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

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.