1972 Saab 99 L - Green
Discussion
My wife has bought this:
I continue to be married to the right woman.
Five years ago I bought her the 900 T16 documented here and we have fully embraced ownership of the old 80s rocket. On whole pretty reliable, normal Saab stuff and plenty of fantastic memories - a car worth spedning money on. It is mechanically decent and driven a lot, however at 206k it is many shades of white and a little crusty around the edges, a little filo if you will. It will be going off early this year for protracted welding, repairs and paint at a cost efficient 'when you have time...' period.
As I recently sold my Triumph GT6, we have been looking for a cheap, small, ULEZ-compliant runabout for around the £2.5k mark. Over the Christmas period I was quite keen on a Panda 100HP, but the ride put me off. Various classics popped up, but all at the 'near-project' stage. Sellers and the market for classics have changed dramatically, as I believe everyone is familiar, and it seemed any pile of rolling barnacles and damp headlining with a leaky drivetrain was 5k in 2023.
Last weekend I had an alert from the ol' Bay of E, long abandoned by me for sourcing anything half decent. But... a 99? In green? Further examination was required. Sure, it was the 'L', a properly minimum-spec 1854cc Triumph-engined tin can with manual everything and optional switches, but it fitted our bill perfectly. I showed my wife - her eyes were as wide as dinner plates and she simply said 'That's got to be my car!'.
After decoding the mobile number from the listing, I had a chat with the seller that was reassuring to say the least... owned seven years, retired Rolls Royce mechanic... fantastic condition but needs love. The call was more of an audition, really - he refused to sell it to anyone looking to modify, break or repaint the car. It was too original, it needed preservation. After 20 minutes I passed the test, demonstrated suitable Saab-loving evidence and stated our intended use for light driving, classic festivals and inner city tussling.
Work commitments meant the earliest we could make it up to Birmingham was Saturday, but the seller was true to his word and marked the car as sold deposit taken (phew!). We drove up Friday in the 900, staying at the M5 J2 Premier Inn (no complaints - exactly fit the bill), then started the morning with a Saab viewing.
It did not disappoint:
Exactly as described - very solid, probably one of the best 99s I have ever seen, except for 99 Turbos at the shows post-restoration. 63k on the clock, and everything matched that mileage. Garaged most of its life, I started at the bottom and worked my way up with torch, magnet and screwdriver while my wife talked car history, maintenance and foibles.
The to-do list was as expected - new fuel hoses and radiator hoses required, flushes of the liquid bits all round, carb rebuild and a full 'tighten and check' of most clips. Everything supposed to be soft was hard, and everything supposed to be hard was soft.
Headlining was hand made, some bits of trim missing but overall...a gem. A real gem.
My wife bought it after a 10 minute local drive.
We stopped at a Shell to take stock and check a few bits after 15 minutes running... all was well.
Condensation under the oil filler cleared up, choke and carb operation is fine. The battery was completely unsecured, so I ran some cable ties around it as a temporary measure.
We put in 25 litres of E5 super, with additive supplied by the seller. I must order a few of these...
2.5 hours back to home base (or the Saab dealership, as my neighbours probably call it): my wife took the first shift, me following in the 900. It shrugged off careless drivers, rain showers and the M42 with ease.
After an hour we swapped over - big smile on the face of the driver said it all really - 'Straight and true, excellent brakes and tight gearbox. Happiest at 65mph'.
Wife reported 'a ringing noise at 70mph' - turns out it was one of the rear ashtrays.
Windscreen washer was out of operation but I had enough rain to clean the screen, and it really did drive superbly - was it really only 85hp? The drag coefficient of 0.37, about the same as Citreon DS or a (squints at list...) Ferrari F50 (!). Lovely short throw four speed box, a progressive, though nowhere near 'zingy' or 'zippy' 4 pot, and wonderfully comfortable seats, in true Saab tradition.
Safely home without issue. No leaks, no burning smells - tyres are recent and decent, for the first time ever in a car purchase.
