AutoPuzzles - The Internet's Museum of Rare Cars!

Puzzles, Games and Name That Car => Solved AutoPuzzles => 2009 => Topic started by: Paul Jaray on May 03, 2009, 12:51:33 PM

Title: Solved -PJ99- Lightburn Saab
Post by: Paul Jaray on May 03, 2009, 12:51:33 PM
Know what it is?

Please, respond below and let us know the make and model designation of the car posted here.

If you haven't registered yet, you need to do so in order to reply with your answer. 

Also, please be sure to check out our other puzzles, and, please post a puzzle of your own if you'd like - the more, the merrier.

Thanks!
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on May 07, 2009, 07:24:15 AM
Your turn...
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on May 11, 2009, 04:32:11 AM
Pro time!
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 04, 2009, 02:52:10 PM
One by one, I will answer to all of you..
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: D-type on July 13, 2009, 11:15:42 AM
Denzel?
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 13, 2009, 11:49:57 AM
Not a Denzel...
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: hugo90 on July 13, 2009, 10:29:00 PM
Is that a British Standard chassis?
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 14, 2009, 04:32:17 PM
Not British Standard chassis...
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Otto Puzzell on July 15, 2009, 03:25:44 AM
An Allard one-off or special?
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 15, 2009, 04:41:28 AM
Not Allard...
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Arunas on July 15, 2009, 02:27:57 PM
Is this car from UK?
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 15, 2009, 03:07:49 PM
 :shakehead:
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Otto Puzzell on July 16, 2009, 02:57:54 AM
Czech?
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 16, 2009, 05:05:45 AM
 :shakehead:
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Arunas on July 16, 2009, 05:13:56 AM
European?
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Allemano on July 16, 2009, 05:17:19 AM
Australia or New Zealand?
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 16, 2009, 05:18:21 AM
 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Allemano on July 16, 2009, 05:23:13 AM
Those in the background look like eucalyptus trees... ;D
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Allemano on July 16, 2009, 05:24:29 AM
A replica or a real classic?
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 16, 2009, 05:30:19 AM
Not a replica...
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Allemano on July 16, 2009, 05:39:50 AM
Okay let me ask differently: is it older than 50 years?
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 16, 2009, 05:48:12 AM
Not 50, but 40\45. The year is not reported in my source.
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Allemano on July 16, 2009, 06:12:59 AM
A one-off or small series built?
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 16, 2009, 06:16:02 AM
Not a one-off, actually a two-off, not series built (but meant to be)
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Allemano on July 16, 2009, 06:53:32 AM
From a "known" manufacturer. Or was it the only car of that make?
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 16, 2009, 06:57:48 AM
A relatively known manufacturer...
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Allemano on July 16, 2009, 07:02:15 AM
Lightburn Saab!


...about Harold Lightburn. While all this car activity was going on, he also established an arrangement with SAAB to build a SAAB based sports car in Australia. Various SAAB forums, particularly a couple in USA and Sweden, talk about this mysterious car with reports that they are on the verge of discovering the whereabouts of what is supposed to be the rarest Saab of all. The truth is that two prototypes were to have been built, one LHD and one RHD. This was done but for some reason production never went ahead. Supposedly these 2 cars disappeared forever. Wrong! The LHD version is alive and well and pictured below.
This photograph was taken on one of our Gawler car club events. Yes, once again, the owners of this very rare vehicle are members of our local club - Terry and Dawn. The body, designed and built by Lightburn is of aluminium except for the tilt-forward bonnet which is fibreglass. The RHD version, I believe, also exists to this day but I also believe that it never proceeded past the running chassis stage.
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 16, 2009, 07:05:19 AM
Yes!
Well done......
and I'm afrait that's just the beginning...
Title: Re: PJ - 99
Post by: Allemano on July 16, 2009, 07:05:42 AM
Another source:

   The Saab Lightburn - The Australian Adventure

   "No doubt that it will be a success!" - from a letter from Saab

   At the end of the 1950's, Saab came very close to building a sports car in Australia, of all places. A coachbuilder in Adelaide, Lightburn & Co., approached Saab with a proposal to build a sports car for the Australian market. Saab had not forgotten the interest in the first Sonett project and more important than building a car down under, they saw a chance of breaking into the Australian market. This was difficult for importers who were hampered by quotas with high duties on cars manufactured outside the country.

   The Australian firm sent their design concept to Trollhättan along with a 1:4 scale model. Their design was hardly original and moreover had little relationship to Saab - maybe with the exception of the big 15-inch wheels.

   Saab assigned Gunnar A Sjogren the task of reworking and polishing the Lightburn design and the end of 1960, his modified version was sent back to Lightburn & Co. But by then they seemed to have lost interest and the idea came to nothing. The dream of building a Saab car in Australia never went beyond merely a dream.



Note that this sketch looks completely different:
(a wasted chance for a very nice "Sketched, the third" puzzle)
Title: Re: Solved -PJ99- Lightburn Saab
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 16, 2009, 07:08:32 AM
That's was an hard nut...another 2-digit PJ is gone....
Title: Re: Solved -PJ99- Lightburn Saab
Post by: Allemano on July 16, 2009, 07:09:42 AM
another find:
Title: Re: Solved -PJ99- Lightburn Saab
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 16, 2009, 07:15:06 AM
I was going to post this, but it's not that good...
Title: Re: Solved -PJ99- Lightburn Saab
Post by: Allemano on July 16, 2009, 07:16:57 AM
Quote from: Paul Jaray on July 16, 2009, 05:48:12 AM
Not 50, but 40\45. The year is not reported in my source.

That's why I did post it...
Title: Re: Solved -PJ99- Lightburn Saab
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 16, 2009, 07:23:41 AM
Yep, the other source (the one with the sketch, reports a generic late 50s and then 'Saab assigned Gunnar A Sjogren the task of reworking and polishing the Lightburn design and the end of 1960, his modified version was sent back to Lightburn & Co. But by then they seemed to have lost interest and the idea came to nothing. The dream of building a Saab car in Australia never went beyond merely a dream'
Title: Re: Solved -PJ99- Lightburn Saab
Post by: Allemano on July 16, 2009, 07:29:03 AM
Actually the sketched version is a thousand times prettier, isn't it?
And much nicer than the Quantum as well!
Title: Re: Solved -PJ99- Lightburn Saab
Post by: Paul Jaray on July 16, 2009, 07:47:04 AM
Yep, even it was not so original...
good material for a 'Sketched the Third'!
Title: Re: Solved -PJ99- Lightburn Saab
Post by: hugo90 on July 20, 2009, 01:19:15 AM
Then Lightburn did make cars for a while, the Zeta, including a sports car with FMR drive train.  They would have done better aligned with SAAB.
Title: Re: Solved -PJ99- Lightburn Saab
Post by: teacher on November 07, 2009, 01:06:13 AM
yes, the photo in the advert doesnt do it justice, nice little car and fun to drive
Title: Re: Solved -PJ99- Lightburn Saab
Post by: Paul Jaray on November 07, 2009, 08:33:20 AM
Hi Teacher...
wellcome to Autopuzzles!
You had the chance to drive it ?!?