AROnline blogs

Words: Clive Goldthorp Photographs: Michael Callaghan

Jon Trinder's AROC Concours award-winning 1976 Alfa Romeo Alfasud 1.2ti

Any AROnline readers who have read the mini-biographies on our Contact Us page will know that the other famous automotive ‘AR’, Alfa Romeo, has a place in my heart.

The Alfa Romeo and BMC>MG stories share a number of interesting historical parallels: the companies were both Government-owned for significant periods and both developed some of the most ground-breaking and influential front wheel drive family cars of the 20th Century: think Sir Alec Issigonis’ Mini and Rudolf Hruska’s Alfasud. An article exploring those historical parallels in some depth might be one for the future but this story was prompted by a much more recent, if somewhat tenuous, connection: a conversation with SMTC UK’s Director – Chassis, Andy Kitson, during the opening of MG’s new Global Design Centre at MG Birmingham back in June.

Andy and his colleagues had been using the current Ford Focus as one of the benchmarks for the MG6′s ride and handling. However, having just driven the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta at Alfa Romeo’s famous Balocco test facility in Northern Italy for Octane Magazine, our Editor, Keith Adams, reckoned that the Giulietta had now set a new benchmark for C-segment ride and handling. Andy no doubt took Keith’s feedback on board but had not at that point, prior to the Giulietta’s UK launch, had a chance to drive one himself. A passing reference to the Alfasud, though, set me thinking about past and present ride and handling benchmarks…

You see, back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when my friends were driving MG Midgets and Triumph Spitfire 1500s, I was driving Alfa Romeo Alfasuds - I had four of them in succession. My last 82/X Alfasud 1.3Ti was sold in January, 1984 but, since then, the Alfasud has always been one of my two benchmark front wheel drive cars. However, after my conversation with Andy Kitson, I found myself thinking that now might be the time to review that opinion and wondering how a ‘Sud would compare with, say, the Giulietta. Time, then, to hatch a plan!

The easy part was arranging a Test Drive in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta – my local Alfa Romeo Dealer was happy to oblige. Keith Adams’ 82/X Alfasud 1.5SC needs re-commissioning so we thought that finding an Alfasud to drive would probably be a real problem. However, fortunately sometime AROnline Contributor, Graham Eason, of Great Escape Classic Car Hire came to our aid. Graham has an 84/Y Alfasud 1.5Ti which, to his great credit, he was prepared to lend me even though the car is not currently available for hire.

The final element of the plan also slotted neatly into place – my friend, Michael Callaghan, and two workmates were taking his 147 GTA to the Alfa Romeo Owners Club’s (AROC) National Alfa Weekend at the famous Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb course in Worcesterhire. Graham keeps his ‘Sud at his company’s base near Inkberrow which is also in Worcestershire and just 25 miles from Shelsley Walsh so, last Sunday, we were able to combine a run in the ‘Sud with a visit to the National Alfa Weekend.

My Test Drive in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4TB 170 Lusso last Saturday therefore helped me to give some context to the following day’s drive in the Alfasud. Alfa Romeo engines such as the Alfasud’s Boxer Flat 4 and the Busso V6 possess such a combination of character and performance that they are hard acts to follow but the Giulietta’s new MultiAir engine lives up to that tradition. However, whilst the Giulietta’s ride and handling were, at least on the Lusso’s 16in alloys, impressive and probably at or near best in class, the car seemed to be a little lacking in soul irrespective of whether the DNA switch was in Dynamic or Normal mode. An Alfa should beg to be driven, will you to wake up at 5.00am for a lap or two of the Evo Triangle but, for some reason, this version of the Giulietta did not quite connect with me in that way. Mind you, a 1750 TBi Cloverleaf might still work the Alfa magic…

The ‘Sud on Sunday? Well, the drive from Inkberrow to Shelsley Walsh really did turn back time for me. Alfasuds are so eager to engage and entertain the driver that they have an almost terrier-like character - the aural and tactile feedback from the engine and chassis is communicated with a clarity and purity that most of today’s affordable family cars struggle to match. Colin Metcalfe, the enthusiastic Secretary of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club’s Alfasud Register, says that ‘Suds do, indeed, will you to drive them but that, with just 247 registered here in the UK back in 2007, there are fewer and fewer opportunities to do that.

