The Citroën SM had a few standout features that the Maserati Khamsin did not, especially in its front-wheel-drive Citroën engineering and its more radical driver aids.

What the SM had that the Khamsin didn’t

  • Front-wheel drive. The SM used a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, while the Khamsin was rear-wheel drive.
  • DIRAVI steering. The SM introduced Citroën’s self-centering, speed-sensitive power steering, which was a signature feature and not part of the Khamsin’s core setup in the same way.
  • Hydropneumatic suspension. The SM had Citroën’s famous hydropneumatic suspension with automatic height correction, giving it a very distinctive ride.
  • Six headlamps with steering-linked pods. The SM’s lamps turned with the front wheels and included automatic levelling, a very Citroën-specific touch.
  • Single-spoke steering wheel. That unusual Citroën wheel design was part of the SM’s cabin identity.
  • More Citroën-specific braking integration. The SM’s braking system was deeply tied to the hydraulic system and automatically adjusted brake power according to load.

Shared territory

The Khamsin did borrow some Citroën hydraulics, including power steering and hydraulic operation for items like the pop-up headlights, clutch, and seat adjustments, so it was not “non-Citroën” in feel. But the SM was the more extreme expression of Citroën’s own hydraulic and chassis philosophy.

In plain English

The SM was more innovative in the Citroën sense: it had the unusual steering feel, self-leveling suspension, and front-wheel-drive packaging that made it feel like a spaceship. The Khamsin was more of a classic front-engined GT that borrowed some of that hydraulic magic without fully adopting the SM’s layout or character.

If you want, I can also lay this out as a side-by-side feature table in HTML.