Lot Ended
Description
Two-stroke heaven; ex-Saab Museum; magazine featured; driven by
Swedish rally legend Erik Carlsson; driven 100+ miles to the sale; massive
history file
This September 1961 ‘96’ was
purchased by a very well-known Motoring Journalist in May 2001 from Ture Stam, a
mechanic at the Saab Museum.
He
collected it from Trollhattan via the Gothenburg to Newcastle ferry, then up to
Seahouses in Northumberland to visit relatives. He then drove all the way down
south and it made it home without incident – quite an introduction to his new
car.
During his ownership, he has
replaced the engine and gearbox with genuine factory recon items – the engine
was the last one available in a batch kept by a former UK Saab dealer after he
sold his Dealership. This fresh engine has done about 30,100km or 18,700 miles
since it was fitted in 2008.
The
bodywork was refreshed in 2013-14 by Porsche specialist Robin Dalwood, with new
steel in the door bottoms, lower left rear side panel ahead of the wing and
lower inner left front wing - exactly as per the original factory pressings. The
structure otherwise was, and is, extremely sound with no sign of rust or past
repairs in the usual 96 trouble spots.
The seat and door fabric was retrimmed some years ago in an
authentic Saab pattern and the floor coverings replaced. The owner has in fact
renewed many components over the years – wheel bearings, rear gearbox mount,
brake shoes and hydraulics, driveshaft boots, tyres, headlights, wiper rubbers,
fuel pump, the entire exhaust system, all the suspension bushes apart from those
for the anti-roll bar – and the battery is almost new, as are the rear dampers.
The radiator has been recored.
It came
with a factory workshop manual, the original Swedish handbook in its original
wallet and also an English-language handbook which the museum people gave him.
There is also a book of service bulletins and a vital hub puller. Also every
Swedish MOT from its first to the one current when he bought it, and a whole box
of other history, invoices etc as well as a memory stick with near on 1,000
files…….
As a member of the Guild of
Motoring Writers, our vendor has enjoyed many overseas trips in the car,
including several runs in France, Le Mans, Belgium, Wales and three tours of
Ireland proving what a usable car it is.
It has been featured in numerous magazine articles,
including Staff Car Sagas in Practical Classics and several Octane Cars in, er,
Octane.
It represented the 96 breed in a
PC ‘100 favourite classics’ and featured again in a fabulous Octane story with Erik Carlsson alongside his replica
of his 1963 Monte Carlo winner. The vendor and Carlsson swapped and drove
each other’s cars, Carlsson saying he’d forgotten how nice a standard 96
two-stroke is!. Later on, on the ‘Save Saab’ protest drive which took them
past GM’s Luton UK HQ and on to Duxford, Carlsson signed the English handbook -
Erik Carlsson ‘On The Roof’.
The vendor
added that he has used a 30:1 petrol/two-stroke oil mix. With modern oils it
certainly doesn’t need to be as oily as Saab’s original 25:1
recommendation.
Driven over 100 miles to
the sale, it has proved a ready starter and has that lovely smooth two-stroke
power delivery that has to be experienced to be believed.
This well-known and thoroughly sorted car is very
reluctantly offered for sale due to lack of space and should make its new owner
very happy….
Contact
matthew.parkin@brightwells.com