sportier classic

alastair wrote:

If I'm not mistaken he used to have a Citroen Masarati before this. Nice.

Aaah, the SM.



Getting rarer'n hens teeth, those. And yes, they are beautiful cars.

I'm aware of one lying about somewhere in South Yorks, UK, supposedly in decent nick, 'been looking for it for a few months now (following up hearsay, cabbie talk & whatnot... hopefully get there soon !).

Just a word of warning, owning a Citroen SM is not for the Faint hearted and you need a lot of patience, money and expertise to keep one on the road.

They're one of the most beautiful looking machines, but also one of the most unreliable, or I should rephrase, the most labour intensive of classics. The car is stuffed with hydraulics, electrics and whatnotelse, that have all been proven less than reliable through the years, mainly because of insufficient or bad maintenance, and to top it all the car has a Maserati engine, with all the pitfalls and expensive parts of a racebred engine. Camsbelts need to be done every 20,000 miles (engine out job, and believe me, that's very labour intensive: to replace the battery you need to almost take off the front wing, so you can imagine the rest

Therefore the people that own and drive an SM command the utmost of respect in my view, because these people are committed to it 100% otherwise the car would have been kicked out of the yard long ago

PaulK_CCI wrote:

Probably why they're so rare indeed. And also why the one I'm tracking down is proving so elusive: it's either in good nick and worth it's weight in gold , or so decrepit that just a glimpse of it has been caught and they can't remember in which farmyard it was...

id agree with that farmers are never going to spend the dollars needed to keep a complex motor running. buy a proper one if u really want one and save up for it.

Mmmh... don't know Stratos - I had a Delta 1500 LX for a short while, was trouble enough already (didn't put me off enough going for an HF-I later on, though!).

I hear you, fear not

For reference, though I've been & am still looking for the SM (sort of a 'Graal' thing ), I'm not sure I'd buy it even if I did eventually find it. Got two nice-ish cars already, I doubt finances (or the Missus) would follow on a 3rd, classic one.

At the mo', I still prefer to spend the cash upkeeping (fastidiously) my MX-5 with a view to let it mature into a classic over the years (e.g. no mod allowed). It's got a bit of speciality about it ('98, amongst last batch of 400 made with pop-ups headlights), I know where it came from, where it's been since and how it's been looked after & driven for most of its life.

IMHO, it really is one of those very few 'modern but classic' cars (a modernly-built car designed according to classic dogma) that doesn't really deserve the whole 'haidresser' thing. It always brings a smile driving it, which is what classics are all about, arent' they?

wise words ambro25. Keep that Mazda as original as possible. It will become a classic in time, and it already has a certain collector's status! The fact that so many of them were sold is what's going to weigh against them in the future, but no doubt they will and sort of are, an appreciating classic.

By the way, Stratos, I'm sure you were referring to the "Alfa Romeo" Montreal as there was never a "Lancia" with that name. Indeed, the Montreal with a quickly designed and executed front mounted V8 (that was supposed to have gone in the Rear according to the original designs of the car!) and extremely troublesome Spica fuel injection system, makes the Montreal a car that would put it on the same level of reliability as the Citroen SM.

mike65 wrote:

Hi Paul,

I take it that Classic Cars Ireland is your site. If so, its nice but needs updating a bit via-a-vis Benefits page and NCT. Also on the insurance front
carolnash will offer cover for cars over 20 years old

I thought Carole Nash would insure a car younger than 20 years ?
(IIRC, they were quoting me for a c.16 year old car in 2000/01)

Alfasudcrazy wrote:

Ambro thats a real neat MX5 you have. The wheels really suit it (are they factory spec) and as you say the boot luggage rack is tastefully fitted

Thanks. Wheels & boot rack are std spec (but its a ltd ed - no. 259 out of 400, last batch made with pop-ups, though can't remember if it was last 400 for Europe or altogether). 1.8l rated @ 130bhp, also has stainless sill plates, full leather/veneer, & other bits'n bobs.

I've lost one of the black rubber inserts on the boot rack (at 125 mph+, was racing a Dutch Elise in Belgium - I won but he did have an enormous travel box on his bootrack ). Never found a replacement yet, and I'm a bit reticent to spend the £350 the dealers want to buy the whole setup again. I'd spend it if I won it on something, mind

Still, I've got markers with 100+ breakers throughout the UK, for parts, soon as they get a Berk' in .

Alfasudcrazy wrote:

Jeez ambro I'm looking for an mx5 at the mo, people just want silly money. I will prevail. Just can't wait to get my hands on one. the throttle steering alone is awesome. It's a car I never ever ever considered 'till i tried one. Stamp your foot and smile sideways.

Ah well... you will hear & read the hairdresser jokes - but those making them are either not in-the-know or just plain jealous .
Bit of advice: go 1.8l, not 1.6l (unless you manage to find one of the ultra-rare semi-official 1.6 Turbos).
Oh, and try & make it a pre-facelift (Apr '98, I think) - power steering is too soft in new models.

BTW - Man, that SM is one sweet motor and deal, but only insofar as the seller can prove history & "immaculate condition" (some US exporters are quite masterful at 'putty-ing' export classics ).