I drove a similar looking car, a fibreglass '68 Saab Sonnett that I modifed by increasing compression, changing the valve springs, and a 2 throat Weber carb and 3/4 cam.
Of course, it was a front wheel drive and weighed about 1500 lb.
Of course, it was a front wheel drive and weighed about 1500 lb.
Matra Bonnet
Right! More precisely, originally it was a Matra Djet5 which I converted to the future Djet7, as intended by René Bonnet. Before he could finish that project (using the engine, gearbox and breaks of the Renault R17TS, as I did), his company had been taken over by Simca, who spoiled the whole concept.
Cheers,
Edmond.
@ John, Indeed, also fiber glass. Light weight and bloody fast.
stinius said:MATRA?
Right! More precisely, originally it was a Matra Djet5 which I converted to the future Djet7, as intended by René Bonnet. Before he could finish that project (using the engine, gearbox and breaks of the Renault R17TS, as I did), his company had been taken over by Simca, who spoiled the whole concept.

Cheers,
Edmond.
@ John, Indeed, also fiber glass. Light weight and bloody fast.

john curl said:Fun, fun, fun, till the Firestorm took my Sonett away!![]()
And she had fun, fun, fun till her daddy took her T-bird away...
Beach Boys of course. That dates you John 😉
The first car I bought when I went to the US WAS a T-bird - 1964 model. One of those models where you could swivel the steering wheel over to the right so you could get in better. It was not supposed to run unless the wheel was clicked in place. But this one did. Was a lot of fun to go on the interstate, swivel the wheel to the unsuspecting passenger and ask him/her to drive for a while...😀
Jan Didden
john curl said:I played in a rock and roll band in 1958. I AM old!
JC and The Jordaniers 🙂
john curl said:Pre-punk, gangland rock and roll.
I guess you played bass guitar?
'About a half past eight, about a quarter to nine, there is going to be a rumble and you better be on time. Bring your chains and your knives and your belt buckles too, there is going to be some blood spilled, before we get through. You better not 'chicken', that all we've got to say, or you will never live to 'chicken,', an another day!' Our theme song, in 1958.
john curl said:Fender Stratocaster.
I played bass; my first bass was a Fender Mustang.
And a Fender Bassman amp.
My first bass was made of a peace of wood and bass dombra cannibalized. A pickup I made of a flat ferrite speaker magnet and a wire salvaged from a telephone relay. My amp was made of germanium transistors, it was hard to find NPN one then for a quasi-complementary output stage. Output power was 4W, it was a huge power! 😀
Now, let me be more serious. Before I got my Fender Strat, I built my OWN solid body guitar from a block of wood, a neck salvaged from an acoustic guitar that was smashed, because somebody stepped into the middle of it, in Yosemite Park in the middle of the night, and 2 add on guitar pickups, D'Armond .
john curl said:Ah, the Russian approach to amplified sound. 😉
It was Soviet approach to an amplifier sound. 😉
Parts were scarce for kids; however if some electronic plant existed in the town adults could steal and bring some, otherwise the source was a dumpster. A power tranny for that my first bass guitar amp I made from a power tranny I took from salvaged tube radio: I cut secondaries out using a saw and wound mine using some wire salvaged from some kind of a motorcycle generator. Volume and tone knobs were made of tooth paste caps; they looked like real! 😀
john curl said:Now, let me be more serious. Before I got my Fender Strat, I built my OWN solid body guitar from a block of wood, a neck salvaged from an acoustic guitar that was smashed, because somebody stepped into the middle of it, in Yosemite Park in the middle of the night, and 2 add on guitar pickups, D Armond (sp).
Bass dombra had longer neck than an acoustic guitar; it looked more "real"! 😉
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