TRACKDAY IN BLOMQVIST REPLICA 99 TURBO

[BIRDIEMANGO]

A FEW PHOTOS,RUNNING THE 99 TURBO AT 'CADWELL PARK' TRACKDAY IN THE UK, 1 OCT 2011......HERE IT IS KNOWN AS THE 'MINI-NURBURGRING'.......OVER 2 MILES LONG,WITH HUGE CHANGES IN TRACK ELEVATION.

THIS WAS TO BE A BIG TEST FOR THE CAR,AS IT WAS BUILT FOR DOING SPRINTS&HILLCLIMBS,AROUND 1 MILE IN LENGTH.

IT WAS 26 DEG C (THIS IS HOT FOR THE UK!) DURING THE DAY PUTTING MASSIVE STRAIN ON THE COOLING SYSTEM,CONTINUALLY LAP AFTER LAP......EVENTUALLY THE RADIATOR BLEW,BUT WE HAD A SPARE.THE FUEL PUMP SEIZED IN THE AFTERNOON,DUE TO RUNNING THE CAR WITH ONLY QUARTER OF A TANK OF GAS....

AFTER THE FUEL PUMP HAD COOLED DOWN FOR TEN MINUTES,AND ANOTHER 30 LITRES OF FUEL WENT IN,IT WAS OK FOR THE REST OF THE DAY......

A REALLY GOOD DAY.......THE CAR WAS STILL IN ONE PIECE AS WELL.....PHEW! PROBABLY DUE TO THE MASIVE 7.5J 16 INCH BORBET ALLOYS SHOD WITH ROADGOING BRIDGESTONES.......WHICH DIDN'T LET GO........

THE CAR DOES 12 MILES PER GALLON FLAT OUT.....MY WHITE 99 EMS 8V RALLY CAR ON TWIN 40 DELLORTOS DID THE SAME....


THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPH IS COURTESY OF 'HENRIK UK' ON UKSAABS,MANY THANKS

HERE IS A LINK TO SOME OF THE IN-CAR VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njOn4_vC ... er&list=UL

[Shan]

Congrats & lovely photos of your Saab in action !

Are high-res versions of the photos available ? I'd like to print and display it on my wall.

[BIRDIEMANGO]

HELLO SHAN.
PM ME YOUR E-MAIL& I WILL SEND SOME HIGH RES PICTURES

[Shan]

Thank you, I've sent a PM.

Fantastic project thread you've got there at UKS !

[Geoff]

Love that first shot! You need a spark plug in your exhaust to help ignite that unburnt fuel. BOOM! Though you might catch your trunk monkey's legs on fire...

[BIRDIEMANGO]

SO HERE ARE SOME SHOTS OF 'COMPETITIVE DRIVING' IN THE CAR......FROM SPRINTS AND HILLCLIMBS IN THE UK OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS.....

I RUN THE CAR IN 'ROADGOING CLASS' WHICH BASICALLY ALLOWS YOU TO RUN WITHOUT A ROLLCAGE,YOU CAN REMOVE THE CARPETS AND FIT A COMPETITION DRIVERS/AND OR PASSENGERS SEAT IF YOU SO WISH,EXHAUST DESIGN IS 'FREE' BUT MUST PASS NOISE REGS,ENGINE MUST BE OF THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER AND INSTALLATION.....I ALSO HAVE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS PLUMBED IN WITH AFFF.

STANDARD FOUR SPEED GEARBOX WITH NO LSD,BILSTEINS FITTED WITH 900 REAR ANTI-ROLL BAR.

THE CAR WEIGHS IN A 1140 KG WITH HALF A TANK OF FUEL,NO DRIVER.......I WEIGH 79KG


FIRST SHOT IS AT 'THREE SISTERS CIRCUIT'...OUR LOCAL KARTING CIRCUIT,WHICH ALSO HOSTS SINGLE VENUE RALLIES,TIGHT AND TWISTY WITH ONE LONG STRAIGHT.......IN THE RAIN. I WAS ABSOLUTLEY OVERJOYED TO FINISH THIRD OVERALL HERE......THE CAR EXCELS IN THE RAIN,WEIGHT OVER THE FRONT WHEELS.....

MIDDLE SHOT IS AT 'LOTON PARK',A COUNTRY ESTATE IN RURAL SHROPSHIRE,WHICH USUALLY ALLOWS DEER TO ROAM FREELY ACROSS THE HILLCLIMB COURSE ,JUST OVER A MILE IN LENGTH.
DURING THE SUMMER THOUGH,THE DEER ARE ROUNDED UP,ALL MANNER OF CARS AND MOTORCYCLES TACKLE THE STEEP TARMAC HILL.
THE PHOTO SHOWS THE CAR UNDER HARD BRAKING ,JUST BEFORE A CREST,FOLLOWED BY 90 LEFT WHICH IS BLIND........
SIX CARS IN CLASS THIS DAY,SUBARU IMPREZA,FORD FOCUS RS,SUPERCHARGED MINI COOPER,SAAB 99T,TVR CHIMERA AND PORSCHE 911.....THATS THE ORDER WE FINISHED IN.

