When giving up is not an option - a new engine for the Saab 93 A
Sometimes being there is everything. The Saab 93 A of the German team led by Steffen Wirth failed on the first day after the 3rd special stage with an engine failure. A new engine was organized and a workshop near Gap. The engine was to be replaced on Sunday. Because now it was about the spirit of sportsmanship. Be there, even outside of the classification, and finish the Rallye Monte Carlo Historique 2022.
Giving up is not an option
The new engine arrives near Valence at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday. The towing contractor, who pulled the Rallye Saab out of the mountains the night before, leaves his large workshop to the crew. Pure screwdriver luxury, with motor crane and modern equipment. Saab opens hearts again and enjoys great sympathy. Also in France. Saab's famous "Lunatic" factor, it still works.
The team spends Sunday in the workshop, installing the new two-stroke unit and testing the Saab. It's running again, very well, the rally crew is happy. Nevertheless, the efforts of the last few days have left their mark. Driving at night, unplanned repairs and the high art of improvisation. You decide to use Monday as a day off. They will rejoin the rally on Tuesday, the penultimate day.
The views of snow-capped mountain peaks beckon, and then there's the legendary 'Night of the Long Knives', which ends in Monaco port early Wednesday morning.
The team was kicked out of the ranking due to the failure. However, the remaining stages of the rally may be driven with a crossed-out starting number. The German team is not alone with its fate. The Saab 96 two-stroke from the Czech Republic shares it with the German team. The Czechs also continue, with a crossed number, and thus show real sportsmanship.
Great! Compliments to the crew, but also credit to the tow truck operator
for providing a visibly tidy workplace.
But now "bonne chance" for Tuesday.
I look forward to reading more about the brave 93.
96 Greetings to Valence.
Very personable - the cute little Saab and everyone involved! Very impressive! Thanks also for the picture of the removed engine - unbelievable how small it is, I had never seen it so clearly.
I'm happy for the team that they can still drive the rally without competition. It's also nice for all the spectators that the beautiful 93 passes them by again ...
Good news.
I would have been interested in the engine damage, what kind it was. There's not much to the 2-stroke engine that can break. On the other hand, nothing should fail either. Each piece is absolutely essential...
The Volvo engines were comparatively redundant, the crankshaft already had 5 bearings (in the beginning [PV 444 with B14] only 3 bearings) and, if necessary, you drove to the finish line on three pots. Of course, this is not possible if you start with 3 pots and one more fails on the way. In the 1950s, motorists, motor journalists and copywriters conducted the debate about the 2- or 4-stroke principle with a sharpness that is in no way inferior to today's discussion about EVs versus combustion engines. Really fascinating. Copywriters put 3-cylinder 2-stroke engines on a par with 6-cylinder engines with twice the displacement. And purely in principle, that even makes sense. At least with motorcycles (Cross), lawn mowers, chainsaws and Co. it was actually like that. But truck and ship engines are also relatively compact using the 2-stroke principle and have almost twice the power of a contemporary 4-stroke engine with the same displacement - well beyond the 1950s ...
The concept was (or is?) definitely valid. But it doesn't matter how you classify and evaluate it technically today. A classic car meeting or a historic rally without a 2-stroke engine? That would be really, really sad...
Legendary performance! Respect!!