Estimated Price: £60,000 - £70,000

Few motor cars have challenged convention quite so comprehensively as the Citroën SM. Conceived when Citroën was operating at the absolute height of its engineering ambition, the SM represented an extraordinary fusion of French innovation and Italian performance, combining the marque's sophisticated hydropneumatic technology with a Maserati-designed V6 engine. More than half a century later, it remains one of the most charismatic and individual grand tourers ever built.

Citroën's acquisition of Maserati in 1968 provided the catalyst for the project and, when the SM was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 1970, there was simply nothing else quite like it. Beneath Robert Opron's dramatic aerodynamic bodywork lay self-levelling hydropneumatic suspension, speed-sensitive self-centring DIRAVI steering, powerful hydraulically operated brakes and directional headlamps, whilst power came from Maserati's compact 90-degree V6.

The result was a car designed with one overriding purpose: to cover enormous distances at sustained speed whilst isolating its occupants from the imperfections of the road. Few cars before or since have approached the business of grand touring in quite the same way.

This particular 1972 SM is especially familiar to us, having previously been offered by Silverstone Auctions at the NEC Classic Motor Show Sale in November 2015. Finished in wonderfully period Feuille Dorée, it is a desirable left-hand-drive, 2.7-litre manual example and, prior to that sale, had benefited from extensive restoration and mechanical preparation by respected marque specialists Andrew Brodie Engineering.

Our vendor purchased the SM from that sale more than ten years ago. A long-standing enthusiast of the model and someone who has enjoyed numerous continental tours over the years, the combination of the SM's remarkable engineering, effortless long-distance ability and unmistakable sense of occasion meant that it fitted naturally into his significant private Collection. Importantly, the car has covered only around 2,000 miles during the intervening eleven years and has remained part of his Collection throughout that period.

With the decision recently taken to offer the SM for sale, considerable care has been taken to ensure that it arrives properly prepared for its next custodian. It has just returned from respected Citroën specialists, PallasAuto, following a comprehensive service and programme of preparation costing in excess of £3,300.

Significantly, this included the fitment of a complete set of correct Michelin tyres at a cost of more than £350 each, an important consideration on an SM and further evidence of the approach taken to its preparation.

Having recently achieved a world-record auction result for another exceptional Citroën SM, we have been reminded just how much interest the very best examples of these remarkable cars now generate.

With long-term enthusiast ownership, extensive previous restoration by Andrew Brodie Engineering, very limited mileage during the last decade and fresh specialist preparation by PallasAuto, this striking Feuille Dorée example represents an exciting opportunity to acquire one of the 20th century's most technically fascinating grand tourers, ready once again to fulfil the role for which it was originally conceived - crossing continents with remarkable style and effortless ability.