Which do you Prefer? Alfa Romeo Montreal or CitroëN SM?
Time to choose between two very different seventies GT cars
Last time on Which Do You Prefer I looked at two Italian sixties GT's; the Iso Grifo and the Maserati Ghibli. Both of those cars sat at or near the top of the GT tree both in terms of price and performance, but what if your budget did not stretch to these two and you still wanted something exotic? In the early seventies two more mass market manufacturers Alfa Romeo and Citroën offered an entrance into the glamorous GT world at a slightly lower price tag with the Montreal and SM respectively.
Alfa Romeo Montreal at the Goodwood Italian Sunday Breakfast
The Alfa Romeo Montreal was first shown at the World Expo in Montreal in 1967. The car was heavily based on the 105 Series Alfa Romeo Giulia and used a 1.6 litre four cylinder engine from the Giulia TI. A positive reaction to the concept led to a production version which debuted at the Geneva show in 1970. Usually when a concept makes it into production it looses something in translation, but if anything the production version was even more special as the 1.6 litre four cylinder engine was replaced by a V8.
It wasn't just any V8 either but a dry sump 2.6 litre V8 based on the 2.0 litre V8 used in the unicorn rare and very beautiful Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale. The V8 was fed by SPICA fuel injection and produced 197bhp and redlined at, a huge for the time, 7000rpm. Power was transmitted through a ZF 5 speed transaxle.
Alfa Romeo Montreal at Brooklands
The styling was by Bertone's Marcello Gandini and there is an ever so slight hint of his masterpiece the Lamborghini Miura especially at the rear. Underneath the exotic body and engine things were rather more conventional as the chassis was carried over for the regular 105 series (the internal type number is 105.64). This meant double wishbones at the front and a live rear axle at the rear. The body however was much bigger and heavier than that of the regular 105 and, coupled with the bigger engine, rather took its toll and led to a reputation for indifferent handling with cornering limits lower than the exotic looking body and race derived engine suggested. It was always more of a high speed (max 137mph) tourer than a corner carver. Alfa race team Autodelta built one Montreal to race in the Group 4 category with a larger 2.9 litre engine developed to produce 370bhp. It ran in the German DRM series during 1973 but against the hordes of Porsche 911 RSR's it did not achieve much success.
The Montreal was sold through to 1977 but was never a big seller, in part because of an initial list price in the UK of £5,077, higher than a Jaguar E Type and the Porsche 911 and also the oil crises of the decade which saw a big decline in GT sales in that period. Total sales were around 3900 and ironically considering the name none were sold new in North America.
Citroën SM at Classics and Cake in London
While the Montreal was never sold in North America the other side of the Atlantic was one of the biggest markets for the second car for consideration here; the Citroën SM.
Development of a sporting flagship based on the iconic Citroën DS began as far back as 1961. The project gathered pace in 1966 when Citroën acquired Italian sports car manufacturer Maserati. Maserati developed a new 2.7 litre V6 engine, which combined with Citroën's latest hydro-pneumatic technology to be put into the revolutionary SM launched at the same time as the Montreal in 1970.
The styling for the SM was by Citroën's in house design chief Robert Opron and the new GT looked like no other car on the road. The smooth teardrop shape was incredibly aerodynamic with a coefficient of drag of a mere 0.26 which is impressive even today. It was not just the aerodynamics which can stand up with modern cars as the SM also featured variable power assisted steering and headlights which turned as the steering wheel was turned (on European versions this feature was not legal in the US). The power steering also helped to control torque steer as, extremely unusually for a GT car, the SM was front wheel drive.
The slippery shape and the 170bhp from the Maserati V6 pushed the SM to a top speed of 140mph. Aerodynamics are less helpful with acceleration though and a slightly leisurely 8.5 seconds 0-60mph leaves it behind the Montreal at 7.6 seconds. A few owners have increased the performance of their SMs by fitting the 3.0 litre (good for 220bhp) version of the V6 which was used in Maserati's own Merak sports car. The SM was always at the high speed express rather than at the sporty end of the GT market, with the hydro-pneumatic suspension giving a cosseting ride. The SM was however a moderately successful rally car especially on the tough African events. Citroën even developed a short wheel base version for rallying.
Citroën SM in the Goodwood Revival car park
Production of the SM ran through to early 1975 when it was effectively outlawed in its biggest single market the US due to a requirement there to have fixed bumper height. Total production was 12,920 units with 2,400 going to the US and Canada. In the UK list price was less than the Montreal at £4,700. Considering the complex systems onboard the profit margins on the SM were probably quite small for Citroën. The SM was also only available in left hand drive although a small number were converted to right hand drive in the aftermarket.
Once out of production both cars have had mixed fortunes in the used car market. The complexities of the V8 and especially its SPICA fuel injection, together with its handling reputation kept prices of Montreals low for a long time, but recently in part thanks to the general rise in classic prices they have picked up with dealers asking upwards of £80,000 for the best examples.
The SM developed a reputation of being a very cool car that most enthusiasts were too scared to own because of the complexities of the hydro-pneumatic systems. Today the best examples of standard cars are upwards of £50,000 although the ultra rare Chapron built Mylord convertibles and Opera saloons are far more with a Mylord selling for €548,320 at auction last year.
The Montreal represents the more conventional sporty grand tourer with rear wheel drive and race derived V8 engine, whereas the SM is an unconventional even eccentric choice with front wheel drive and unusual looks. As to which one I prefer, there are currently other GT's which excite me more at the current price point the Montreal sits at and I can't ever seeing myself wanting to own one, but I have a lot of respect to those that do.
The SM is always a car I have found alluring but I will admit the complexities of the the hydro-pneumatics do scare me. I wouldn't want to take on one as a restoration project but if I could source a perfect example and have a friendly specialist to maintain it I would one day like to see one in my fantasy garage.
But what about you? Which do you prefer the conventional sporty styled Alfa Romeo Montreal on the very unconventional super smooth Citroën SM?
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Comments (2)
It's difficult, but I'm going to say SM.
well chosen cars to debate for