SM TRIBUTE: Ten Years of DS Design | DS Automobiles Ireland

More than just a tribute, SM TRIBUTE celebrates ten years of art and elegance since the creation of DS Automobiles and

its participation in the first edition of Chantilly Arts & Elegance, while contributing to the prospective research of the DS DESIGN STUDIO PARIS.

A tribute to the SM and a very current style study

Regularly, the DS DESIGN STUDIO PARIS teams work on the legacy of the historic DS and SM, through sketches that unleash their creativity and nourish their reflections.

The exterior design of the original SM reinterpreted

The SM, born in the early 1970s, embodied the pinnacle of French automotive innovation. This grand tourer was a real concentrate of technology. Its aerodynamic line, designed by Robert Opron, was both elegant and avant-garde.

The SM did not have an apparent upper grille, which was replaced by a very large canopy that revealed the headlamp modules and the license plate. Fifty years later, this glass roof becomes a 3D screen that lights up to its center, framed by a light signature composed of three modules on each side – as in the past – enhanced by eight diamond points and vertical DRLs declined in a triad that meet at a point like a ship's bow.

The profile retains the characteristic lines of the SM to accompany the airflow from front to rear, which is thinner. Behind two large windows, the quarter panel cut in half continues to float the rear part in an S shape. Of course, the rear wheels are partially faired with removable parts.

While the iconic proportions of the SM are respected with a length of 4.94 m. (+5 cm) and a height of 1.34 m. (+2 cm), SM TRIBUTE gains above all in musculature and presence with a width of 1.98 m. (+14 cm). In search of efficiency, the ground clearance has been increased to 12 centimetres (-3.5 cm). SM TRIBUTE sits on large 22-inch wheels embellished with aerodynamic inserts.

The canopy that signs the front of SM TRIBUTE houses an animated light screen, as well as the three light modules on each side. This canopy is directly inspired by that of the original SM.

The rear wheel arches of SM TRIBUTE are partially faired. They echo those of the 1970 SM, which are entirely obscured. On the manifesto, the perforated rear wing would cool the brakes during the regeneration phases of the electric motor.

The extended bi-tone look is notably worked on around a reinterpretation of the Feuille Dorée shade that was in the catalogue in 1971, sporting a satin varnish and combined with a specific coloured black.

The interior also takes up the codes of the 1970 SM

Inside, the 1970 design is also reinterpreted with the characteristic shape of the top of the dashboard and the oval design of the instrumentation.

True to the avant-garde spirit of the SM, the information display is done by projection and the curved "screen console" associated with the steer-by-wire steering wheel complete this spirit dear to the brand.

Sound and lights envelop the occupants.

Materials that combine heritage and technology

The interior is very light with an ivory hue composed of leather and Alcantara®. A large display case on the front of the dashboard offers an extraordinary setting to accommodate an almost infinite range of finishes and materials. The armchairs take up the iconic construction of the SM, with its horizontal cushions.

The laser-engraved leather work on the door panels reveals motifs inspired by the Decorative Arts. This period corresponded to the Roaring Twenties, in which the Concours d'Elegance was born.

The Pearl Point decorations on the door panels are revisited: real pearls subtly reflect the light animations of the cabin. This reference to jewellery can be found on the finely chiseled crystal control wheel, as well as on the centre of the steering wheel.

On the seats, the symmetrical graphics of the leather perforations are reminiscent of the link construction - or watch strap - of DS Automobiles models.

The dematerialised instrument screen shows the material through transparency, as on the interior manifests M.i. 19 and M.i. 21. In SM TRIBUTE, the material incorporates golden glitter that fades in the instrumentation.

The semi-circular patterns of the door panels, the centrally placed sound system, as well as the transparent central screen evoke the M.i. 21 interior manifesto, presented in mid-2023 at the Révélations trade fair.