Cool Retro Sedans Weekend continues with the second installment: the Citroen SM Opera. That I am a fan of the Citroen SM cannot be denied. After all, this blog's third post, ever, way back in September 2006, was about none other than the Maserati powered Citroen two door. But that's just it. People, including me, have always assumed that the SM was always a two door coupe.While leafing through a back issue of Classic & Sports Car magazine, I came upon some amateur shots of a Citroen SM Opera parked on a verdant plot at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Just what is an Opera? Chapron, a coachbuilder specializing in chopping up Citroens, created eight Operas, which are essentially stretched SMs. The proportions are just right, making the sedan look natural in its elongated state. It is almost impossible to tell that the car was originally supposed to be a coupe.Four of the eight Operas went to Spain. The one pictured belonged to the King's girlfriend. Lucky lady.
CKY
I'd never heard of this. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteAlso two door convertibles "Mylord" and two four door convertibles "Presidentielle" parade cars for the French presidential palace. Special 7:34 final drive gears from the DSuper 5 but with the steering centering regulator drive slot added as per the standard 8:35 final drive ratio. This lowered the speed when idling in first gear.
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