MY FEEDLY

The Unusual Saab Sonett II – A Two-Stroke Swedish Sports Car

I sincerely doubt an article has ever been written about the Saab Sonett II without using the word “quirky,” as there are so few other words that fit the little Swedish car so well.

Saab was originally founded back in 1937 to design and built military aircraft in Sweden, in the years immediately after World War II when the demand for non-commercial aircraft cratered the company developed and released its first automobile.

The company’s first car was the little Saab 92 which was officially launched in 1949. Despite its unusual looks the 92 was the most aerodynamic production car of its era, thanks in no small part to the company’s previous experience building aircraft.

The first Saabs were typically powered by two or three cylinder two-stroke engines that were exceedingly small and lightweight, with modest power output and front-wheel drive which was greatly beneficial for driving on icy Scandinavian roads during the long winters.

The First Saab Sonett Is Released

It would be in 1955, just 6 years after the very first Saab road car had been released, that a small Skunkworks group of engineers at the company would develop the company’s first true sports car – the Saab Sonett.

The first Sonett was visually somewhat similar to the Porsche 550 Spyder, it tipped the scales at just 600 kgs (1,323 lbs) thanks to its aluminum chassis and fiberglass body, and it was powered by a three-cylinder 748cc two-stroke engine capable of 57.5 hp.

The car showed much promise however a sudden rule change allowing modified road cars to race largely eliminated the advantage of the Sonett, and the project was scrapped after just six had been built.

The Saab Sonett II Appears

In 1966 the Sonett would return as the all-new Sonett II. This car shared no parts with its forebear however it was also powered by a two-stoke engine with a front-wheel drive layout and a fiberglass body.

Above Image: The petite Sonett II was designed to compete with similarly sized small sports cars like the MG Midget and the Austin-Healey Sprite.

The Sonett II was developed specifically to target the lucrative US market for European sports cars that had been so successfully exploited by British and Italian sports cars like those manufactured by MG, Alfa Romeo, Triumph, and Fiat.

Saab engineers developed a new box-section steel chassis for the Sonett II with an integrated roll bar for safety to support the fiberglass roof in a roll over. The front end of the car was hinged and could be lifted forward as a single piece to provide excellent access to the engine, brakes, and suspension components.

Though small and lightweight the three-cylinder two-stroke engine was never going to be able to pass increasingly stringent US emissions standards and as such a new version of the car was developed with the 1,498cc Ford Taunus V4. This car is now commonly called the Sonett V4 with the earlier two-stroke cars being called the Sonett II – it’s believed that just 258 examples of the latter car were built.

Later in the model’s production cycle a new version would be released, dubbed the Sonett III this vehicle would have a completely new body design and it would become the most prolific of all the Sonetts, with well over 8,000 built between 1970 and 1974.

The 1967 Saab Sonett II Shown Here

The car you see here is an original 1967 model with the desirable two-stroke engine, it’s one of the 258 that were made before the switch to the heavier V4. These early cars are highly sought after by collectors for obvious reasons, and they’ve become a cult classic in recent years.

This particular Sonett II is a survivor that’s been stored for many years, the listing makes it clear that the car will need to be restored, however the images of the car do seem to show that it’s complete – potentially making it a good candidate for a rebuild.

If you’d like to read more about this Saab or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Bonhams. It’s due to roll across the auction block later in June with a price guide of €15,000 to €25,000, which works out to approximately $18,160 to $30,270 USD.

Images courtesy of Bonhams

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1930s Morris Educational Film: Constructing A Car Engine

This film dates from the 1930s, it was made by the Morris Motors Cine Dept. at Cowley to showcase their advanced (by the standards of the time) manufacturing facilities for engines and gearboxes.

The film shows a fascinating range of manufacturing techniques for various engine parts, processes like forging crankshafts and then machining them down to within the fine tolerances they need to be at to function correctly.

Morris Motors was the largest automobile manufacturer in Britain in the mid-1920s, this was quite the achievement as at this point in history Britain was one of the most dominant automobile producing nations in the world alongside the United States.

The company started out as William Morris’s WRM Motors Limited which was acquired by Morris Motors Limited in 1919 as part of a restructuring. William Morris became a major industrial tycoon, against all odds he had started his own bicycle repair business at the age of 16 and turned it into an automobile manufacturer with 51% of the British market.

Morris’ strategy for growth was clever and relatively simple, he ordered in almost all the components he needed to build cars from outside suppliers, and with the money he made he slowly bought the companies that were supplying him with parts.

In the 1930s when this film was made, Morris Motors was near their peak. This film was almost certainly made in the Morris Engines Factory in Coventry, England.