However, based on my conversations with Colin, Bryan Alexander, the Alfasud Register’s Webmaster, and the other members of the Register at Shelsley Walsh last weekend, the ‘Suds that survive are in good hands. Interestingly, a 76/P Alfasud 1.2ti belonging to Jon Trinder was third overall in the AROC’s Concours and won an award for “Best Original Car.” Jon has owned his ‘Sud for the last 33 years and, when asked why he had kept the car for so long, he replied: “The memory of the first drive…” My friend, Michael, who had never driven an Alfasud before, drove Graham Eason’s back to Inkberrow and, by the end of the journey, he knew exactly what Jon Trinder had meant – he would have happily driven the ‘Sud home instead of his 147 GTA!

My weekend affair with the other ‘AR’ left me reflecting on several points:-

1) a full-spec Giulietta 1750 TBi Cloverleaf would cost around £30,000 otr while a good little ‘Sud would cost around £3,000 and yet still reward the driver with more smiles per mile. Interestingly, UK-spec Giuliettas do not have a rest for the driver’s left foot whereas the Alfasuds do – some might say that neatly defines the difference in the character of the two cars…

2) Andy Kitson and his colleagues at SMTC UK might, by now, have driven an Alfa Romeo Giulietta but, perhaps, they and, indeed, every Chassis Engineer should drive a ‘Sud at least once in their professional lives just to provide themselves with an historical benchmark for a car’s ability to communicate with the driver – they would have a lot of fun in the process as well!

3) Keith Adams, might well have changed his mind about disposing of his ‘Sud had he been with us last Sunday and will probably come to regret the decision. However, if any AROnline readers can help find a good home for the little car, then please contact him via this email address: kadams@aronline.co.uk.

[Editor's Note: My personal thanks go to Graham Eason of Great Escape Classic Car Hire and to Colin Metcalfe and the other members of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club's Alfasud Register for helping to make last Sunday such a memorable day.]

Graham Eason of Great Escape Classic Car Hire’s 1984 Alfa Romeo Alfasud 1.5Ti

Old knackers, Other manufacturers

Keith Adams 

1990 Lexus LS400

Suddenly, it all becomes clear. What am I talking about? Why Alan Partridge traded in his Rover for a Lexus… 

I jest, of course, but it seems timely that I should get my hands on Lexus GB’s 1990 LS400 on the same day that I upload the story of Jaguar’s exciting AJV8 engine – because it’s clear that the appearance and capability of the former must have had a bearing on the latter. 

It’s the 20th Anniversary of Lexus in the UK and, to celebrate, the company has bought a couple of 1990 LS400s in order to form the beginnings of a heritage fleet. I think it’s great that manufacturers are increasingly doing this because, looking at what they were doing years ago and comparing it with today’s output shows that, if there’s continuity in the cars, we can see it first hand. 

The reason I have the LS400 with me is because some of the guys at Lexus HQ were keen to drive my SD1 and it seemed only fair to swap for a few days. 

Anyway, back to the LS400. It’s a car that the magazines hailed as being ground-breaking when launched. In terms of refinement, power and luxury, it broke new ground for Toyota – and was to be a fitting product to slap a brand new nameplate on – before going BMW and Mercedes-Benz chasing. 

The heart of the Lexus LS400 is its unerringly smooth quad-cam V8.

Is the LS400 as good as the magazines said it was? In terms of mechanical refinement, absolutely. The quad-cam V8 is astonishingly silent in use, but delivers effortless, creamy performance whenever needed. The engineers considered it so good, they gave the throttle two kick-down points and, boy, does that work. Even comparing it with today’s luxury V8s, the LS400 is still up there in terms of ultimate refinement – and that’s no exaggeration. 

The engine’s huge capability had Lexus’ rivals at BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz running back to their drawing boards in order to come up with something close to matching the creamy V8. No doubt, we really should thank the Japanese – indirectly – for the magnificence of Jaguar’s current V8. 

