SM, through sketches that unleash their creativity and fuel their thinking.
In the press release, (devoid of any mention of Citroën as is DS Automobiles’ mantra), Thierry Metroz goes on to say; “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.”
One can argue if it is an improvement in design over the original. Incorporating the latest in LED lighting the flowing shape and envelopment of Robert Opron’s design has been altered to the point where angles, creases and cutaways result in the SM TRIBUTE looking like it could have been conceived in the design studios of Hyundai. Granted the rear end is an improvement, even though resemblance is more akin to today’s Elantra.
The most controversial exterior element has to be the rear wheel arch cutaway where the distinctive SM body panel cover remains but gives way to an open arch in the body. It arguably interrupts the smooth-sided body and surely does not contribute to aerodynamics. The darker colour paint that distinguishes the C pillar and rear hatch, giving a trendy “floating” look, is effective. Along with a more rounded roofline, it reduces the rear side panel bulk of the original SM.
Interior–wise, it’s all pretty much concept fantasy save for the oval dashboard instrument display and the seats with ribbed inserts.
Is this a design that Robert Opron would approve if he were alive today? And is that even relevant given that if DS Automobiles does decide to offer a production version in a few years, buyers will be looking for a design that is more reflective of current concepts than the purity of what Opron achieved with the SM? That could be the case, but it would have been more convincing if the design team stayed true to the original front end. The 22″ wheels are too large. Utilizing smaller ones would allow for a lower profile with a hood that is flush like the original and devoid of bulges, thereby lowering the lights and reducing the dramatic “black” area underneath.
In any event, here is how DS Autombiles are touting their accomplishment, showing the SM TRIBUTE with and original SM coupe replete with a slender girl and an Afghan dog — like in the highly stylized European brochure;
And the press release text:
More than just a tribute, SM TRIBUTE celebrates ten years of art and elegance since the creation of DS Automobiles and its participation in the first Chantilly Arts & Elegance, while contributing to future-oriented research by DS DESIGN STUDIO PARIS.
A tribute to the SM and a very current design study
The message conveyed by the DS Automobiles community has been listened to. The DS DESIGN STUDIO PARIS team worked as if SM had continued to develop over the past five decades.
The SM, born at the beginning of the 1970s, embodied the pinnacle of French automotive innovation. This grand tourer was a real concentration of technology. Its aerodynamic styling, designed by Robert Opron, was both elegant and avant-garde. Beneath the bonnet, a powerful V6 offered exceptional on-road performance. But what really made the SM a remarkable car was its hydropneumatic suspension, inherited from the DS, which gave it unrivalled driving comfort and exemplary road holding. The SM remains a cult model today, sought after by collectors around the world. Its unique blend of comfort, performance and innovation makes it a true automotive legend.
If the SM has made an impression, it is also thanks to its luxurious and meticulous interior. The high-quality materials, the precision build and the calculated ergonomics created an especially refined atmosphere inside. The dashboard, with its circular instruments and distinctive steering wheel, was both functional and aesthetic. The SM was also very well equipped for the time, including air conditioning and power-assisted steering. In addition to its dynamic character, the SM was a car capable of offering first-class comfort to its occupants.
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.”
This lightness, suggesting dynamism and efficiency, is reflected in the slender yet muscular silhouette of SM TRIBUTE. The direct relationship is characterised strongly with an iconic front end and a profile dominated by a long bonnet…
“We added some very current symbols of our work to it,” continues Frédéric Soubirou.
The extended bi-tone look was worked around a reinterpretation of the Gold Leaf colour that was in the brochure in 1971, featuring a satin varnish worked with a handmade patina and combined with a specially coloured black.
“We wanted to build bridges between different eras: the 1930s, when the prestigious French brands showcased two-tone bodywork in concours d’elegance, the automotive icon of the 1970s that is the SM and our current designs with finishes such as the extended bi-tone paint, seen on the DS AERO SPORT LOUNGE concept. This treatment has really become a hallmark of DS Automobiles designs,” says Vincent Lobry, Head of Colour, Materials and Finishes (CMF) Design at DS Automobiles.
