1975 Mylord Convertible 5sp Injection Chassis # 00SC2789

[hydropneumatic]

http://www.artcurial.com/fr/asp/fullcat ... 8&image=17
For Auction: Auction estimate: 400 000 - 600 000 €
Sold: $744,290 (includes commission)
Retromobile by Artcurial Motorcars" on 7 february 2014
Paris France
Miles: unknown
Transmission: 5 speed
Exterior: Gold
Interior: Tan Leather
Seller Description
French title
Chassis n° 00SC2789
N° Chapron 7644

- Exceptional one owner car
- Impossible to find (5 examples)
- The last French luxury automobile
- Exquisitely maintained

With the demise of Facel, France wept bitterly at the absence of a luxury sports car bearing the national colours. The concern was short lived: Citroën took up the rather ambitious challenge. During the 1960s, the marque from Quai de Javel ruled the left hand lane of the autoroutes with the DS, the most prestigious French saloon. With its hydropneumatic suspension, the car had exceptional driving qualities, and the media had just one criticism : the engine was not powerful enough for the car to compete against top foreign marques. So, when Citroën acquired a 60% share in Maserati in December 1967, it declared an interest in using an engine from the Trident marque to power its future sports car. The engineer Giulio Alfieri designed a V6 engine derived from the V8 of the Maserati Indy. With four overhead cam-shafts, the engine size was kept at 2,760cc to avoid being penalised by the 'super-tax' on vehicles over 2.8-litre. With three Weber carburettors, this engine produced 170 bhp and provided the versatility expected of a luxury car. Citroën had its engine. For the rest, the manufacturer had everything under control and set to work in earnest on the DS. Using the same hydraulic pressure system, it took the development further, with the introduction of variable power-assisted steering and gear reduction. The completely new shape of the SM was governed by the laws of aerodynamics and its spectacular front end announced its intent with a bank of six headlights under profiled glass.
At its presentation at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show, the attributes of the new Citroën were applauded by the motoring press and French drivers finally had a car capable of matching the German and British saloons. The first sales figures were encouraging, with 5,000 examples produced in 1971, and the SM also distinguished itself in competition, winning the Rallye du Maroc in 1971. However, the world continued to turn and circumstances changed. The fuel crisis at the start of the 1970s introduced a harsh reality to the period of euphoria that followed the Second World War. What's more, the Citroën network was ill-equipped to sell a high-end car like the SM. Finally, the Citroën takeover by Peugeot in 1975 was the final blow for this promising automobile. Aggrieved, the chevron marque announced its epitath : " Born of speed, the SM must die with speed "

A French top-of-the-range car, the SM has been given some special bodies, including several by Henri Chapron. This coachbuilder, who opened his first workshop in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1919, worked in parallel with the development of the automobile until the Second World War. Chapron built bodies for a variety of marques, employing 350 people by the end of the 1920s. The 1929 Crash slowed activity and from the 1930s onwards, Chapron provided coachwork principally for Delahaye and Delage, in a classic style that was elegant and balanced. After the war, Chapron suffered from the decline of the great French marques and needed to adapt. Having experimented with one-off transformations, he took a new direction and began collaborating with Citroën. He worked on the DS cabriolet and offered his own versions, elegantly styled and luxuriously equipped.
With this opportunity at Citroën, it was logical that he should take an interest in the new SM. At the Paris Motor Show in 1971 he presented his first transformation, the " Mylord " cabriolet. Using the original design for the car, he strengthened the body, added a standard boot and covered the interior with a hood. This elegant cabriolet could carry four people in absolute comfort. It is interesting to note that at the same Motor Show Heuliez presented his " Espace " version of the SM, with a roof that opened in two sections, emphasising the attraction this luxury French model had for coachbuilders. However, the principal downside of the Mylord cabriolet was its price : at 130,000 francs in 1973, it cost more than twice the standard SM, and almost as much as a Ferrari Daytona. There was no rush to buy it and the project was not taken up. The number of examples built is not known with certainty, but today, experts generally agree on five cars, including one that is thought to have been destroyed by fire.
Following the Mylord, Chapron went on to build other SM derivatives : the Opéra saloon, presented in 1972 and the same year, a four-door convertible presidential version. Built on the SM base, these cars were the last real creations to come out of the Chapron workshop. The coachbuilder subsequently stuck to special one-off projects (notably on the CX and 604), before finally shutting up shop in 1985, seven years after the death of Henri Chapron.

The model on offer

This sublime four-seater SM cabriolet, known commercially as a " Mylord ", is exceptional if not unique, having spent its entire life in the hands of one family.
At the Paris Motor Show in October 1975, Mr Jean Allais, a Citroën dealer from Colmar, came across this Mylord displayed on the Chapron stand. It was finished in a rather dull taupe grey. On the suggestion of his wife, he organised with the Henri Chapron workshop to have the colour changed. At the end of the Show, the Mylord went to be repainted in the colour it is presented in today, " Byzantine Gold ", a hue taken from the coachbuilder's chart. For the record, it was a colour chart heavily influenced by the Mercedes Benz colour range.
The happy owner registered his beautiful car on 19 December 1975 with the number 7687 QR 68, in Colmar. It was used sporadically to transport the family to their holiday home on the Côte d'Azur. Naturally, the SM was maintained by the workshop of his own Citroën dealership in Colmar.
Following the death of Jean Allais in 2000, his wife inherited the car and it was re-registered in her name. One of her grandsons, having shared the family's love for the car, went to great trouble to organise its maintenance on her behalf. Since 2000, he has ensured that everything was done to conserve this superb SM Mylord and keep it in top condition and running order. It has been maintained since 2000 by the excellent DS and SM specialist Guy Stoeckel. Between 2007 and 2009, he updated the car, refurbishing the electrics and the hydraulic system, working also on the engine, eliminating faults that had appeared over time, and also updating the coachwork, with one or two minor repairs. At the same time the hood, fragile and somewhat brittle with age, was replaced by the upholsterer Laurent Reinhart, who has worked for numerous museums and discerning collectors.

Today, this automobile has a rare elegance, and is presented in the best condition from every perspective. It will be delivered to its lucky new owner with all the period documentation, from the correspondence between Chapron and Jean Allais, and the SM manuals, to the technical drawings of the Mylord by Chapron and documents relating to the official registering of the Mylord model. In addition, two black leather suitcases that came with the car originally, will be passed on to the buyer.
To drive this SM Mylord is a unique privilege. Its grace exemplifies what France did best at that time. Some people think that Facel was the last great French luxury marque, but they must never have looked at an SM Mylord. The 70s-styled seats, so representative of an era, clothed in tan leather, are an invitation to forget your worries and simply enjoy the journey. The profile of this exclusive cabriolet, hood up or down, is supremely fluid and the epitome of sportiness.
After this sale, there will never be another opportunity to see such a genuine SM Mylord, a single-owner car that has never left France and has always been meticulously maintained. We offer you a wonderful story, and it is up to you to continue the plot. This automobile is the very last great French luxury automobile. It was born of the relationship between Citroën, the most innovative marque, and Henri Chapron, one of the best coachbuilders, on the base of the SM, the most Italian of French GT cars. Write your own page in the Mylord story by choosing the very best of all : this one.