This car is the polar opposite to the 900 - half the BHP, manual steering, manual windows, no stereo, about 5 switches, 10 fuses, four speed and chrome abound.
Proper investigation and wash today in the sunlight wish us luck!
I continue to be married to the right woman.
Five years ago I bought her the 900 T16 documented here and we have fully embraced ownership of the old 80s rocket. On whole pretty reliable, normal Saab stuff and plenty of fantastic memories - a car worth spedning money on. It is mechanically decent and driven a lot, however at 206k it is many shades of white and a little crusty around the edges, a little filo if you will. It will be going off early this year for protracted welding, repairs and paint at a cost efficient 'when you have time...' period.
As I recently sold my Triumph GT6, we have been looking for a cheap, small, ULEZ-compliant runabout for around the £2.5k mark. Over the Christmas period I was quite keen on a Panda 100HP, but the ride put me off. Various classics popped up, but all at the 'near-project' stage. Sellers and the market for classics have changed dramatically, as I believe everyone is familiar, and it seemed any pile of rolling barnacles and damp headlining with a leaky drivetrain was 5k in 2023.
Last weekend I had an alert from the ol' Bay of E, long abandoned by me for sourcing anything half decent. But... a 99? In green? Further examination was required. Sure, it was the 'L', a properly minimum-spec 1854cc Triumph-engined tin can with manual everything and optional switches, but it fitted our bill perfectly. I showed my wife - her eyes were as wide as dinner plates and she simply said 'That's got to be my car!'.
After decoding the mobile number from the listing, I had a chat with the seller that was reassuring to say the least... owned seven years, retired Rolls Royce mechanic... fantastic condition but needs love. The call was more of an audition, really - he refused to sell it to anyone looking to modify, break or repaint the car. It was too original, it needed preservation. After 20 minutes I passed the test, demonstrated suitable Saab-loving evidence and stated our intended use for light driving, classic festivals and inner city tussling.
Work commitments meant the earliest we could make it up to Birmingham was Saturday, but the seller was true to his word and marked the car as sold deposit taken (phew!). We drove up Friday in the 900, staying at the M5 J2 Premier Inn (no complaints - exactly fit the bill), then started the morning with a Saab viewing.
It did not disappoint:
Exactly as described - very solid, probably one of the best 99s I have ever seen, except for 99 Turbos at the shows post-restoration. 63k on the clock, and everything matched that mileage. Garaged most of its life, I started at the bottom and worked my way up with torch, magnet and screwdriver while my wife talked car history, maintenance and foibles.
The to-do list was as expected - new fuel hoses and radiator hoses required, flushes of the liquid bits all round, carb rebuild and a full 'tighten and check' of most clips. Everything supposed to be soft was hard, and everything supposed to be hard was soft.
Headlining was hand made, some bits of trim missing but overall...a gem. A real gem.
My wife bought it after a 10 minute local drive.
We stopped at a Shell to take stock and check a few bits after 15 minutes running... all was well.
Condensation under the oil filler cleared up, choke and carb operation is fine. The battery was completely unsecured, so I ran some cable ties around it as a temporary measure.
We put in 25 litres of E5 super, with additive supplied by the seller. I must order a few of these...
2.5 hours back to home base (or the Saab dealership, as my neighbours probably call it): my wife took the first shift, me following in the 900. It shrugged off careless drivers, rain showers and the M42 with ease.
After an hour we swapped over - big smile on the face of the driver said it all really - 'Straight and true, excellent brakes and tight gearbox. Happiest at 65mph'.
Wife reported 'a ringing noise at 70mph' - turns out it was one of the rear ashtrays.
Windscreen washer was out of operation but I had enough rain to clean the screen, and it really did drive superbly - was it really only 85hp? The drag coefficient of 0.37, about the same as Citreon DS or a (squints at list...) Ferrari F50 (!). Lovely short throw four speed box, a progressive, though nowhere near 'zingy' or 'zippy' 4 pot, and wonderfully comfortable seats, in true Saab tradition.
