Shed Of The Week: Citroen Saxo VTR

A sprightly Saxo Shed that has survived the 2000s largely unmolested!

We've had a few Saxo VTRs in this column over the years. Given the type of driving these little fellas can be subjected to, it's a remarkable testament to their doggedness that smart-looking ones like this one still keep popping up.

The VTR's robust 8-valve 1.6 motor delivers horsepower in the high-90s, which is plenty for a circa 900kg car, and there's enough torque for lazy urban chuntering. Standard, the VTR is good for a near-eight-second 0-60 time and a near-120mph top end (thanks to highish gearing). It's not as lively as a 16-valve VTS, but clean examples of those are not easy to find below £1,000.

Besides, in isolation the VTR has a perfectly decent spring in its step on the twisties. Fast steering and a tied-down body puts lift-off oversteer at your beck and call, presuming two things: one, your feet fit in the footwell, and two, your chassis componentry is in good order.

Lowering Saxos can play merry hell with their driveshafts and suspension bushes, so it's good to see this one standing nice and tall. To some, it may look almost too tall, but that could well be an illusion caused by low-profile tyres on aftermarket TSW alloys. Can't tell if they're 14s or 15s. The original fitment was 14, which makes the tyres dirt cheap, but 15s are hardly expensive these days.

Somebody has made a bit of an effort to keep this Saxo nice and original, up to and including the binning last year of the dreaded 'incorrect colour direction indicators'. Other than that, the MOT history is pretty much entirely down to the replacement of consumable items, which in a Saxo's case includes brake discs, CV joints and gaiters, and most of the arms, ball joints and other bits involved in the front suspension. Brake servos, wheel bearings, seat sliders and power steering appear on the list of weak points, as do ECUs, a fault often triggered by duff Sagem coil packs. Replacements by Bougicord are well rated.

There's no mention on the history of any attention ever being lavished on the fabled Saxo rear axle, which is interesting if not unique. A wobbly one will give you a degree of four-wheel steering that was never part of the Saxo designer's original plan. You shouldn't need to pay more than £250 for a nice refurbed item off tintanet. While you're under there fitting it, best not to look up unless the sight of boot and inner-arch rust appeals to you - though again, remarkably, there is no mention of rot anywhere on this car's MOT history.

Slightly annoyingly, our Shed has the notoriously leak-prone Saxo sunroof, but as Mrs Shed famously said to Shed on the evening of their wedding nuptials, into every life a little rain must fall. Oh dear.

If you decide to go down the route of prepping it for track days, which would be an entirely sensible plan, don't forget to update the brakes and don't settle for anything less than a good quality roll-cage. Bung on a new decat exhaust, filter and manifold and this game little chap will divvy up all the cheap fun you could want.

The creaky old zorst and manifold will probably be on the way out anyway. If the pipe is squeaking, you can sometimes effect a cure with new spring clamps, but even if that doesn't work it won't really matter as the squeaking from the seats will most likely drown it out.

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x19dude

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