The LS400 brought new standards of quality into the arena, too. Ultimately, it might not be quite as solid as what Mercedes-Benz was putting out at the time, but those parts of the car you touch with any regularity have been so well damped and engineered to perfection, that you’d swear blind an LS400 was more tightly screwed together than a W124 or W126 Benz. 

So, it changed everything? 

Yes, and no. 

The styling was criticised for being too anodyne and maybe a little generic when new, which did count against it in Europe. We’re a badge conscious lot here and the luxury car set wasn’t ready for something so overtly Japanese – so we bypassed it. The Americans, on the other hand, lapped it up. The marque has gone on to become an international phenomenon and, slowly but surely, is developing a profile on our side of the Atlantic, too. 

I must admit that I have a massive admiration for the Japanese way of engineering cars – and I love this thing in the same way I do the Honda NSX and Datsun 240Z. It might not be the first car you’d think of when asked to come up with examples of game-changing vehicles but, having driven this 100K 1990 car – which still feels as tight as a drum, I’d rate it up there. 

Once again, I find myself thinking like Mr Partridge of Norwich and hankering after one of these wonders as a direct replacement for my much-loved and sometimes missed Rover Sterling. 

Lexus LS400 interior: a switch-feel fetishist's delight.

Old knackers, Other manufacturers

Keith Adams 

Rover SD1

It’s been a long and tough 2010 so far. There never seem to be quite enough hours in the day to get everything done, what with the demands of Octane Magazine and AROnline but, here we are, still delivering great stories online. This week’s scoop about the Rover 55 is a case in point – and the reason why this site, and the stories that are on it, will never die through lack of interest. 

Simply put, there will always be new material coming out of the woodwork, new cars we never knew about and missed opportunities that will bring a tear to the eye. 

Anyway, it’s time for a few days off… but the site will continue ticking along thank you very much. We’ll be bringing you the latest news, all the blogs you could ever want and more of the same copy that you seem to enjoy reading. Thanks to Alexander Boucke and the rest of the team, AROnline will be at the forefront of all new developments. 

As for me – I’m off for a quick break in France. I was going to take the Polski-Rover SD1, but that’s on display at Vintage at Goodwood this weekend, so instead, I’ll be cruising down in a nice Lexus IS220d. It might not look or feel like a Rover, but it’s certainly painted in what looks like a fetching shade of Nightfire Red. 

When I get back next week, I’ll start planning an AROnline gathering. We’ve not had one in ages so it would be nice to meet you… and give that old Rover of mine a bit of an outing. 

TTFN! 

Holiday transport in a Rover-ish colour...

Other manufacturers, Polish Rover SD1, Random stuff

Jemma Rochelle Hawtrey 

Renault Safrane Biturbo

There has been a lot of talk in the media over the last couple of years about companies that were ‘too big to fail’. It’s a phrase that has become synonymous with the failures of the Bear Stearns and Lehmans Brothers investment banks in the US and, to a lesser extent, various organisations in the UK and other European countries – most notably, in the UK, Northern Rock and BNP Paribas in France. 

We are all feeling the results of this situation with higher fuel prices and more redundancies while the need for personal transport increases because of a public transport system that is increasingly rickety, expensive and unreliable. 

The other advantage of personal transport is that it can take you – within reason – straight where you want to go and carry a lot of luggage or shopping or belongings with you without issue. So how do you do that reliably on a tight budget? 

I have just taken delivery of a 1995 Renault Safrane RT Executive for the princely sum of £500 or so. It’s done a shade under 86,000 miles in 15 years, has so far required nothing more than a single bulb and a replacement boot lid switch and, like all executive cars, it doesn’t so much drive as glide (or, at least, it will when I work out how to get the steering wheel off and straight again) – but ask anyone about Renault models of the last 20 years and you would probably have to remind them that it actually existed. 

So why is it that arguably Renault’s best car since the 1940s is a completely unremembered unknown? 

It’s certainly not because its uncomfortable or a hassle to drive. It’s not because it was behind the times – no other cars in 1995 had a voice synthesiser to tell you what was wrong with the car and the majority didn’t have steering wheel radio or cruise controls at the time either. (Reliable) voice warnings and stalk radio controls were unknown in the UK at least before Renault introduced them with the 11 Electronique and 25 models in 1985. It has a hatchback body and a boot that can take more than most estates without complaining and, in the more expensive models, came with computer-controlled air suspension and, for a while, bombproof Volvo engines in the 2.5i model. 