This factory had originally belonged to the Hotchkiss company of France who had switched from making machine guns to engines after WWI, and they were one of the suppliers to Morris that the company acquired.

Interestingly Morris’s factory complex in Cowley, Oxford is now BMW’s Plant Oxford, the factory of the modern Mini.

Although the Morris name has been out of use since 1984 there are plans afoot to bring it back – the current owners of the marque are Chinese company SAIC who have plans to release the Morris Commercial JE in 2021, an electric van with classic 1940s Morris design cues.

If you would like to read more about the history of Morris Motors you can click here to read more courtesy of Oxford University.

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The Only One Ever Made: Rolls-Royce Phantom II Special Brougham By Brewster

The Rolls-Royce you see here is a one-off build that was tailor made for American architect C. Mathews Dick in the early 1930s by famed American coachbuilding company Brewster & Co.

C. Mathews was the son of mimeograph magnate A.B. Dick, and as a result he was a multi-millionaire in 1930s dollars, and so when it came to cars, money really was no object.

C. Mathews Dick felt that his wife, Catherine Garnett Crossan, deserved a car with the same grace, elegance, and style that she possessed, so he approached Brewster with an idea. The renowned coachbuilders at Brewster enjoyed an excellent relationship with Rolls-Royce, they were one of the leading American suppliers of bodies for Rolls-Royce chassis. As a result of this relationship they were able to secure a desirable U.S. delivery, left-hand drive “AMS” Phantom II chassis which would form the foundation of this car.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom II

The Rolls-Royce Phantom II was one of the most luxurious automobile platforms of its day, the British marque didn’t actually sell this model with a body pre-fitted, instead you bought the powered rolling chassis and then contracted your preferred coachbuilder to fashion you a body to suit your tastes. Some even had two bodies made, an open top one for summer and a tin top for winter, which would be swapped out when required as the seasons changed.

The Phantom II was powered by a 7.7 litre (468 cu. in.) straight-six, a physically large engine by any standard that required an unusually long hood. First released in 1929 the Phantom II engine featured two pushrod actuated overhead valves per cylinder, and a cross-flow cylinder head, with power sent to the rear axle via a 4-speed transmission with synchromesh on either the top two or top three gears from 1933 onwards.

The chassis of the Phantom II was an all-new design for 1929 with a front axle on semi-elliptical leaf springs and the rear axle too, earlier models had used cantilever springs in the back however the switch to semi-elliptical leaf springs helped reduce ride height and subsequently helped to improve handling.

Above Image: The 7.7 litre (468 cu. in.) straight-six Rolls-Royce engine was more than capable of keeping pace with any similar automobile from the era.

Brewster & Co.

Brewster & Co. was originally founded back in 1810 by James Brewster, decades before the first automobile would be invented. At first the company made horse drawn carriages, they quickly established a reputation for building America’s finest, and once the automobile arrived on the scene they began to body them starting in 1896 – interestingly the first car they bodied was an electric.

As one of the best coachbuilders in the world Brewster and Rolls-Royce naturally gravitated towards each other and developed a special relationship all these years later there are still many Brewster-bodied Rolls-Royces around and they’re highly sought after.

Sadly the ravages of the Great Depression would take a toll on the company and by 1935 bankruptcy proceedings had begun.

Rolls-Royce Phantom II Special Brougham

The car you see here uses the coupé de ville body style, otherwise known as the sedanca de ville, it’s characterized by the driver’s section up front being exposed to the elements with an enclosed cabin behind him for the passengers.

Above Image: As you would expect the interior of the car is opulently appointed, there are even adjustable heaters in the floor to keep the passenger’s feet warm.

This body style was first used on horse-drawn carriages where the coachman would sit up high out front, offering him the best possible visibility and ensuring that he could also hear everything going on around him – an important ability in busy towns and cities with a lot of traffic.

In the early parts of the 20th century many coachbuilt cars used this same layout including the car you see here, though often with the addition of windscreens and retractable roofs to protect the driver from weather and road detritus.

The beautiful design work completed by Brewster is on par with anything that was coming out of Europe at the time, with a sharply raked, vee’d windshield at the end of that long hood, followed by the opulent rear passenger compartment. Every aspect of the design was carefully considered, there are even small art deco foot heaters in the cabin to keep people comfortable during the bitingly cold winters of the North East.

If you’d like to read more about this extraordinary car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on RM Sotheby’s. It’s due to cross the auction block on the 19th of June with a price guide of 1,300,000 to CHF 1,750,000, which works out to approximately $1,450,000 to $1,950,000 USD.

