1969 SAAB Sonett V4 Competition Car
Targa Tasmania Tarmac Rallye Participant, 2000
1610 Sonett V4s were produced from 1967 to 1969...
Roughly 200 are still driveable...
LESS THAN 5 ARE STILL IN ACTIVE COMPETITION WORLDWIDE.
A little over 70,000 original miles - car in
rally and road racing competition for the last 15+ years in the Northwest
Car prepared and maintained by automotive journalist Satch Carlson (Competition
Press, AutoWeek, Roundel) 1995-2004
VERY POTENT 1700cc V4 engine - flowbench ported and shaved big valve single
outlet heads, hot cam and more
NEW Motor Sport Service Weber 42DNCF twin choke competition induction system,
older MSS headers and exhaust
Pertronix Electronic Ignitor, New Cap, Rotor, Plugs, Wires; New Battery
in trunk.
MSS 4.88:1 Close Ratio 4-Speed Transmission with Sonett III Floor Shifter
Wilwood Racing Calipers with cross-drilled brake discs front / standard
drums in rear
Full specifications (as known) written below, keep reading!
NO UNDERBODY RUST IN FLOORS, ROCKERS OR TRUNK
PAN!
Compomotive 10-spoke Minilites with brand new
Yokohamas available to the Buy it Now purchaser; Jackman 2-piece
racing wheels with BF Goodrich Comp T/A slicks come standard with car.
Here are the Jackman 2 piece 15" wheels
with the BF Goodrich slicks. These are road race proven and ready.
Paint is older but shines up nicely and has
very few flaws throughout. Fibreglass is near perfect with a few wheelarch
stresses. Power switch is at driver's left hand between seat and door with
external remote control cable for track or rally personnel in an emergency.
Close-up of rear - Targa Tasmania, Monte Shelton
Classics and older SAAB badge adorn the hatch.
Targa Tasmania participation decals still adorn
the bonnet and the rear valance between the reverse lights. Note the "LEFT
HAND DRIVE" notation for the Australian race organizers' benefit!
Original rear window intact and perfect. SAAB
books et.al were part of the car's show display that day - they do not go
with the car (that one is SAAB - The First Forty Years). The Larsen antenna
is still wired for a rally radio or helmet communicator.
So you've noticed all the Koni stickers around
the car. Yes, the car wears the rare Koni shocks all redone recently. A
large aluminium skidplate covers the bottom of the pan and the transmission
protecting it from road debris.
Headlights are vintage Carellos, the right side
one has some cracks from running at low temperature. I'll include a set
of vintage concave Cibies or some new convex Cibie Z-Beams to the Buy it
Now purchaser - your pick!
Front overriders are drilled for a rally lightbar.
An auxiliary fusepanel and buss bar are present to hook these in. Relays
are still present so these run through a dashboard switch.
Inside - reupholstered original seats are modified
for 5 point harnesses. These Simpson S-Lines are older, appropriate for
autocross or small informal competition events but are past their expiration
date for SVRA/HSR/VSCCA events. Some new harness manufacturers offer re-webbing
services, so your next new set of harnesses may be good for more than 2
years!
Doorpanels have extra map and small effects
gussetted pockets.
Steering wheel is a Moto-Lita Lecarra with the
original SAAB horn button. Gauges, switches and instrumentation all work.
The glovebox door has been to Kirkwood, CA where
it met up with Erik Carlsson at the '96 Owners' Convention!
Another view of the seats, harnesses and extensively
added-on-to rollbar. Switch next to gearshift is for seat heaters! There
is also a hand-pump lumbar for driver and passenger.
Valve covers, heater fan casing, expansion tank
and miscellaneous bracketry were chrome-plated. I had the heads off and
painted them with high temp aluminium paint to contrast. I have also recored
the radiator for maximum efficiency; there's an electric fan in front and
the standard fan on the timing cover. The Denso alternator is smaller and
much more efficient than the Bosch and is well out of the way of the #1
spark plug. Radiator and heater hoses as well as the water pump were also
renewed at the same time. Dual fuel pumps are present in case one fails;
a 3 position dashboard switch controls which one you use.
Lighting, horn, fan and headlight relays occupy
the inner wheelhouse. I also resealed the slave cylinder and re-engineered
the throttle linkage since the car had a worn-out Weber 40 DFI when it landed
here. The air cleaner is provisional, I have some ideas which I'll share
with you short of bumping the bulge in the bonnet out as everyone else has
done. For competition purposes, however, this sort of air cleaner is as
much as you may want to use provided the car is used on track.