So – what went, and is continuing to go, wrong? 

Personally I think it has a lot to do with the mentality of those who created the banking crisis. I have recently read a book called ‘Too big to fail’ by Andrew Ross Sorkin and I have noticed that, over and above the monumental level of arrogance-fed stupidity displayed by these people, there is a seeming blindness regarding price over ability. My father had two Safranes which followed two of the preceding Renault 25 models – and all of them were rare cars, even though they drove and handled well and are the most comfortable cars I have been in full stop. 

So why buy a BMW with seats that more resemble an SS barrack room than an executive office and which costs double the price? 

The reason is simple: for some reason everyone thinks that a BMW or a Mercedes-Benz tells everyone you’ve succeeded – that driving around in something barely bigger (or more comfortable) than a Chevrolet Lacetti at four times the price (and likely discomfort) is a way to advertise your success. It’s not – it’s just a way to advertise you have infinite skill at wasting money. 

The biggest problem the Safrane had was Renault itself. The car was never advertised and so, unless you knew the Renault range, you wouldn’t have known at the time that the Safrane ever existed. It was even worse with its replacement – the Vel Satis (although, to be fair, looking like a small shed didn’t help it to be sure). Rolls Royce can advertise through word of mouth because they have a reputation that’s been built up over years… 

Another issue was there wasn’t enough distinction between the Safrane and the Laguna. The people who would buy the Laguna or Safrane at the time had all the same options and equipment on a smaller car in the Laguna – and, over time, even the engines became the same with a 3-litre Laguna being introduced. The only versions of Safrane that arguably offered something new and unusual were the Biturbo and Biturbo Quadra models with a 258hp engine and 4WD. 

It was concluded that there was no market for these models in the UK so they weren’t produced in RHD form. The biggest complaint against the Safrane at the time was that it was underpowered – just imagine what a 260hp 4×4 competitor to the M3 and M5 the Biturbo would have been – at probably less than two thirds the price and a much higher standard specification. 

The Renault Safrane is now firmly in bargain basement territory with prices ranging from £400-£800 depending on model and year. In that area it,s not so much the price of the car that counts – it’s the price of the spares and the parts it might need. Renault has always had a reputation for price gouging and sadly that hasn’t changed. However, a little research will be your friend here. For example, it’s possible to buy online for less than £10 a CD with the workshop manuals for eight different Renault cars (from Clio to Vel Satis, including Master van and Safrane). 

A lot of the parts like switches and the like are common in more run of the mill Renaults (for example the boot switch for a Megane Scenic will work with a 1995 Safrane). Dialogys will give you all the self-test methodology for the fuel computer and dashboard which will display most of the problems within 5 minutes and save you hours of main dealer ‘labour’ time. 

The good, the bad and the automatic… 

So, what do you look for in a Safrane? 

The best models to go for are the manuals. The automatic transmission used in the Safrane (AD4/AD8) earned a nasty reputation in the Renault 25 for spontaneous self-destruction although to be fair that was more to do with leaking fluid lines than a weakness in the gearbox itself. With my car the automatic is fine although it is a little indecisive at certain speeds (30mph being one of them unfortunately). But it’s done 85,000 miles and is still going strong so I see no reason to doubt it until shown otherwise. 

As regards engines:- the 2.5i Volvo based 5-cylinder engine is probably the best balance between power and efficiency and is more than powerful enough to give good performance. Be warned however, these cars are very quiet, and it is very easy to find oneself way over the speed limit without noticing (cruise control is your friend here). I remember one experience on the continent towing a caravan down a long hill where the whole thing began to snake and I looked down at the speedometer to find myself doing 85mph – the engine was purring comfortably the whole while (my pulse rate was almost purring as well). 

Unusually both automatics and manuals were available with cruise, in the case of the manuals a clutch switch disabled the cruise mode while changing gear and re-engaged it afterwards. 