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For Sale: An Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI – A 490 BHP 1990s Touring Car Icon

The Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI quickly became a legend in European touring car racing circles in the 1990s – various examples of the car won the 1992 Italian Touring Car Championship, the 1993 German Touring Car Championship, the 1994 British Touring Car Championship, and the 1994, 1995, and 1997 Spanish Touring Car Championships.

The Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI was an FIA Class 1 touring car that shared little with its production car namesake, it’s a silhouette race car with a full tubular steel space frame, an advanced all-wheel drive system and a high-revving 2.5 litre 60° V6 engine that hits the red line at 11,900 rpm.

The 690RC V6 is factory-rated at 490 bhp, it has a 2.5 litre swept capacity, and it sends power to all four wheel via a 6-speed semi-sequential transaxle.

The 155 V6 TI was fielded by Alfa Corse, Alfa Romeo’s factory racing team, from 1993 to 1996 in various European touring car series, though the model was also raced by privateers who were often competing directly with the factory team. It was privateer racers who were crowned back-to-back champions of the Spanish Touring Car Championship in 1994 and 1995.

The Alfa Romeo 155

Alfa Romeo had introduced the production 155 in 1992, known internally as Type 167, and they sold it until it was replaced by the Alfa Romeo 156 in 1997. The 155 received a lukewarm reception from the general public and the motoring media for one key reason – it was front-wheel drive. This was a controversial decision, particularly for an automaker with a long history of successful rear-wheel drive race cars, however Alfa Romeo did have one card up their sleeve – the 155 Q4.

The 155 Q4 shared the same basic design as the regular 155 but as the name suggests it was fitted with an all-wheel drive system, they could use “Q4” to denote this but not the full “Quattro 4” for obvious Audi-related reasons. The 155 Q4 would be the car most sought after by those who loved the wedge styling of the 155 but wanted some genuine performance.

Above Image: Under the skin the tube-frame chassis 155 TI is powered by a 490 bhp V6 sending power to all four wheels via a 6-speed gearbox.

The 155 Q4 is powered by a 2.0 litre turbocharged engine producing almost 200 hp V6 and it has a permanent four-wheel drive powertrain, both derived from the Lancia Delta Integrale which was of course one of the greats of the Group B rally era.

The 155 V6 TI touring car version had a lot more in common with the 155 Q4 than it did with the regular civilian version of the 155, though there can be no doubt that it’s repeated successes on the race tracks of Europe in the hard-fought world of touring car racing helped sales across the board.

Today we look back on 1990s touring car racing with no small amount of nostalgia, thanks in part to Alfa Corse works driver Nicola Larini battling it out in national championships around the Continent.

The Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI ITC Touring Car Shown Here

The car you see here is chassis #005, it’s an original 155 V6 TI ITC touring car that was raced in period by Alfa Corse-Martini works driver Nicola Larini to pole position at Magny-Cours and Mugello, followed by wins at Interlagos and Mugello.

Chassis #005 was retired after the 1996 season, it would remain in Italy in private hands until it was bought by the current owner in 2018 and imported into Germany. The plan was to have the car returned to race-ready specification so that it could be used to compete in the inaugural DTM Classics Series.

The car was sent to marque specialists at Scuderia Gran Tourismo in Irschenberg, Germany for work to be completed, over €350,000 has been spent over the past five years to return this iconic touring car to full racing trim. Unsurprisingly the car won its DTM Classics debut at the Norisring on the 7th of July 2019.

The Alfa is now for sale with RM Sotheby’s, it’s due to roll across the auction block on the 15th of June with a price guide of €700,000 to €800,000, that works out to approximately $852,481 to $974,264 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

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Vanlife From 1965 – A Restored Ford Thames 400E Dormobile Campervan

The Ford Thames 400E was released in 1957 to compete with similar vans built by the likes of Volkswagen, Bedford, Austin, and Morris. The “Thames” brand was used by Ford of Britain for their commercial vehicles from 1952 onwards and the 400E commercial van would become the most popular model.

The Thames 400E became a popular platform for customization, typically into camper vans, as unlike many of its competitors it used more traditional body-on-chassis design rather than unibody construction. This allowed a lot of flexibility when building new bodies for the 400E and as a result it was frequently used as a starting point by camper van builders like Dormobile in the United Kingdom.

What Is A Dormobile?

Dormobile was originally founded back in 1773 as Martin Walter, a company that made harnesses for horses. They soon started building carriages as well and by the early 20th century they were an established automobile coachbuilding firm.

The first Dormobile camper was released in 1952, it was called the “Bedroom On Wheels” and proved immediately popular. A few years later the first full camper would be released, with an opening “Pop Top” and internal accommodations that included a cooker, ice box, and seats that could convert into beds.

