| The Car Fleet In this section you will find information and - for some - photo's of the difering cars we have owned |
Hobbies and Interests In here you can find information on the various sports enjoyed as well as my personal tastes in reading material, Science Fiction/Fantasy and other interests |
| Alvis Stalwart Information on the Alvis Stalwart 6x6 5 ton High Mobility Load Carrier - both general details and particulars of Little Maud - my very own Mk2 FV622 model |
Saab's Saab cars - both classic and modern - are covered in here. We've owned a few now and feel they are the safest cars on the market. |
| Caravanning We are keen caravanners and at least once a month we will be out with our caravan for either a weekend away as a stress breaker or attending an organized rally with our friends from the on-line caravanning forum "Touring and Tenting" |
Personal The start pages go through photo's of family and fiends, details of my career to date as well as our religion. |
The car fleet!
This page contains details of the vehicles we have either owned - or still do won!!
Links on the side refer to the Owners Clubs and/or Forums for the various vehicles
| 1963 Saab Sport | 1972 Landrover Series 2A 109" Safari |
| 1967 Ford Cortina Crayford Convertible | 1978 Saab 99 GL |
| 1974 Saab 95 V4 | 1984 Ford Sierra XR4i |
| 1978 Pontiac Transam 6.6 | 1986 Saab 900 Turbo 8 Valve 3 Door |
| 1984 Saab 900 GLs | 1990 Saab 9000 CD Carlsson |
| 1989 9000i 16 Valve S | 1990 Saab 900 Turbo 16 Valve S Convertible |
| 1988 Citroen CX 22 Familiale | 1994 Mercedes E320 Estate |
| 1965 Van Den Plas 4 Litre "R" | 1998 Ford Explorer |
| 1999 Range Rover P38 | Citroen C1 |
| Also owned but not listed/shown on this page are: | |
| 1967 Ford Cortina MK 2 1500 GT | 1972 Rover P6 3500 S |
| 1981 Ford Escort 1.1L | 1984 Ford Escort 1.6 Laser |
| 1987 Saab 900 Turbo 8v 3 Door | 1989 Citroen XM 2.0 SEi |
A visual list of the cars in my collection in order of production year, Click the images to see the larger ones:
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LOD 644 F - This is, believe it or not, the pride of the fleet. The picture was taken in the Forest of Dean in 1986. The Sport is sadly not as solid now as it was then. I bought her from a farmer who had got legal possession after the previous owner, who rented a barn as an workshop disappeared without paying the rent. I picked up the Sport plus a van-load of spares for £500 - in the same barn was a 1970 V4 95 and a 1980 4-door 900 Turbo both of which were also for sale. Out in the yard was a 5-door 900 with frontal accident damage and a 1973 95. I will add a shot of the Sport as she is now at a later date. Keep an eye on this space for progress details !! |
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1974 SAAB Type 95 AJH 495 N - My 95 V4 is pictured after her semi-restoration. Work started in Dec. 96 in preparation for the Northern Lights Challenge in July 1997. The first major event attended was the 1995 International at Bad Neunahr, Germany. Mechanically the trip was flawless but the body work was a mess - a combination of sienna brown paint, red oxide and rust! The wings have been removed and all the trim and all the panels were sanded down. Exposed rust was treated with the infamous Dinitrol RC800 then primed. When all the primer was on the body and panels were re-sanded to ensure a good finish (didn't quite work out like that in the end but ....) The 95 was then taken down to a local commercial vehicle form who loaned me their spray booth for a day and re-sprayed in 2-pack. Having seen some early publicity shots of 2-tone 95's I decided to go for a similar effect only I decided to include the bonnet as well. I've used dolomite sand for the roof and bonnet down to the swage line and the original sienna brown below that. As pictured, a new rad, heater valve, brake discs, pads and shoes have been fitted. The next step was to refit the wings and bumpers then fit a tow bar ready for the N.L.C. 3,800 miles later we arrived home safe and sound albeit with a different gearbox to the one we left home with! Since then the 95 has performed faultlessly - doubling up as every-day transport when the 9000 is off the road for any reason or if Val needs to go out. the next job to tackle is the interior. As is usual with all V4's the effect of sunlight on the Front Seat fabric has caused it to fade and rot. The trim colour is, I believe, "Lion Brown" - a very orangey brown colour with Chocolate vinyl panels.; not so easy to find so again if any one knows where a set can be found please let me know. Thanks! The last photo is of the 95 after having successfully completed the Northern Lights Challenge. See the item on the menu to the left of the screen for full details. Complete with the front and rear screen identification stickers (see top of front screen Sadly these day the local moronic brats have decided to wreck her whilst parked in our front garden!! |
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1998 RangeRover 4.6 T 52 NWL - Yet another eBay purchase, the RangeRover was bought to replace the Explorer after the valves burnt out.. Running around solo we get about 22mpg whilst with the van hitched up this dropped as low as 14 mpg!! An extremely good vehicleas a tow car despite initial problems like battery draining in 2 days that wound up requiring the BECM reprogrammed. Turned out the prior owner had wired up the reversing sensors power supply direct to the BECM so these are now disconnected. Regrettably now the caravan is sold this old lady will soon be up on the market too. |