There are two-litre models but these are somewhat underpowered to say the least and are generally found in the RN base specification cars. These engines are much more suited to the lighter Laguna. 

In the Series I Safranes the best balance of power to economy is the 2.2i 12v engine (J7T) which produces 140hp and is a direct carryover from the Renault 25 but with more power. 

The 2.2i RT Exec Auto model that I have is middle of the range and came as standard with fuel computer and voice synthesizer warning system. It also has dual area climate control, electric windows, sunroof and mirrors (heated), electrically heated windscreen and mirrors, cruise control with remote, radio cassette with remote and remote central locking and alarm. Leather seats were at first an option as were electric seats with driver memory in some models. 

As with all used cars the lower the mileage the better and the better the general condition the less likely you are to have problems with the car. I can think of no more comfortable modern car that I have been in – the only one that rivals it is the Renault 25 and they are exceedingly rare thanks to the Government’s Scrappage Scheme (which I personally think was a disgrace but more on that later). 

Cars can regularly be found on eBay where I found mine and its best to ask all the questions you can about the car – as some problems can be expensive to put right (especially leaking heater cores for example). 

Another good deal, if you have a little more money and can stand the look of the thing, is the Vel Satis. Granted it was panned when released and didn’t sell well at all but, for £4000 for 2005-2006, example it’s worth looking at and the spec on them is generally astronomical. The best bet with these are the 3.5 turbodiesel models.

Old knackers, Other manufacturers

Jemma Rochelle Hawtrey   

Tatra T97

Just before the Second World War, two very different designers were at work at two different car manufacturers. One of them was a German, by the name of Dr. Ing. Ferdinand Porsche. Yes, I thought you might have heard of him.   

The other was a Czech called Hans Ledwinka.   

Both were innovative and both held the view that the general populace should be able to own cars. Partly this was to do with the idea that car ownership improved the lot of the worker and society in general. Partly this was just sensible economics – the cheaper you sell something – the more you can sell of it.   

Ledwinka’s first attempt was the T11 people’s car. This was a small vehicle using an arthritic air-cooled engine on a light chassis with a light body. A later development in the same vein was the T97 – which used aerodynamic styling similar to that of the Chrysler Airflow cars. It was fitted with a rear mounted air-cooled engine boxer engine of 1.8 litres…   

Does this start to sound slightly familiar?   

When you find out that Dr. Porsche spent most of the time the T97 was in development looking over Ledwinka’s shoulder it should be of no surprise that you would be barely able to tell the difference if you put the T97 and his Volkswagen Beetle next to each other. The similarity was so marked that Tatra successfully sued Volkswagen in 1967 for damages totalling DM3 million.   

In 1938 the Germans invaded Czechoslovakia and production of the T97 was promptly banned, although other models from Tatra such as the T77/77a and T87 were held in high regard by German officers and Czech resistance alike (in the latter case for the slightly gruesome reason that their rear engined layout made handling challenging – it was said that Tatra cars killed more German officers than the entire Czech resistance managed!).   

Tatra T77A

Move on a few years to 1956 and the Tatra 603. A large aerodynamically-styled saloon with a rear-mounted air-cooled V8 of 2.5 litres the car was originally fitted with three headlamps under a glass cover. Later models had either four recessed headlamps or four headlamps flush with the front of the car. A notable special was the B5 racing version with dual quad downdraft carburettors producing 145bhp (impressive since the 1995 Renault 2.2i engine produces 140bhp).   

But the most interesting thing about Tatra was their tendency to update cars as new features were introduced. This included interior features and more unusually sheet metal exterior features.   

Tatra would take cars in for repair or servicing and, at this point, would update a given car to the current specification which worked out as much cheaper both in materials/labour and price to the consumer. It is very hard to find one of the 3 headlight cars because most of them were updated to the later specifications.   

So the T1-603 – along with the T2 and the later and somewhat unofficial T3 really was the car that changed its shape.   

Learning about this set me to thinking. There are a lot of older cars around British roads and in other countries that are getting mechanically worn out and tired but otherwise are good – or have poor bodywork and good mechanicals…   

It would save a lot of resources – a lot of pollution – and a lot of money if large companies instigated programmes of taking in cars of a certain age and mechanically updating them for their owners – at a reasonable price.  Given that many cars are updated over their lifetimes on the same basic platform and dimensions it should be more than possible.   