LAST SHOT AGAIN AT 'LOTON PARK'.........PRACTICE RUN IN THE MORNING...

[BIRDIEMANGO]

SOME OF THE COMPETITION,WHICH RUNS IN 'MODIFIED PRODUCTION' CLASS......SPRINTS AND HILLCLIMBS......
THE QUATTRO IS JUST AWESOME ACCELERATION....

I WAS ALLOWED TO RUN THE WHITE 99 EMS RALLY CAR (IN THIS CLASS 1600CC TO 2000CC),WHICH ALLOWS MUCH MORE WORK IN LIGHTENING THE CAR,AND ENGINE TUNING.....,BUT YOU MUST HAVE A ROLLCAGE,SAFETY EQUIPMENT ETC........MORE PICS IN A MOMENT

[nutcase]

I've had the pleasure of seeing Birdie's car in the flesh as it were and the photos don't do it justice - it's an utter work of art

[BIRDIEMANGO]

LEARNING TO DRIVE THE 99 AFTER RALLYING THE 96,WAS SORT OF A LEARNING CURVE.....YOU NOW HAVE TO USE THE CLUTCH,BRAKE AND ACCELERATE ALL AT THE SAME TIME...

MY YOUNGER BROTHER WAS ALREADY MASTERING THIS......
HERE THE PICTURE OF THE MINI,I AM NAVIGATING WHILST KID BROTHER DEMONSTRATES THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO CORNER.......ESSENTIALLY A 99 IS JUST A BIG MINI!!!

IT TOOK ME A FEW YEARS TO GET THE HANG OF IT,BEFORE I GOT FIRST IN CLASS.......BUT IT WAS WORTH IT,AGAIN ALL WITH STANDARD GEARBOX,NO LSD......

SPRINTING THE WHITE 99 EMS AGAINST THE(1380 FULL RACE ENGINED MINI),I WOULD ALWAYS LOSE OUT ABOUT 0.2 SECS OVER A MILE.....

WE NEVER GOT TO FIND OUT WHAT MY CAR,OR THE MINI WEIGHED....

THE 'H' TYPE 8V ENGINE IN ITS FINAL FORM WITH STD PISTONS AND VALVES GAVE 153 BHP 138 LB/FT TORQUE@WHEELS.....I RECKON THATS ABOUT THE MAXIMUM FROM AN ESSENTIALLY STANDARD ENGINE,WITH A FLOWED HEAD.IT COST ME A LOT OF MONEY TO GET THE ENGINE TO THAT POINT.......INITIAL TEETHING PROBLEMS WITH EARLY TYPE OIL PUMPS DIDNT HELP

'SONETT' MY MATE DAVE IN THE UK,GOT ANOTHER 20 BHP BY USING THROTTLE BODIES AND STAND ALONE ECU,AND BIGGER VALVES ON HIS 'TURBO KILLER' 8V 'H' TYPE ENGINE.....

THE MINI WAS PUTTING OUT 100BHP@WHEELS

HELLO 'NUTCASE'.......NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

[Luke]

I was following the clarion build a while back, but I never saw it 100% completed and in action - looks beautiful! well done!

[Geoff]

DURING THE SUMMER THOUGH,THE DEER ARE ROUNDED UP,ALL MANNER OF CARS AND MOTORCYCLES TACKLE THE STEEP TARMAC HILL.

That would never work here, but I'm sure there are some rednecks who would at least try.

Lots of nice cars there being driven in anger.

[BIRDIEMANGO]

HMMM,I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THESE

A FRIEND HERE IN THE UK,DID A LOT OF THE WORK ON 'DRIVER SAN FRANCISCO' GAME FOR X-BOX AND PLAY STATION............

HE DID A FEW IMAGES FOR ME,OF MY REPLICA CLARION 99 T....

THANK YOU 'VIKING SPIRIT'

[99Super]

If that car were available in any video game, I'd be a video game owner.


john

[Mars]

In Forza 4 you can get a 99 turbo and then apply whatever livery you want. Someone made a Blomqvist replica. Currently my car of choice.

[Crazyswede]

I was a little disappointed with the exhaust note on the 99 turbo in Forza. The handling was probably better than any 99 I have ever driven...it did sort of back into a corner in a similar manner though

A few shots of Saabs from video games past and present:







[imghttp://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/jpg/200705/colin-mcrae-dirt---s-2-1w.jpg][/img]