Safely home without issue. No leaks, no burning smells - tyres are recent and decent, for the first time ever in a car purchase.
This car is the polar opposite to the 900 - half the BHP, manual steering, manual windows, no stereo, about 5 switches, 10 fuses, four speed and chrome abound.
Proper investigation and wash today in the sunlight wish us luck!
Edited by Spinakerr on Sunday 15th January 14:33
Edited by Spinakerr on Sunday 15th January 22:50
That is lovely.
I used to have a similar one in red (well it was sort of pink by the time I had it)
There was something so solid rugged and dependable about them.
I remember the fuel gauge float had no damping so it used to bob up and down as you cornered.
It started my love of the brand, in fact I will be in the market for a cheap car again soon so maybe a Saab will fit the bill.
I used to have a similar one in red (well it was sort of pink by the time I had it)
There was something so solid rugged and dependable about them.
I remember the fuel gauge float had no damping so it used to bob up and down as you cornered.
It started my love of the brand, in fact I will be in the market for a cheap car again soon so maybe a Saab will fit the bill.
I just love the quirkiness of Saab, little things are different to other cars, but in a weird way, somehow better, no the ignition key doesn’t go where you expect, but it is obvious, the bonnet has a cantilever action (if that’s the right term) the ergonomics are just so much better than the competition.
To think at the same time the comparable English cars, were the MKIII Cortina, Vauxhall Cavalier and Triumph 2000/2500, the Saab was way ahead of its time.
I think you need a larger, estate/garage/drive, you also seems to have a Rover 75, Alfa Romeo 164. A fine fleet you and Mrs Spinakerr have. Anything RWD amongst them?
To think at the same time the comparable English cars, were the MKIII Cortina, Vauxhall Cavalier and Triumph 2000/2500, the Saab was way ahead of its time.
I think you need a larger, estate/garage/drive, you also seems to have a Rover 75, Alfa Romeo 164. A fine fleet you and Mrs Spinakerr have. Anything RWD amongst them?
BananaFama said:
Very nice and original looking ,
but .
that is not an 1854cc engine , the bigger black cam cover is from the 1985cc later engines and the heads are deffo not interchangeable .
Holy Trollhatten - you're right - the 1709 and 1854 were smaller cam covers.but .
that is not an 1854cc engine , the bigger black cam cover is from the 1985cc later engines and the heads are deffo not interchangeable .
I need to do more investgation. One moment...
Engine factoids,
"In 1963 Triumph's Chief Engine Designer recommended an OHC engine family composed of both Inline-4 and V8 engines that could be built with the same tooling. The recommendation was accepted and development began in-house at Triumph .
"Triumph agreed to supply Saab with 50,000 slant-four engines per year for the new 99. Saab had exclusive use of the slant-four for the first several years of production. Saab retained its existing transaxle, which was configured to be driven from the front of the engine. This required that the slant-four be turned 180° so that the clutch and flywheel were in the front. A consequence of this is that the "front"-mounted water pump would be facing the firewall/bulkhead and be inaccessible, prompting it to be relocated to the top of the cylinder block.
"The engine was used first by Triumph in the Dolomite 1850, which appeared in 1972. Triumph stopped producing the slant-four when the TR7 was discontinued in 1981."
"In 1963 Triumph's Chief Engine Designer recommended an OHC engine family composed of both Inline-4 and V8 engines that could be built with the same tooling. The recommendation was accepted and development began in-house at Triumph .
"Triumph agreed to supply Saab with 50,000 slant-four engines per year for the new 99. Saab had exclusive use of the slant-four for the first several years of production. Saab retained its existing transaxle, which was configured to be driven from the front of the engine. This required that the slant-four be turned 180° so that the clutch and flywheel were in the front. A consequence of this is that the "front"-mounted water pump would be facing the firewall/bulkhead and be inaccessible, prompting it to be relocated to the top of the cylinder block.
"The engine was used first by Triumph in the Dolomite 1850, which appeared in 1972. Triumph stopped producing the slant-four when the TR7 was discontinued in 1981."
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