An extreme example is the newly announced Fiat 0.9 litre TwinAir engine. This is a two-cylinder turbocharged unit that apparently puts out 85hp (yes, really). I seem to remember that that is the same output as the 1725cc Humber Sceptre engine. A few new parts and fittings and you have a car that not only helps the environment because of its age – but is clean running too.   

There seems to be a mentality in this society that new is somehow best. That only brand new can be clean and efficient. This is not a mentality we can afford. A lot of cars that were perfectly roadworthy have been destroyed because of either scrappage or major problems where spares are unavailable or prohibitively expensive.  However, if there was a system in place to produce the relevant fittings and kits to upgrade older cars with modern engines as the originals wear out, fewer resources would be needed to keep people on the road and vehicles would be less likely to have serious and dangerous problems.   

Sadly, this approach seems to be an anathema to the car producers – in a lot of cases they are actually designing their vehicles and fittings in such a way as to make retrofitting engines and other parts as difficult as possible, using different mountings or connectors for example.   

Personally, I think there should also be a part of the driving test that tests a person’s ability to find faults and do general maintenance on their vehicle – along with the ability to notice problems developing before they become serious. It is my personal opinion that it is important that a driver be able to recognise problems and know methods to alleviate or solve them before they become dangerous or life-threatening (and even an overheating engine can be life threatening on a busy motorway).   

I’m not entirely sure that asking someone to identify road signs that they might see once or twice in a year results in improving road safety. The more driving experience a person has in all conditions, the safer they will be.

Other manufacturers

Keith Adams 

Cortinas on AROnline? Who knew...

I must admit that it’s been a tough few weeks for AROnline. Firstly, there was a serious outage at Streamline.net that deprived us of our Forum, News and Blogs pages, followed by a dearth of new stories to upload and keep you – the loyal readership – amused. 

I guess what I did wrong was to have a huge splurge of new stories over the May Bank Holiday, that filled the updates page and gave you far too much to read. What I should have done was to produce the new pages as I did but then ration them out over the period of the following couple of weeks. Oh well, we live and learn. 

It’s good to know that the feedback system is growing in popularity and there are now some lively debates at the end of every new article that’s uploaded. The one that’s particularly pleased me is the Vauxhall Cavalier story, which I’d assumed would go down like a lead balloon, but instead has been greeted rather favourably. 

It’s clear that the AROnline readership enjoys seeing what the opposition was up to and has a much wider enthusiast appreciation of what came before than many of the ‘fan sites’ that litter the Internet. That got me thinking – again – about rivals on this site… 

A while back, I’d mentioned that I was considering putting up a Ford Cortina page, to which someone responded that there’s loads of stuff out there already and that there’s no place on AROnline for such things. I beg to differ: after putting in a Google search to see what’s out there, I found very little of use. 

We’ll see but, for now, I’m convinced that it’s right to carry on with the ‘rivals’ thing on this site. 

My final point of the day – sorry for the groundhog day Front page experience of the past few weeks. It’s been a busy time at AROnline Towers. Normal service should be resumed soon. If you’d like to see more new stuff, do feel free to contribute – it’s your site as much as anyone else’s!

Other manufacturers, Random stuff, Uncategorized

Keith Adams  

The Saab 9000 after a ten-hour day getting its paintwork sorted.

The ongoing return to normality continues for the Saab 9000 Aero. It’s been a horrible experience all-round – as a quick recap, I sent the car away for some repairs, then the mechanic disappeared, along with the car – and only recently has it been recovered from a farmer’s field in Somerset, windscreenless and draped in a flapping tarpaulin.

Obviously, you can imagine what the car looked like and how that made me feel. However, despite being down in the dumps about it all, and thanks to encouragement from a number of friends, I repaired the screen surround, put new glass in it, serviced the engine and cleaned out the interior, which had been home to some Somerset wildlife.