The SM did not have an obvious upper grille, which was replaced by a very large glass section that revealed the headlamp modules and registration plate. Fifty years on, this glass section becomes a 3D screen that lights up to its middle, framed by a light signature made up of three modules on each side – as in the past – enhanced by eight diamond-tipped and vertical DRLs based on a triad shape meeting at a point like a ship’s bow.
The profile retains the characteristic lines of the SM following the airflow from the front to the narrower rear. Behind two large windows, the rear quarter panel is cut in half and goes on to make the rear part float in an S shape. Naturally, the rear wheels are partially faired with removable parts.
While the iconic proportions of the SM are maintained with a length at 4.94 m (+ 3 cm) and height at 1.34 m (+ 2 cm), SM TRIBUTE gains primarily in muscularity and presence with a 1.98 m width (+ 14 cm). In search of efficiency, ground clearance changes to 12 centimetres (-3.5 cm). SM TRIBUTE sits on large 22-inch wheels embellished with aerodynamic inserts.
The interior also continues the language of the 1970 SM
Inside, the 1970 design has also been reinterpreted with the characteristic shape of the top of the dashboard and even the oval design of the instruments. True to the avant-garde soul of the SM, the information display is through projection and the curved “screen console”, connected to the steer-by-wire steering wheel, complete this spirit that’s dear to the brand. Sound and lights envelop the occupants.
The interior is very light with an ivory colour made up of leather and Alcantara®. A large display case on the front of the dashboard provides an extraordinary setting to accommodate an almost infinite range of finishes and materials! The seats continue the iconic upholstery of the SM, with its horizontal cushions.
“The design of the top of the dashboard was a strong signature with an implicit crossover,” says Luc Quirin, DS Automobiles Interior Designer: “We have kept this identity-based approach by including the results of our research. The display is by projection, without a screen. The setting is more immersive while being less restrictive for the driver and occupants.”
“The laser-engraved leatherwork on the door panels conjures up patterns inspired by the decorative arts. This trend was born in the same years as the concours d’elegance. The pearl trim alludes to current models,” adds Vincent Lobry, DS Automobiles Head of CMF Design.
“It’s not just a portrayal of the SM,” concludes Thierry Metroz. “The DS DESIGN STUDIO PARIS team had fun with an ambitious project. We have respected the original design through its spirit and details. We have done a transcript and reinterpretation of the SM. But as it is not our habit to disconnect from our other work, we have included a lot of details about what DS Automobiles models and our future projects are.”
SM TRIBUTE at Chantilly Arts et Élégance
A partner of Chantilly Arts & Elegance from its beginning in 2014, DS Automobiles is introducing SM TRIBUTE on the tenth anniversary of the concours held in the French gardens of the Château de Chantilly.
Positioned in a 120 m2 setting alongside an original SM, SM TRIBUTE will take part in the Concours d’Elegance on 15 September. DS Automobiles is already on the list of winners of the most prized competition in France with DS E-TENSE in 2016.
At the previous event, DS E-TENSE PERFORMANCE won the Innovation Prize and several models from DS Automobiles’ past have also won the Concours d’État over the years, including the SM MYLORD (two trophies) and DS 19 LA CROISETTE (one trophy).
For this year, SM TRIBUTE will be accompanied by a wide range of SMs on show in the collectors’ village. Visitors will be able to see or rediscover a four-door SM OPERA, an SM MYLORD cabriolet, a racing SM entered in the 1974 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, an SM PROTO already seen at the 2023 Rétromobile and other SMs in different colours from the Euro SM Club, thanks to l’Aventure DS.
Alongside SM TRIBUTE’s introduction in Chantilly, go behind the scenes of its design on the DSDESIGNSTUDIO.PARIS website.
Update – September 21, 2024: Here is a video of the debut at the Chantilly Arts & Élégance a concours event. They show it as a “driving” vehicle (it’s being controlled remotely). Even though it is only a concept, it is odd they did not make the effort to fit some sort of suspension. And unlike concept video, the “rolling” model doesn’t have an interior: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnZA8IfWxyU.