Project roll neck, Saab 900 turbo and the garage it doesn't fit in

still the greatest car of all time!

Here’s a question, on the Saabs with freewheel, does that mean that you can’t use engine braking as wouldn’t the freewheel kick in when shifting down?

Edit: Ha, who am I kidding? As if Saab wouldn’t think of that:
“ Just to the right of the accelerator pedal is a plastic T-handle. This controls the freewheel. Pull it out and the freewheel is locked to provide engine braking, push it back in and the freewheel is reactivated.”

Cheers for all the encouragement, means a lot.

Sorted my saggy boot today, tailgate now raises effortlessly and my girlfriend can no longer lower it without hanging off the grab handle. Also forgot to include the road trip money shot, there's a reason why i can't find anything more practical!

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Next you need the cassette holder

I actually have one! I've been trying to collect period accessories to give it a bit more character but can't quite get my head around this one with out a Blaupunkt cassette player. If it held the cassette box as well as tapes i'd be all over it as i have several 93 Hip Hop tapes that i refuse to throw away that would look the part.

Speaking of accessories i picked up a repro storage tray for the dash but it turns out these are handed and not universal as advertised.

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Just found this thread and loving it . Good memories of road trips to north wales in my mates 900 black turbo some 20 years ago. I ended up with an Aries of 5 cylinder Audi s - which I still have a strong affinity for . Audi 80. B2, Audi 100, Passat gl5 , really wanted an original ur. Interesting this is non ulez, so does it mean they only charge you when you go through a camera , can you have it registered to an address in ulez zone , but it only charges when it sees you driving it ..

can you have it registered to an address in ulez zone , but it only charges when it sees you driving it ..

I should check! AFAIK you can have a non compliant car in the zone and there's an app i can setup so if it's picked up on camera it'll automatically charge me. Only concern is if i need to move my car outside my house for any reason will that get picked up?

Are there mobile ULEZ cameras where you live? If so, perhaps you could put a cover over it? This wouldn't be legal unless the plate is legible through a clear panel. But IME with motorbikes the law isn't enforced much because council parking wardens aren't allowed to lift the cover.

But IME with motorbikes the law isn't enforced much because council parking wardens aren't allowed to lift the cover.

Nope. There's no law stating that they can't. Misconception.

I'm sure I saw a trailer for Annika and they blew up a Saab 900 convertible!!

Thanks, good to know.

Upon further investigation it seems I should have said that wardens employed by councils cannot issue a FPN for obscuring a number plate or for not having a number plate. They are supposed to tell their control room, which reports it to the police.

From TFL

However, you don't need to pay the ULEZ charge if you are parked inside the zone and don't drive.

I've never heard that you can't keep a non compliant car within the zone but i'll do some more digging.

From my limited understanding you just have to pay every time you move it (or every time you are seen by a camera while moving it). So no daily charge for a parked car.

You can register your car with TfL and you'll be automatically charged if you pass a ULEZ camera. Unless there's a camera in your street (unlikely) you won't be charged for small movements or parking.

There are no rules about not keeping a non-ULEZ car parked in the zone. Your local council might charge you extra for a residents parking permit (or other paid parking) if it's one of the ones that's militant about pollution, but they can't do anything else.

The number of 90s cars still parked outside houses here (inside the 2021 ULEZ) suggests keeping an occasional use non-ULEZ car is perfectly viable.

Amazing thankyou, i thought that was the case but i had a proper wobble there!

So as long as you have auto pay setup to pay for when you do come across a camera , you can drive around the neighbourhood avoiding cameras and not have to pay. Interesting way to police it . I imagined they would just say no ulez cars register inside zone .

Have you ever seen the movie "Drive my car"? A red Saab 900 turbo it's central in the story

Yeti cooler ftw, i need your job

Aware of it but not got round to watching it yet. I've been making internet friends with a group of guys who cruise around Japan in old Saab's, hoping to meet to with them when i visit next year.

Speaking of, love this guys channel

https://youtu.be/ozLI2OmljGQ?si=X7CnH_Xc56RW1mSQ

You sure? I have to nod and agree with architects all day long!