By the early 1960s Dormobile was Britain’s biggest caravan builder and they were building campers out of a wide range of vehicles, from Land Rovers and Bedfords to VW Kombis and of course, the Thames 400E.

The company would eventually go out of business in the mid-1990s due in part to the popularity of cheap package holidays, however it was resurrected in 1997 and remains in business today providing all new campers as well as parts for their vintage models.

Above Image: The interior of the camper has two seats up front, with a main seating area for four that can be converted into two beds.

The Ford Thames 400E Dormobile Shown Here

The 400E you see here was first registered in March 1965 by Martin Walters Dormobile Conversions, it was built into a camper from a new vehicle and then sold to its first owner in Dublin, Ireland in 1967.

The camper would remain in Ireland for 48 years, only leaving in 2015 when it was sold to its current owner. In more recent years this Dormobile has benefitted from a body restoration, it was taken back to bare metal so that fabrication, welding, and paint work could be completed.

The tired original engine was replaced with a more powerful replacement high-compression 1,703cc unit which was rebuilt by Phoenix Rebore. The vehicle is now in good condition overall and ready for duties once again as a summer holiday cabin on wheels that wouldn’t look a whisker out of place in a Wes Anderson film.

Inside you’ll find seating for four that folds down to make two beds, there are also two cot/hammocks in the roof which are usable when the top is in the fully open position. In the rearmost section you’ll find some cupboards and a two burner gas cooker next to a sink with running water.

This Dormobile is currently being auctioned off live by Car & Classic in the United Kingdom with a price guide of £13,000 to £17,000 which works out to approximately $18,300 to $23,960 USD.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Car & Classic

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For Sale: A Porsche 911 Reimagined By Singer – The Brooklyn Commission

Singer Vehicle Design have been creating what are arguably the world’s greatest modified Porsche 911s since 2009. Best known simply as “Singer” the company was named as a double barreled homage to legendary Porsche engineer Norbert Singer, and after the earlier career of its founder Rob Dickinson – the former front man of noted alt rock band Catherine Wheel.

It’s not a common event for an original Singer-built Porsche 911 to come up for sale, each vehicle is built as a commission for a specific person and as a result they’re quite a bit more personal than your average classic car.

Building A Singer

Although no two Singers are identical they do all essentially start out the same way – an original, accident free Porsche 964 is sourced and stripped back to its core. This central monocoque is then media blasted, strengthening work is done, and finally it receives layers of corrosion resistant primer followed by paint.

This chassis retains its original VIN plate and the car remains licensed with this number throughout its life for legal reasons – even the original mileage is kept. Many of the original external steel body panels don’t make it back onto the improved unibody shell, instead the front and rear fenders, hood, engine deck lid, front and rear bumpers, and sometimes the roof are all replaced with custom made carbon fibre replacements.

One of the key parts of the car that doesn’t get the carbon fibre treatment is the doors – a decision made for the safety of the occupants as steel doors provide better side impact protection. This is taken so seriously that Singer engineers reinforce the doors with impact safety beams. Customers can specify that they want carbon doors but only if they order the full roll-cage option.

Above Image: The Porsche 911 by Singer is famous for the fastidious attention to detail paid to every single part, and no two are ever the same.

The Brooklyn Commission Singer

The Singer you see here is known as the “Brooklyn Commission,” it was just the eighth car to roll out of the company’s facility in Sun Valley 30 minutes drive northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Back in 2012 when this car rolled out into the California sunshine for the first time with its new identity it was featured in Total 911 and a slew of other publications, helping to establish the global reputation the company now enjoys.

The color scheme of this 911 was a little controversial back when it was first shown to the world 9 years ago and it remains so now, however it’s a look that people will either love or hate with little space in the centre. The car’s exterior is finished in Linden Green and the interior is upholstered with purple Alcantara suede and woven leather.

The wheels have interchangeable alloy wheel centre “petals” with more traditional grey and black, or vibrant purple as was originally fitted to the car. Of course the beautiful bodywork and well thought out interiors of these cars are one thing, but what people are typically most interested in is what’s sitting in the engine bay.

This car is powered by a 3.8 litre flat-six that was built by world-famous racing engine designers Cosworth, it produces approximately 370 hp which is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

When ordering this car the client ticked a few of the options boxes including the Öhlins suspension package, Singer Edition carbon-fibre track seats, it also has an integrated roll bar, harness bar, and Schroth four-point harnesses. The car is carrying under 15,000 kms on the odometer, that’s well under 10,000 miles, and has received world class maintenance over the course of its life as you would expect.

This Singer is now being auctioned live by Collecting Cars with bidding underway, if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.