DOTS - Fancy French Edition!

"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
08/16/2020 at 10:47 • Filed to: Citroen SM, DOTS

I’ve seen this one a few times around here before....but it never stops being just as gorgeous!!! Citroen SM! :D

Found it at the local Community Center on my way past!

Pardon the crappy photo with the sun reflection off my windshield...

DISCUSSION (26)

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/16/2020 at 11:25

Woah!

That is one of my favorite road cars of all time and I would totally flip out if I saw one. And they just park it outside all the time and daily drive it?

Ever manage to stop the owner?

phenotyp > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/16/2020 at 11:42

Man, there were three SMs in various states of disrepair down the hill from my apartment in SF. I always wanted to talk to the shop owner.

someassemblyrequired > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/16/2020 at 11:56

W ho exposes a beautiful classic French car to the salt mine that is Nova Scotia? Time to call in the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Citroens.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > someassemblyrequired
08/16/2020 at 13:00

The owner volunteers with one of the local organizations I do computer support work for, so I’ve worked with him a tiny bit in the past. Really nice older British fellow - I haven’t had a chance to talk to him about the car other than in very brief passing though :(

The car is only out rarely and is garaged and carefully looked after! It is MINT! :)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > phenotyp
08/16/2020 at 13:01

I’ve spoken to the owner of this one a TINY bit in the past, but barely had time to talk about the car other than finding out he was the one who owned it! He used to have a DS at one point, though I think he sold that and his DS was never roadworthy (that I know of).

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/16/2020 at 13:55

THis is probably the 4th or so time I’ve seen it in the last several years! He lives not TOO far away from me. He doesn’t DD it, but takes it out when the weather is nice and dry (like today), so it being outside all day is perfectly fine for it! :)

I flipped out the first time I saw it back in 2015 or so...coincidentally it was on my birthday and I had been having a crappy day up until that point for various work reasons and we saw it as we went out for supper...I pretty much DID flip out and because we were driving in my car, I turned it around and made everybody wait in my car until I went and took pics of it, haha! Said pics:

Kinja'd!!!

I know the owner...not well at all, but I’ve worked with him a tiny bit in passing with my side computer work job - he volunteers with a local organization I do computer work for. Sadly, I’ve never had time to really talk to him about it other than confirming that it is, indeed, his!

someassemblyrequired > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/16/2020 at 14:05

Ha awesome, it’s good to hear it is in good hands .

Jb boin > someassemblyrequired
08/16/2020 at 14:30

Some of t he SM body parts are made of aluminum.

someassemblyrequired > Jb boin
08/16/2020 at 14:57

That might be the first one in the province - I’d be surprised if any were sold there new, so I don’t know how well they do after a winter or two . They would have been relatively new and special cars when I was a kid, and I don’t recall seeing any at the time.

Range Rover classics were more common, and the aluminum panels on those corroded spectacularly. Wasn’t uncommon to see a 5 or 6 yr old one with a serious case of the bubbles on the bottoms of the doors.

Jb boin > someassemblyrequired
08/16/2020 at 15:39

Scott from coldwarmotors is restoring one (it's featured on many videos).

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > phenotyp
08/16/2020 at 16:01

There is a French car club, I ran into a guy with a DS Safari one day in SF. I caught them driving together out of the city one time, cool to see a lot of various French cars on the road. We have a Panhard nut nearby in San Anselmo.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jb boin
08/16/2020 at 16:18

I think most were sold in Ontario/Quebec area, but I imagine at least one was sold here back in the day!

phenotyp > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/16/2020 at 16:25

Very cool. I lived in Dogpatch, and down the hill toward the Bay were a bunch of little repair shops (also around the corner is an Italian specialist, where I’d see all manner of older Ferraris and Maseratis on my way to work), there were a couple of fenced lots with the aforementioned SMs, Lotus Europas, Elans, and cool 70s Japanese stuff.

I really think SF has the coolest car culture in the States.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > phenotyp
08/16/2020 at 16:29

Yeah SF got some dealers that others didn’t, I see Peugeots in Marin. The Italian mechanic in little Italy has some cool stuff sometimes. I did go to a bulldog meetup in that Mission Bay park a couple times, I guess I was close to you when I did the Warriors graphics, otherwise I never get over that way.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/16/2020 at 16:43

I’m impressed you managed to have a conversation with him that didn’t center around his SM.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/16/2020 at 16:46

I was talking to him as part of a computer appointment I had at the building the organization I do the work for and he volunteers for uses. I had another appointment after that, so as much as I wanted to, I didn’t have time, haha!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/16/2020 at 16:53

I can relate. I’ve only managed to catch the Mercedes/AMG collector who lives on my street once where he actually had time to talk. He’s got so many interesting things besides Mercs though. I recon he has 15 or 16 cars, which would put David Tracy to shame (and they aren’t rusty beaters either). No Citroens in his collection sadly.

phenotyp > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/16/2020 at 17:20

Well, I haven’t lived there since 2013, I’m sure things are very different now.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > phenotyp
08/16/2020 at 17:28

The whole area where they built the Warriors stadium and the medical center is all new, before I did the Warriors gig I had no idea, tons of brand new buildings and construction was at full tilt last year.

someassemblyrequired > Jb boin
08/16/2020 at 17:53

I’ll check it out, thanks

someassemblyrequired > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/16/2020 at 18:10

I really can’t see it. I think the closest Citroen dealer was a company showroom in Quebec City. Would have been really tough to find someone to keep a SM going in the 70s and 80s, even in Halifax, and finding parts would have been problematic in the age before the internet.

Even today I think the closest Maserati dealer is in Montreal.

phenotyp > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/16/2020 at 18:11

I used to walk past that whole medical center area when it was super fresh-new. It was so weirdly empty, then.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > someassemblyrequired
08/16/2020 at 19:21

You; re probably right. Then again, the closest Tesla dealership is in Quebec to here (that I am aware of) and I see at least one daily. Not like they need a lot of routine maintenance...but Teslas aren’t exactly known for their build quality....

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/16/2020 at 19:26

I wish I could afford more than one car.....I dream of having a ‘project/weekend’ car someday. Hell, I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to afford a house with the way COVID is wreaking havoc with the school system :(

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/16/2020 at 20:28

Yes, this is not the year for making big financial decisions with an uncertain salary. Much call for substitute teachers this year? At least you have the computer repair side hustle. The 126P of your dreams will come eventually.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/17/2020 at 11:48

Well, just found out the provincial government is going to be hiring people as substitutes due to the pandemic who don’t even have teaching experience or any schooling in education! :( :( :(

Really worried about the state of my job and finances come the fall now as they could end up supplanting us actual substitutes! :(

Our union is fighting it, but the government hates the union and will likely just ignore them :(