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| 2008 Citroen C1 WU 58 VFP - The wifes current car bought new in 2008. Apart from a timing belt going a few years ago its been very very reliable and an excellent little city car. Not recommended for long runs as it is tiring to drive. Gets 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 dogs in very comfortably |
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| The following cars are ones we have owned but that are, for one reason or another, no longer in the family. Please feel free to take a trip down our memory lane!!! | |
| 1972 109" Landrover Safari DBP 566 J - The other extreme of our fleet of vehicles. She had a top speed of around 55 MPH - depending on wind direction and road gradient and had the directional stability of a bowl of blancmange!! However her redeeming virtues were the fact she could go anywhere and do anything - albeit slowly and with style!! Under the bonnet was the six cylinder (straight 6) 2.6 litre engine and we were getting about 19 MPG. Other nice features were that overdrive and freewheel hubs had been fitted already and the normal vinyl seats had been replace with more comfortable offerings. Compare the Landrover to the 95 parked beside it. What a happy set of circumstances for the colour scheme - its almost identical :-) Back on the creature comforts front - you may be able to tell from the aerials in the picture above that both a CB radio and a normal radio cassette had been fitted. |
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JYA 579 T - Our 99 GL was in regular use as my wife's daily transport for shopping, school etc. The body is in the usual state for a 99 that has not been touched from new, i.e. tatty! This will be attended to now we are back from Norway/Sweden. I'll add another photo when this work is completed. However the car drives and handles very well; just a constant drone/rumble from the front (on the centre-line by the sound of it - maybe the front engine/trans mount?). Really the biggest problem is the infamous headlining droop - when the wife is driving it virtually obscures the rear-view mirror. Any suggestions on curing this will be gratefully received. The car is now off the road due to the weird noises, body rot, battery not holding the charge and the fact Val can't see what's behind her due to the headlining droop. |
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E 371 DTW - Was the newest addition to the fleet. The CX doubled as Vals run-about and the tow-tug for our caravan. Any see anything at all funny in a 4ft 11inches tall wife using the UK's biggest ever made estate as a run-about?? Beside the CX you can see part of the caravan she will be towing and in the background the Landrover she will replace. UPDATE!! We've now had our first holiday in the CX and she towed the caravan like a dream - fun to drive too. Very good for freaking people out when they see the front suddenly rise as the selector gets slide to max :-). |
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| 1990 Saab 9000 CD Carlsson H 676 CNE - The "Red Rocket". We bought the Carlsson from St George Saab in Bristol in December 1999. Ever since then driving has been a case of "perma-grin". When driving around town or in "normal mode the engine is quiet and flexible. However - when out for fun the fun really starts!!!! The Grey 9000i S would happily cruise at around 85 mph all day - but that was it. This beastie gets to 1000 MPH and then keeps on going :-) Fastest we've topped is 120 - but it still wanted to go...... So far - apart from the sun roof leaking like a sieve in torrential rain she's been 100% reliable for us. Coming home from work one night through the Essex country sides back-lanes I was pushing around 70 mph through a series of bends when I heard a noise form the rear of the car. It sounded like a stone thrown up from the road so I carried on. Shortly after a vibration set in which felt like a misfire. I pulled in to the first lay-by to check it out and found I had actually had the driver side rear tyre blow-out!! The directional stability of the 9000 is even better than that of the Classic 900's |
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1965 Van den Plas 4 Litre R GUV 829 C - alias "The Guv" was an unexpected addition to the fleet about 8 years ago. A friend at work wandered over and asked if I were still interested in old cars. When I replied in the affirmative he asked if I would like to clear the Guv out of his parents lock-up garage. It turned out his father had died a few years previous and his mother had left the car in the garage. Now the local council were going to demolish the garage block so the car had to find a new home pronto! When we tried to push the car out of the garage we found the handbrake had seized on. Attempting to pull it out and break the seal using a 3 litre Capri and a 2" manilla tow-rope just snapped the tow-rope! The final solution was to jack up the car in-situ and remove the wheels then hammer the drums off and remove the shoes. Sounds simple - took over 4 hours to do..... Once the wheels were rolling The Guv was winched up onto a car trailer and lashed down for the journey home securely we thought. Braking hard at the Dartford tunnel proved otherwise as The Guv suddenly rolled towards the back of the Capri. Fortunately it ran into the front end of the trailer before demolishing the Capri - and us! A years work later and The Guv was in use - her first "showing" was as the brides car for a friends wedding. As we pulled up at the Kingdom Hall it started to run rough so we checked everything out during the service - turned out that the new condenser had failed. So we put the 20 year old original back on and that was what The Guv run on 'till sold on to pay for the Sport a year ago. Looking at the engine bay photo you can just make out the PAS pump on the back of the dynamo atop the 4 litre Rolls Royce FB40 engine. |
