Goodbye to David’s Citroën SM

I MIGHT AS well come clean: I’ve sold my SM. I’m embarrassed by this confession, and I wrestled with the decision for weeks, but it was the right thing to do.

First, the back story. I bought the car in cahoots with SM man Andrew Brodie, who very kindly offered to help me at mate’s rates on the understanding that he could practise his swearing on me as and when needed.

From the start, when we each sourced an SM from the States, shipped them to the UK and drove them back from Felixstowe docks, we became great friends. With his guidance, via rambling phone calls, brutally succinct emails and comedic days in my home garage, I stripped the car to a bare shell, leaving Andrew to rebuild the engine and transmission back at his workbench at friendly Citroën specialists BL Autos, and local-tome Bodyshop 3000 to repair and paint the shell from bare metal.

I loved the entire process, even when things went wrong. It slowed when I moved house/garage, but The Splined Hub in Oundle came to the rescue with storage at a decent price in their workshops. Then Andrew’s mum got ill,

Octane got even busier, and the SM was neglected for months. I did manage to get it through an MoT and take it for spirited drives (with Andrew on board, shouting ‘Drive it properly, you **** er’).

But, last August, Andrew died suddenly of heart failure, aged 70, and the fun went out of the project, as did my motivation to address the few remaining jobs.

Meanwhile Martin Overington, owner and restorer of the Hotel de France near Le Mans, expressed an interest in buying the SM. After much thought I caved in, on the promise that I’ll be able to drive it once the DS Workshop has finished the jobs I’ve failed on.

Actually, ‘failed’? I don’t feel like that – I learnt a lot, made new friends, and proved that (with guidance) a DIY restorer can rebuild what’s known as a hugely complicated car. It’s actually not

too difficult to work on, and I’d recommend one to anyone. I’m proud to have owned mine.

THANKS TO BL Autos, Bodyshop 3000, The Splined Hub, Elite Coach Trimming , Longstone Tyres, Brian Cass (Citroën Car Club), SM owner David Power and Andrew Brodie.