Specifications:
ENGINE:
1700cc V4 overbored and decked to 10+:1 compression.
F66 Iskenderian camshaft with matched springs and lightened retainers
NEW Weber in-line 2 barrel 42DNCF on custom manifold
Freshly reworked Stage
II ported cylinder heads, big valves, hardened seats, new guides.
MSS headers and exhaust system - older but intact!
Swirl and catch tanks and super high flow radiator, auxiliary electric fan
Smaller Denso alternator conversion
New water pump and all hoses, working heater with in-line heater control
valve
TRANSAXLE:
4.88:1 ratio gearbox prepared by Motor Sports Service with "Special
2" replica gearset
Sonett III Floor shift
BRAKES:
Custom 2 piston Wilwood calipers, cross-drilled rotors (stock rear drums)
SUSPENSION:
Modified for crossover competition, rally or race - could stand to be lowered
in rear
CHASSIS:
Rot free rockers and pans. Skid plate and reinforcements in front
Fibreglass in very good condition, dark blue paint with yellow stripes
Custom interior - original seats modified for 5 point harnesses
Roll-bar enhanced for current competition
Glovebox door signed by Erik Carlsson (fun!)
Full instrumentation
Moto-Lita 14" steering wheel with SAAB horn button
WHEELS:
Set of four near-new Jackman 2-piece 6" with BFG Slicks for track (stock
to winning bidder)
Set of four near-new Compomotive 10 spoke Minilites 15"x5.5 shod with
new Yokohama directionals
(included with "Buy it Now")
Car was competed on the west coast and is also
the only Sonett V4 ever brought to Australia where it ran the Targa Tasmania
2000 (DNF - holed a piston in the former engine)
Still requires a fuel cell to run HSR/SVRA,
new harnesses and miscellaneous details.
who am I?
I'm Chip Lamb,
sole proprietor of West of Sweden SAAB.
I bought this car from Satch's ex to go vintage racing. Unfortunately, without
major reworking of the car, I do not fit! You should be 6' or less (and
thin!) to be comfortable in a helmet and suit.
When I received the car, it had holes in both
heads, two blown gaskets, four receded exhaust seats and more. I have sorted
out most of the issues with the car and it's near ready to go racing. I've
driven and seen a lot worse out at the track! If you're a vintage racer,
you know that pushing a car which has been engineered to twice its original
horsepower requires at least twice as much attention on a regular basis
- so don't let that stop you if you're not new - it's the reality!
As you can see, I drove it to the Tour of Europe
show on Brown's Island in Richmond last month, where were it not for my
60,000 mile original 1966 96 Monte Carlo 850, it would have won the Swedish
class handily. As it was, I have a very nice 2nd place plate as well as
the Monte Carlo's 1st for my preparation and help in promoting the event,
the first European invitational to the traditionally British car event.
If you're a SAAB-o-phile, you'll remember this
car from numerous issues of the Nines magazine. I can make copies of the
10+ relevant pages from at least 3 issues of this publication covering this
car's exploits.
In addition, I have the car's logbook and a
VERY large sheaf of receipts in excess of $20,000 covering this car's preparation
for racing. There's also a speeding ticket Satch got in northern California
while shaking the car down!
This is really not a street car; you could drive
it on the street if you can register a car as an antique, but I certainly
find it challenging to drive it in a civilised manner - the car was not
engineered for this!
Questions? Comments? Concerns? E-mail
me now or call 804-357-4926!
payment and shipping
Payment is due within seven
days (7) of auction close unless alternate
arrangements are made with me PRIOR TO AUCTION CLOSE. I am always available
via phone (during reasonable hours) and check my
e-mail frequently!
Shipping is free within
250 miles from Richmond, VA to the Buy it Now purchaser, or to the port
of Baltimore, MD, Norfolk, VA, Wilmington, DE or Chester, PA. for International
bidders. Otherwise, I will meet with your shipper within 14 days of auction
close. If you are close, I will deliver the car for a fee based on our correspondence
prior to your successful bid. Otherwise, I expect you to have your shipping
in place ahead of time so that the car can be retrieved within fourteen
(14) days of auction close. The car cannot sit around here awaiting a shipper,
I need the space for a competition car I do fit in.
Bidders with a feedback rating lower than 10
or with less than 90% positive feedback need to e-mail me before making
any bid with your full contact information. Failure to do this may result
in cancellation of your bid.
THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THE ABOVE WITHOUT DISCUSSION WITH ME PRIOR TO YOUR
SUCCESSFUL BID!
Did I forget something? Ask!
Questions? Comments? Concerns?
E-mail me now or call 804-357-4926!