With the car MoT’d and back on the road, it was time to get it looking spick-and-span again. As you can imagine, the paintwork had suffered under that tarpaulin, but things were much worse than that. The garage that had been ‘caring’ for my car had decided to leave it parked in its paint shop and so, before being dumped in the field, it was liberally doused in what I reckon to be about three months’ worth of lacquer overspray. In short, the car looked worth little more than £80/tonne for scrap.

There was no way that I would be able to clean up the mess with my own cleaning gear, so after asking my mate Andrew Elphick for a recommendation, I decided to take the car to Clean Image in Chelmsford.

However, when I dropped the car off at 9.00am for them to put right, I could see the look of horror in the guys’ faces when they saw it – the paint, the fallout and the scratches were pretty awful. Anyway, good to their word over the ‘phone beforehand, they set about cleaning up the old girl while, in the meantime, Andrew and I went wandering in Southend, enjoying the ‘Golden Mile’ of used car dealers.

When we returned to Clean Image at 5.30, they were still busy on the car. The Manager, Danny Argent, who was clearly giving it his best shot,  said it’d be a further couple of hours before the guys had finished – and, although the final results aren’t perfect, compared with the mess that I’d handed to them, it was a more than adequate job.

In fact, I finally felt that the Saab 9000 was getting close to being a car I could be proud of again. Kieran Bass, who’d also been working on the car, explained what I’d got for my money.

‘An Exterior Valet which consisted of a hot pressure wash, all tyres/alloys were cleaned and sheened, all glass cleaned/polished and the exterior trim was washed then sheened. We applied G21s to the paintwork and AutoSmart’s new Revelation wax which leaves a layer of protection on the car’s paintwork. See: http://www.clean-image.co.uk/exterior.htm#exteriorvalet

‘Paint Correction was carried out on three of the car’s panels: the O/s rear quarter and the adjacent door, then the N/s rear door. This was to remove the more heavier scratched paintwork you had. See: http://www.clean-image.co.uk/paint-correction.htm

‘I did a more basic machine polish on the rest of the exterior. I used a claybar with hot water on the paintwork to remove the heavy fallout/overspray. As you were aware, in areas across the car there was some very heavy overspray, so it took a while to remove.’

Anyway, it’s done now and I really do feel a lot better about the car, thanks to the sterling work the guys did. Yes, there are still two deep scratches on the bonnet, which will need proper sorting, but at least now I won’t feel like I’m driving a filthy old snotter anymore. Now, I’ve just to get the gearbox sorted once and for all…

I can only imagine how much the guys at Clean Image must still be aching after that little lot but, to prove how pleased they were with the job, they even made the Saab their Car of the Week!

Here's how it looked before - okay, but with tons of lacquer overspray, it was always going to appear 'dirty'.

Hell and back Saab Aero, Old knackers, Other manufacturers

Keith Adams 

Saab 9000 Aero finally back on the road.

Regular followers and friends will know all about the tale of my disappearing Saab 9000 Aero. It’s a story that’s almost too heartbreaking to recount – so I won’t – but, in a nutshell, I’ve learned not to trust anyone off the Internet and to stop being such a generous soul. 

Anyway, after fitting a new windscreen last week, I gave the old girl a once over, rectified an ABS issue and slung it in for an MoT Test, fearing and expecting the worst. The news that came back was overwhelmingly positive – the car had passed its test, without a single advisory. Yayy! 

With that off my mind, I now have one less issue to lose sleep over at night. It’s going to become my daily runner – and, from what I have already seen when pressing the loud pedal, a rather quick one. I’d actually forgotten just how ballistic the thing is. Should be fun. 

Shame it returns to the fold just as the price of fuel is predicted to become prohibitively expensive. 

Oh well…

Hell and back Saab Aero, Old knackers, Other manufacturers

Keith Adams

AC 3000ME the latest addition to AROnline

I’VE been busy tonight. Had a close encounter with an AC 3000ME earlier in the week and remembered just why I liked them so much. That’s why, instead of going to bed, I did some scribbling and added its story for your reading pleasure… I know, I have no life.