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1978 Pontiac Trans-Am 6.6 NLR 87 V - This is the Trans-Am I owned for about 2 years. The engine had been totally de-emmisoned and fitted with straight-through exhausts. Transmission was the Muncie 4-speed manual box. Unfortunately I never got to drive it as I bought it when my license was due to be re-issued by Swansea after the mandatory 2 years free from any fits/auras related to epilepsy. Some face-less nerd of a clerk in the DVLC at Swansea screwed the paperwork up and, in a prime example of beaurocracy at its worst, took another TWO years to issue the license!! It finally turned up the month after I sold the Trans-Am because the local kids were using the bonnet as a slide. Also typically the local police weren't interested in this act of vandalism. Some things are unforgivable!!!!! |
NMU 546 E - The Crayford is pictured prior to the Auto box engaging on the drive at 2500Revs/min and demolishing the first four foot of the garage! Since then it was sent to an allegedly professional restorer who had it shot-blasted then left the shell in bare metal for over a year. |
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1984 Ford Sierra XR4i
A 336 UUC - This was the last Ford we owned before going over to Saabs. The average servicing bill was in excess of £400 - every time! This coupled with the dealers attitudes to Ford employees (try the term "Second Class citizens) was the final straw and prompted the move. An action we have never had cause to regret! The XR4i was, in itself, a very nice car to drive - both fast and stable. This car still holds the record at Aveley for driving home from Halewood Assembly Plant of 2 hours 31 minutes and a few seconds from starting up in the Plant car park to switching off in the drive at home. This is a one way trip of approx. 240 miles. |
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1984 Saab 900GLs A 86 TEV - This was our very first Saab. Discerning viewers may note something unusual about the front -end! Whilst enroute to a friends wedding we had a blow-out in a rear tyre on the M25 at 70 mph+ that resulted in the 900 hitting the central Armco barrier 3 times before finally stopping. Fortunately nobody else hit us and vice-versa. Despite the severity of the impact none of us were injured, in fact Tanya slept right through it! Val was OK 'till she got out on the hard-shoulder and saw what was NOT left of her beloved 900. Then she collapsed with shock...... Whilst the insurance settlement was going through the 95 was pressed into service although not for long - C415 CAT joined the fleet as a replacement. The sequence of photo's below have convinced more than one person to move into Saab motoring! |
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Will it all fit in the boot only??????? |
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Looks like its all going to go in!! |
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Yep - it all went in AND all 5 seats are useable - now that's what you call a boot! |
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C 415 CAT - This 1986 900 Turbo 8v replaced Val's much loved '84 900 GLs after the accident. It's hard to tell from the photo but its actually a Rose Quartz with Burgundy interior. A very competent and reliable car although not as fast as D 265 ARD, my own ' 86 Black 900 Turbo 8v that was sold when the DVLC at Swansea revoked by driving license for 2 years. The C-Cat served us well for a number of years before being sold to a friend to let us get a 4-door 9000 so that Val could run her mum around after she had had a stroke. The CAT is seen here during our first venture into camping with a frame tent!! Once again the load-carrying capacity of the 900 is demonstrated by the fact all our kit went into the car + a small trailer. The friends we went with had to use his works Renault van!!!! (Seen to rear of picture above) |
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1989 9000i S 16v
F 740 JKP - The 9000 is our family car. F 740 JKP is the first 9000 we have had. She is an Oduardo Grey "S" pack model with the leather trim. Prior to this we have had 3 900's - 2 8v Turbos and a GLs. Whilst the car is competent and does all that we ask of it there is not the same sense of fun whilst driving. This may be down to the naff auto box and non-performance suspension. We changed her last December (1998) for another 9000 but this time a Carlsson! One of the CD (booted) variants |
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1990 SAAB 900 T16S Convertible H 256 YNV - My black 2.0 T 900 Convertible. Great fun in the summer but the body meeded a lot of work onc. a total respray. |
| 1994 Mercedes E320 Estate L ??? XXX - Our 1994 Mercedes was bought to act as a tow car for our caravan - but for some reason the car itself proved too unstable when towing. Wasn't that good solo in crosswinds but when the caravan was on the back it was an instant cure for constipation !! A shame as otherwise it was a nice, comfortable car - even the dog liked it. This one is now replaced with a 1998 Ford Explorer |
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| 1998 Ford Explorer RDZ 2356 -Another eBay purchase, the Explorer was bought to replace the Mercedes which proved to be too unstable as a tow car with our van on the back. Running around solo we get about 19mpg whilst with the van hitched up this drops as low as 12 mpg!! One of our first actions was to get it converted to LPG. Extremely good as a tow car though which can excuse a lot of shortcomings - not that the Explorer has many other than maybe a slightly harsh ride |
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