humbucker's 1993 classic Saab 900 S 16v turbo convertible

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Re: humbucker's 1993 classic Saab 900 S 16v turbo convertibl

Post by humbucker »

Oh, and in case you were wondering about my near-mythical European road trip, here's a photo of the car taken during my jaunt across the Swiss Alps!

I took over 2000 photos during the 'seven countries in seven days' challenge. I'll sift through the pics (again) before posting the definitive collection here! :lol:

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Re: humbucker's 1993 classic Saab 900 S 16v turbo convertibl

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I'm still trying to find the time to sort through my Euro Rally pics. In the meantime, I thought I'd let you know that my latest project update can be found in the new issue of Retro Cars magazine. Clickety click.

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Re: humbucker's 1993 classic Saab 900 S 16v turbo convertibl

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I'm just sorting through some Euro Rally photos and found this snap of me navigating my way around one of the many hairpins that we encountered during our adventures across the Swiss mountain passes. More to follow!

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Re: humbucker's 1993 classic Saab 900 S 16v turbo convertibl

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Time to start uploading my Euro Rally photos. I'll attempt to post them in batches that cover each day of the trip. Check back for regular updates, and don't forget to visit the Euro Rally website (where you can reserve your place for this year's trip): http://eurorally.net/july-16/

There has been a great deal said about the plight of foreign folk trying to get into the UK (legally or otherwise) of late, but let’s take a moment to reflect on the luxury that EU member state petrolheads have in being able to take advantage of free movement within the union. It might be a benefit that most of us take for granted, but it’s also one that can be fully exploited when it comes to octane-fuelled adventure in the countries of our continental cousins.

It was with that in mind that Retro Cars joined forces with established driving experience outfit, Euro Rally, and took on a four-wheeled challenge that spanned seven countries in seven days. France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Belgium and some ol’ place named ‘Blighty’ played host to our charge across motorways, mountain passes and motorsport venues, although it should be said that some of those who decided to join us notched up even more of a country count by setting off from faraway lands including Ireland and Malta.

Day 1: Meet in Dover, set sail for Paris!

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Of course, the act of steering old tin across thousands of miles of unfamiliar terrain always promised to provide a challenge for some of the vintage vehicles in attendance, although nobody expected the early retirement of Colm Carberry’s Satin Red Vauxhall Cavalier Turbo 4x4 on day one. Despite months of preparation in advance of the trip, our man from County Kildare was left stranded on the edge of the Emerald Isle when his mega Mk3’s fuel tank split during the first leg of its journey to our meeting point in Dover!

Fortunately, Colm’s travelling companions persuaded him to leave the impotent Griffin at the side of the road before inviting him to continue the journey from within the confines of their Series 2 Escort RS Turbo. Driven by chief spanner-wielder, Joey O’Neill, and assembled just hours before the off, the fruity Ford carried its human cargo from Dublin to Holyhead and onward to Kent without complaint, whereupon it was welcomed by a wide variety of metal ready to set sail across the English Channel.

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Euro Rally head honcho, Glen Horscroft:

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As expected, modern machinery was well represented in the form of the Skoda Octavia VRS of father and son duo, Bill and Adam Togni, George Bonney’s MG ZS, a lofty number of Bimmers (many of them wearing the legendary ‘M’ badge) and Nick Gaunt’s stunning 2005 Porsche 997 C2S. His wasn’t the only Porker present; Euro Rally head honcho, Glen Horscroft, and his stepson, Josh Bailey, spent the week riding around in a tastefully modified Boxster. It was, however, the tasty 911 83 SC of Cambridgeshire couple, Peter and Litte Andrews, that caught our attention. Equipped with the 3.2-litre lump and chipped ECU of an ’88-plate, the car packs uprated suspension, a trick exhaust system and well executed body modifications that extend to overrider, spoiler and bumper blade deletion. Nice!

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In addition to Peter’s red road rocket, the Retro Cars influence on proceedings was plain to see thanks to the appearance of Jonny Parkinson’s throttle-bodied, C20XE-equipped 1979 Vauxhall Chevette L. In fact, there was plenty of modified old-school cool to gawp at throughout the week, not least of all Mark and Sam Croxford’s beloved Polo Coupe S. Known to all as ‘Huyi’, this heavily tuned Volkswagen found itself splashed across the cover of Retro Cars a few issues back, and it didn’t fail to impress as we navigated our way across Europe.

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Re: humbucker's 1993 classic Saab 900 S 16v turbo convertibl

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Day 1 (continued) and day 2: Paris to Lyon

Paris was our first stopover destination. The journey from Calais to the French capital was efficiently straightforward, albeit characterised by motorway mileage and the occasional cry of “don’t forget which side of the road to drive on” blaring out of the two-way radios that Glen handed out to each driver during our ferry crossing. That said, the Mazda MX-5 of Adam Bradshaw and Ian Bragg did see a little more rural scenery than was planned, but this was largely down to the fact that the radiant red Japanese two-seater decided to dump its coolant as soon as it found itself in the land of Django Reinhardt. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the men from Manchester nursed the car through towns and villages until they stumbled upon a workshop willing to right whatever wrongs their chariot was suffering from.

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Eventually, their search yielded success (even if their attempts to swap the apparently ailing Mazda for the non-English speaking garage owner’s fault-free Fiat Panda failed abysmally!), and the pair joined us at our hotel in the heart of Paris a short while later. We were within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower, and it didn’t take long for half the group to head into the afternoon sunshine in search of sustenance, presumably exhausted as a consequence of having to spend an age trying to find a way off of the cobblestones surrounding the Arc de Triomphe!

