Enjoy these neat old photos of the import dealer, '72

"Berang" (berang) 04/04/2020 at 02:25 • Filed to: None

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A friend was digging through boxes of old family photos when he found these - apparently from when his grandfather bought a brand new 1972 Saab 96.

This building still exists, and there is still a parking area on the roof. Although now it is a gym. I expect it will probably be torn down and replaced by condos in a few years, as most of Austin gets destroyed by developers.

Now here is a question for OPPO - what is that red(dish) car next to the white Saab 96? Note the European license plate. I can’t figure it out. I thought maybe Fiat 132, but some of the details are wrong. It’s rather strange.

Look at that E-Type! Sadly it doesn’t appear in any of the other photos. I’m guessing they had to move cars on the lot around to make space for the truck to unload (the MGs are parked where the Sonetts are in the above photos).

Also interesting are the Saab 99s with vinyl roofs. A rare option, yet here are several at one dealer.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > Berang 04/04/2020 at 03:44

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I think the red car with European plates is a Hillman Sceptre MK3 (or one of it’s many rebadges). The lower main grille, between the smaller headlight grilles seems to match.

Very cool seeing that many Son etts btw!

pip bip - choose Corrour > Berang 04/04/2020 at 05:47

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when you can, grab a pic of the building now, for posterity.

those pics should go up on Flickr. 

InFierority Complex > Berang 04/04/2020 at 07:20

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I want to say it’s a 510 but that doesn’t seem right either. I honestly don’t know what the car in front of it is  although it looks familiar.

KnowsAboutCars > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer 04/04/2020 at 07:32

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I think you can make out a very sloped C-pillar behind the front side window. That’d make it the fastback body style apparently sold under Sunbeam brand.

Edit: Despite UK(?) plates those sidemarkers would make that an US-model.

InFierority Complex > KnowsAboutCars 04/04/2020 at 07:46

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I think you got it.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > KnowsAboutCars 04/04/2020 at 08:45

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You’re right! I missed the C-pillar, but that definitely is an Alpine GT (or a Rapier Fastback depending on if it is a US spec car or not )

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Berang 04/04/2020 at 08:49

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Love it. My parents had a 4-door 99 when I was little.

I wish someone could do some color correction- about 3 clicks in LEVELS would improve these tremendously.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Berang 04/04/2020 at 09:27

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Imagine being able to just go out and buy a brand new  Sonette.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Berang 04/04/2020 at 09:32

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Ooh mk1 Triumph GT6

fintail > InFierority Complex 04/04/2020 at 13:49

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The car in front of the mystery car (Sunbeam Alpine) beside the Saab is a Ford Cortina, sold stateside for a sliver of time around 1970.

fintail > Berang 04/04/2020 at 13:50

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Very cool stuff, such a diverse assortment, even a MB Ponton, which was getting to be old even then.

I don ’t think I’ve ever seen a vinyl roof 99 in person .

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Berang 04/04/2020 at 14:19

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This made my morning. All that rare old stuff in one place is incredible. Next time maybe brighten up the images a bit, but good work. Are these scanned?

Berang > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/05/2020 at 10:58

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That’s about as bright as I could make them without the colors becoming desaturated. The prints were all heavily yellowed.

Berang > MiniGTI - now with XJ6 04/05/2020 at 10:59

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I spent a while color correcting all these. The prints were all heavily yellowed. And once the yellow was removed, there was too much magenta, and very little blue/green left to mess with, to the point where selectively mani pulating saturation on color channels was doing nothing. Unfortunately not much you can do to add lost color back in.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Berang 04/05/2020 at 16:28

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Tried a couple just for fun - Auto levels improved it quite a bit and just a little manual tweaking got rid of the yellow and magenta cast.  Cars still look a little wired though.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Berang 04/05/2020 at 16:29

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What a lot of cool  cars though! Man if it was 1972 and I needed a new car it would be a tough choice!

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Berang 05/21/2020 at 00:01

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So there’s a sketchy used car lot near here that had no less than 3 Saab convertibles. I think they were all late 90s early 2000s. We were only half jokingly thinking of grabbing one as they were only asking around $2500 (I’m sure I could talk them down). How terrible an idea would it be.

My wife really misses rides in the TR6 so we need a 4-seat convertible so we can take our son along. I’d probably get rid of it once babysitting is practical again.

Also my wife found a manual 1987 900 convertible for sale cheap  but it was way up in Minnesota .