The Citroën SM high-performance

The Citroën SM was a high-performance coupé produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1970 to 1975. The SM placed third in the 1971 European Car of the Year contest, trailing its stablemate Citroën GS, and won the 1972 Motor Trend Car of the Year award in the U.S. in 1972.
In 1961, Citroën began work on 'Project S' — a sports variant of the revolutionary Citroën DS. As was customary for the firm, many running concept vehicles were developed, increasingly complex and upmarket from the DS. Citroën purchased Maserati in 1968 with the intention of harnessing Maserati's high-performance engine technology to produce a true Gran Turismo car, combining the sophisticated Citroën suspension with a Maserati V6.

The look of the car, although easily identifiable as Citroën, is quite distinct, with a shape that even today looks futuristic. The car was even used in a 1999 television advertisement for British Petroleum of Spain, where 'a futuristic car was required'. Designed in-house by Citroën's chief designer Robert Opron, the SM bears a vague family resemblance to the DS, especially in retaining the latter's rear-wheel spats [? The DS' entire rear fenders came off.]. Seen from above though, the SM resembles a teardrop, with a wide front track tapering to a narrower rear track.