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Weekends in Gay Paree lend themselves to a party atmosphere, and our arrival on a Saturday meant that we’d landed at exactly the right time for a dose of fun in the sun. Body fuel was provided by the food and drink retailers dotted along the Champ de Mars, and those of us keen to demonstrate our ability to queue spent two hours as part of a human traffic jam awaiting our turn to climb to the top of the Tower. Was it worth it? You betcha!

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It was the following morning when we encountered the next motoring complaint of the trip. The tuned and turbocharged classic Saab 900S 16-valve convertible that I was driving had emptied its windscreen washer fluid reservoir onto the hotel car park’s floor before deciding to pop its handbrake cable while stuck between vehicles on a steep exit ramp. Maintaining the super Swede’s position without rolling into the pride and joy of a neighbouring participant proved to be an uphill struggle (literally), not helped by the suddenly non-operational car park exit barrier that prevented almost all Euro Rally entrants from leaving within the tight timeslot afforded to them by hotel’s tyrannical ticket machines.

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Meanwhile, Colm – understandably upset at the prospect of being a passenger for the rest of the trip – announced his intention to buy a car in Paris in order to fill the void left by his absent Cavalier. “This is a Euro Rally first!” gasped Glen in amazement. Nevertheless, true to his word, Mr Carberry stuck €500 in his pocket and shot off to inspect an Opel Omega A (a model otherwise known as the Mk2 Vauxhall Carlton) that was described as having a lack of rear windshield and a problem with its fuel system. What could possibly go wrong?!

Well, quite a lot actually. While the rest of us were heading south towards our next stop on the outskirts of Lyon, Colm was sat at the side of a dual carriageway trying to work out why his new ride was failing to propel itself in a forward motion. To make matters worse, his car’s lack of rear glass caught the attention of le fuzz, and his support crew of Joey, Martin Griffin and Eoghan Cahill found themselves in an out-of-commission RS Turbo due to a wicked shudder generated by a failed bush in their formerly fast Ford’s steering rack.

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Spotting a roadside café within kicking distance, Eoghan reasoned that fresh pots of hot stuff might help the team to formulate a plan of action that would enable them to press on to Lyon. He was correct, but it was a brilliantly unorthodox approach to DIY mechanics that saved the day: noticing that the diameter of the salt and pepper shakers in the café matched that of the Escort’s knackered bush, both spice cellars were swiped, chopped in half, emptied and fed into the Rallye Sport’s steering rack! Held into place with aluminium tape, this extraordinary fix did its job perfectly. The Ford was fighting fit.

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Thankfully, Colm’s awkward Opel was soon back up and running following the application of a replacement fuel pump, cleared lines and a thorough inspection of its fuel tank. Both cars raced on to Lyon, arriving in the early hours of the morning before our forward march towards the legendary Route Napoléon.

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Re: humbucker's 1993 classic Saab 900 S 16v turbo convertibl

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Day 3: Lyon to Nice

Following the route taken by Napoléon Bonaparte during his 1815 trek from Golfe-Juan to Grenoble (after which he intended to overthrow then-reigning monarch, Louis XVIII), this remarkable course carves its way through the foothills of the Alps, meandering through jaw-dropping scenery and offering seemingly endless cambered cornering – ideal territory to test a car’s handling abilities at speed.

Splitting into groups, the Euro Rally faithful ventured southbound along Route Napoléon at dawn. Wet weather and thick fog governed the early morning, making the steep inclines ahead of us even more of a challenge than had been anticipated. The low hanging mist ensured that visibility beyond the front bumpers of our vehicles was nonexistent, and we wondered whether we would end up completing this stretch of our weeklong trip without seeing any of the picture perfect panoramas that we had been looking forward to!

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We need not have worried. The mid-morning sunshine cleared the fog, revealing the sweeping roads and cool canyons surrounding us. Jonny and his co-driver, Jonathan Jackson, let rip in the Chevette, while Robert Stancliffe and Rick Collett followed close behind in their 1983 Mk3 Capri. The Ford’s faulty alternator was but a minor inconvenience, beaten into submission by the decision to swap batteries between vehicles whenever the Capri began to splutter.

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Onwards we drove, crossing over the iconic bridge that spans the width of the River Durance at Sisteron, before we travelled further down the N58 en route to Côte d'Azur. With the option of toll roads and motorways firmly switched off on our satnavs, we enjoyed hassle-free cruising on some of the best roads that Europe has to offer. That was until a suggested shortcut took us along a country lane that had more in common with rallycross circuits than leisurely drives! Rocks, potholes and all manner of menacing debris did their best to shake the parts off of our cars, and in the case of the Capri, they succeeded.

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Hard vibrations had caused the welds holding the Ford’s radiator fan housing together to break, leaving the already injured Dagenham delight without sufficient cooling capabilities. Everyone present hopped out of their cars, mucking in to try and fix the problem, although it was Rick and BMW owners, John Rose and Mark Allen, that saved the day thanks to some quick thinking, gaffer tape, cable ties and some on-the-spot wiring wizardry!

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Danny Byrne and Sean Meehan’s Mk4 Golf GTi also suffered an injury along the same narrow track, resulting in part of the modified VW’s front subframe being left in the heart of rural France. No such problems for the Mercedes 230CE Coupé of Paul Williams and Tony Cassar, though. Steady progress in the company of Eric Craven’s superb Formula 27 kit car saw ze German arrive at our hotel in Nice with bags of time available for its owners to explore the exceptional eateries, bars, and casinos offered up by the contrasting grit and old-town charm of what has become one of France’s best-loved getaway destinations.

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