It’s the usual story of failure and missed opportunities that overshadow a wonderful product – and that’s why it absolutely belongs on this site. Besides, after all the email beatings I’ve been getting about making the MINI our Car of The Decade (a decision I stand by given the bigger picture), I thought you’d enjoy a story about an automotive loser.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore the 3000ME, and, given the chance, I will own one sometime in the future. Gotta keep telling myself that.I’ve also added a bunch more cars to the ‘Other Cars’ section of the website, which you’ll find by clicking the link to your right. Nothing that wasn’t on the site already, but stuff that probably needs a more regular airing.

Anyway, take a look and enjoy some fascinating stories about the likes of Argyll, Midas (below) and Trident, which fit so neatly alongside the more established offerings from DeLorean, Rootes and, er, Ford.

Enjoy!

Old knackers, Other manufacturers

Keith Adams

With the Rover 3500 back on terra firma in the UK and in the safe hands of MOTest at Farnham, it looks like I have another project to sort out in the coming months. Back in 2008, I put my Saab 9000 Aero in for a repair which, although complex, should have been done reasonably quickly.

Unfortunately, following a long and horrible story, I’m left – two years down the line – with the car in rather a worse state than it was when I left it and with what looks like a fair bit of work to do on it.

Here’s the original post stating the Saab’s sorry story on the AROnline forum back in January 2010: ‘A couple of years back after forum posts and swapped messages, I decided that I should pass my beloved Saab 9000 Aero on to get some much needed repairs to.

‘But in the end, it looks like I have no car, and if it’s still around, it’s going to be worth little more than scrap. And the bottom line is that it’s really starting to get me down, and I could just do with some practical advice on what to do next…

‘The back story is straightforward. I gave the car to a member of several forums I go on. He was a local mechanic who worked for a garage in his area, and from the amount of posts he made here, there and everywhere, seemed like a sound bloke who knows his cars, and who’s more than willing to help people whenever he can.

‘I felt assured enough to leave my Aero with him to do some work on – after all, he worked at a proper garage, and seemed to have lots of satisfied customers. So, I left the car with him early in 2008 with a replacement gearbox in the boot, and asked him to put it in.

‘Also, it needed a new windscreen, so – again – I asked him to do it.

‘A few weeks after, he contacts me to say he’s having custody problems with his daughters. I say that’s fine – but if he was struggling, just to let me know and I’d take the car back and pay for work done. He insisted it was fine, and I had no reason to doubt this, so left him to get on with it.

‘The months passed, and I’d regularly get in touch asking if all was okay… and he’s always say that the car was safe, and it would be done soon. I could see the problems he was having as he’d share them on Facebook, so didn’t give him too much hassle, but constantly reminded him that if he couldn’t do my car, shout me, and I’d take it back off his hands. Then, last summer, he disappeared off Facebook and stopped taking calls.

‘I contacted the garage he was working at, and the manager said he’d not been working there for at least 18 months, and that as he didn’t know who the Saab belonged to, he had placed it in storage. But that the garage owner also said that he had financial problems at the time and hadn’t paid his storage bills for some time, so had no idea what state my car was in… but now he knew who I was we’d get in regular contact so I could get my car back. Which he reassured me, he’d be able to do.

‘The garage owner and I did chat a couple more times, but each time he’d not tell me precisely where the car was… but he would call when he got it back. I ascertained that the car was without a screen, under a cover, and stored outdoors. So, a write-off I guess. But now he’s not talking to me, and I’m 200 miles away stuck without a clue what’s going on, and the situation is REALLY getting me down.

‘Basically, I know in my heart that the car is FUBAR’d. Legally I know I will have to pursue the garage owner if I don’t want to count this as a £4000 write-off, as he made no effort to contact me and legally he should have done this… but if the garage owner is straight and genuinely having problems, I really don’t want to do that.’

My question, then, would be – after seeing these pictures – is there anyone out there who can recommend the services of a good welder who fancies having a crack at that bulkhead panel? Alternatively, should I be more sensible and break the car, keeping all the shiny bits, and find another 9000 to fit them to?

Frankly, I don’t have the energy for another project right now and just looking at these pictures depresses me somewhat. The picture at the top shows what it was like in the long hot summer of 2007… ah, the memories.

Your thoughts, as always, are appreciated!

Hell and back Saab Aero, Old knackers, Other manufacturers