Automotive

When The Citroën SM Conquered The Desert


Illustration for article titled When The Citroën SM Conquered The Desert
Screenshot: Youtube

It was 1971. Like this week, the Rallye Du Maroc was on, and cars were whizzing through the Moroccan desert. Most of those cars were French, but only one had an Italian heart inside. It was that combination that would prove more than effective.

From a field of cars including Citroen DSes, Alpine A110s, Renault 8 Gordinis and even some Porsche 911s, the crown was won by the duo of Jean Deschaseaux and Jean Plassard. The team’s Citroën SM floated over rutted desert tracks and forded deep wadis flooded by rain to take the title with more than 26 minutes to spare over their closest competition, a far more conventional team in a rear-wheel drive Peugeot 504.

The race is recounted in the video above, with some excellent footage of the Citroen DS and Alpine A110 competition punctuating the sounds and sights of a Maserati V6-powered futuristic super-GT bounding over hill and dale to seize the day in Morocco.

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Give it a watch. You might find yourself wanting some more Moroccan rally action. And that’s alright. The Rallye Du Maroc is on until Tuesday this week. It’s more of a rally raid than what you see above, but I’m sure you’ll find it more than entertaining.

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