But you have tbeir dream car and can do it without saving for some Cutler and Goss kooky glasses, it's a win win

Bodywork assessment provisionally booked for later this month. First ULEZ trip will be to the tip in a few weeks to recycle a shit tonne of wood and metal which i think is how this is supposed to be done.

First drive in almost 2 months was supposed to be a nice leisurely cruise to the west country to see friends and do the bodywork assessment. I should of checked the weather. I've been caught in some flash floods before but i don't ever recall being that scared on the M4. I particularly enjoyed pulling into the left lane to exit into the services then simply aqua planning onto the exit road. By that point water had leaked into the car and steamed up all the windows so it was a 5 mile an hour crawl into carpark before beaching the car anywhere and stepping out into ankle deep sitting water. I fully expected to be stuck there with a flooded car but a coffee and a Greggs later the rain had stopped and after running the engine and blowers for 5 minutes i was on my way like it had never happened. There was a moment in the rain when i thought i really would like one of those modern 4 wheel drive puppy killers but after binge watching Saab advertising on Youtube i've reconvinced myself my car is still the pinnacle of advanced automotive engineering.

The drive to the bodyshop the following morning was the opposite of the terror the night before. I can't imagine a car i'd prefer for a 50 mile round trip on B roads in the sun. I wasn't really sure what to expect as they have no website or social media presence but the plug came from a reliable source so i was hopeful they would be good. Impossible not to go golf club here but having visited some amazing bodyshops including ones in California and Japan i don't think i've ever been somewhere that ticked so many car-dork boxes. On one side you had a DB5, a 1949 Alfa that had raced in the Mille Miglia, a GT40 and a host of classic Merc's, Jag's and other prestigious classics. And on the other side there were chrome bumpered Japanese mini truck lowriders, 80s Aerodeck on airbags, race prepped Civic's, fully stripped Evo's getting nut and bolt rebuilds, OG type R's and a bunch of other interesting project cars. Unfortunately i couldn't take pictures and i can't share details publicly but i can forward on details if anyone has a genuine interest via pm.

Anyways he gave the Saab a going over and was happy with the overall condition but declined my low budget option of doing localised repairs for fear of it looking like a patchwork afterwards. After discussing the top end of my budget he suggested a full respray could be had for a little more if i stripped and rebuilt the car myself (tick) and left the bodykit and trim for another time. On the latter i always struggle with where you draw a line with doing a respray but having talked this through with him and given it a lot of after thought i'm quite happy with the idea of refitting the aged and in some instances a bit scruffy trim as it will retain a lot of the character and also reduce anxiety over it getting marked up in the future. It also means a lot less work for everyone involved. We ran through the the entire process of how he works, how he'll keep me updated and how payment can be spread and it was refreshingly caring and non salesman like. Chatting backgrounds we're a very similar age, have both gone to design schools and he even pointed at the Boa's on my trainers and told me he was involved in the design of them and Puma disc's when he did his apprenticeship! Although very reasonable in comparison to high street bodge jobs it's not a small amount of money for a car that won't get a lot of use and may end up getting sold if i need something more practical down the line. But having seen the work and met the man behind it i'm convinced i want to at least try and raise the funds for this. Timing is good as well, he doesn't have space until spring next year so i have a few months to decide before putting a deposit down.

Before then i want to fit all the new/better than what i have spares i've sourced over the years. The original plan was for me to spend long weekends in Bath with my dad getting it all done but it just isn't panning out and has become a source of stress for both of us. After talking it over we've decided the best thing would be for me to leave the car with him and he'll do bits in his own time. I had really hoped to be hands on and learn stuff of him but it just isn't worth the hassle atm when i have many other jobs to do. He loves tinkering but hates deadlines so this'll be a win for both of us. I'm waiting for a window but hopefully i'll be dropping it off in the next month or two.

Too much waffle with to little to show, here's a pick of the car at Castle Coombe classics meet last week and another OG accessory clean up project for me to undertake.

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What a great car - there’s a red (burgundy?) Saab 900 turbo (i think) that parks up next to the black DS down the hill from me. Will take a picture next time I see it.
Favourite LL COOL J song is Rock the Bells 👍
https://youtu.be/ZyswjkZJugI?si=F8sLWDF10aGKzZJk

Ooof, that classic Berlingo. The Saab pales in comparison.