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[Andy H]

Thought Saabs were made from reject Vauxhall bits

Not from that era they weren't.
They used a cast off Triumph Dolomite engine (and before that the Ford V4 coarse hair engine  )

Although it worked ok for them

The Dolomite Sprint engine can't have been too shoddy - 24 valves and overhead cams in an era when other parts of BL were still making Inlet over exhaust engines. I don't know how many changes SAAB made to it when they used it in the SAAB turbo  the only negatives I remember from the time were that the front of the engine ended up against the bulkhead and they had a reputation for eating head gaskets.

Sixteen....unless 6 valves per cylinder.

Sorry - must be getting old

[citroenguy]

Thought Saabs were made from reject Vauxhall bits

Not from that era they weren't.
They used a cast off Triumph Dolomite engine (and before that the Ford V4 coarse hair engine  )

Although it worked ok for them

The Dolomite Sprint engine can't have been too shoddy - 24 valves and overhead cams in an era when other parts of BL were still making Inlet over exhaust engines. I don't know how many changes SAAB made to it when they used it in the SAAB turbo  the only negatives I remember from the time were that the front of the engine ended up against the bulkhead and they had a reputation for eating head gaskets.

The 1.85 litre triumph/ricardo engine desent have the best reputation over here.. They revised and enlarged it after a few years. The revised version became basis for SAAB Engines used up until 2009 in the last of the OG 9-5

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Thought Saabs were made from reject Vauxhall bits

Not from that era they weren't.
They used a cast off Triumph Dolomite engine (and before that the Ford V4 coarse hair engine  )

Although it worked ok for them

The Dolomite Sprint engine can't have been too shoddy - 24 valves and overhead cams in an era when other parts of BL were still making Inlet over exhaust engines. I don't know how many changes SAAB made to it when they used it in the SAAB turbo  the only negatives I remember from the time were that the front of the engine ended up against the bulkhead and they had a reputation for eating head gaskets.

Sixteen....unless 6 valves per cylinder.

Operated by a single camshaft. 

[Nick W]

Although it worked ok for them

The Dolomite Sprint engine can't have been too shoddy - 24 valves and overhead cams in an era when other parts of BL were still making Inlet over exhaust engines. I don't know how many changes SAAB made to it when they used it in the SAAB turbo  the only negatives I remember from the time were that the front of the engine ended up against the bulkhead and they had a reputation for eating head gaskets.

Have you ever tried a Sprint? They look good on paper, but typical BL half-arsed engineering means that they don't live up to their promise. The whole slant-four engine series has problems: angled head studs - a truly, truly stupid idea, weak head gaskets - allegedly down specced by the accountants, a complicated and ineffective water pump that further added to the cooling issues, and build in plant staffed by stroppy Brummies who could barely assemble cast-iron overhead valve engines. Then there's the Sprint 16 valve head, which only has one cam but is still much bigger than a twin cam would have been, and struggles to make the 127bhp claimed for it. Put it in a small, cramped but still heavy car, fit it with absurdly complicated(and weak) front suspension, fit brakes  that were barely adequate for the 1300 the car was designed for, and wonder why an RS2000 will walk all over it.


Saab engines still suffered head gasket issues, but nowhere near as many as Triumph engines did. This was achieved mainly by assembling the thing with some care and attention.

[Andy H]

Although it worked ok for them

The Dolomite Sprint engine can't have been too shoddy - 24 valves and overhead cams in an era when other parts of BL were still making Inlet over exhaust engines. I don't know how many changes SAAB made to it when they used it in the SAAB turbo  the only negatives I remember from the time were that the front of the engine ended up against the bulkhead and they had a reputation for eating head gaskets.

Have you ever tried a Sprint? They look good on paper, but typical BL half-arsed engineering means that they don't live up to their promise. The whole slant-four engine series has problems: angled head studs - a truly, truly stupid idea, weak head gaskets - allegedly down specced by the accountants, a complicated and ineffective water pump that further added to the cooling issues, and build in plant staffed by stroppy Brummies who could barely assemble cast-iron overhead valve engines. Then there's the Sprint 16 valve head, which only has one cam but is still much bigger than a twin cam would have been, and struggles to make the 127bhp claimed for it. Put it in a small, cramped but still heavy car, fit it with absurdly complicated(and weak) front suspension, fit brakes  that were barely adequate for the 1300 the car was designed for, and wonder why an RS2000 will walk all over it.


Saab engines still suffered head gasket issues, but nowhere near as many as Triumph engines did. This was achieved mainly by assembling the thing with some care and attention.

No never tried a sprint - the nearest I ever came to one was when one almost ran me over while I was cycling home from school

Was the slant four half a stag engine?

[Nick W]

No never tried a sprint - the nearest I ever came to one was when one almost ran me over while I was cycling home from school

Was the slant four half a stag engine?

That was the idea, but the 3.0l Stag shares none of the internal parts of the 1850 and 2.0l slant fours. Which again is typical BL; a properly built 3.7 Stag engine would have easily replaced the Rover V8. Apparently they also cast a few left-hand Sprint cylinder heads to make a 32valve engine, which would have been a belter in the early '70s

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Although it worked ok for them

The Dolomite Sprint engine can't have been too shoddy - 24 valves and overhead cams in an era when other parts of BL were still making Inlet over exhaust engines. I don't know how many changes SAAB made to it when they used it in the SAAB turbo  the only negatives I remember from the time were that the front of the engine ended up against the bulkhead and they had a reputation for eating head gaskets.

Have you ever tried a Sprint? They look good on paper, but typical BL half-arsed engineering means that they don't live up to their promise. The whole slant-four engine series has problems: angled head studs - a truly, truly stupid idea, weak head gaskets - allegedly down specced by the accountants, a complicated and ineffective water pump that further added to the cooling issues, and build in plant staffed by stroppy Brummies who could barely assemble cast-iron overhead valve engines. Then there's the Sprint 16 valve head, which only has one cam but is still much bigger than a twin cam would have been, and struggles to make the 127bhp claimed for it. Put it in a small, cramped but still heavy car, fit it with absurdly complicated(and weak) front suspension, fit brakes  that were barely adequate for the 1300 the car was designed for, and wonder why an RS2000 will walk all over it.


Saab engines still suffered head gasket issues, but nowhere near as many as Triumph engines did. This was achieved mainly by assembling the thing with some care and attention.

Claimed being the operative word. In the real world they had nowhere near that. Nor were they capable of anything like the 8.5 seconds (if my memory serves) 0 - 60 time that was claimed. Brown envelopes full of tenners to certain motoring journos is the only reason I can think that the Motoring press claimed that figure.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I remember the original advert for the Dolomite Sprint.

It showed a car on a banked track with the words "What's yellow and laps Mira at 116 MPH"

Pretty heady stuff for 1973.

[Mr Gav]

My dad had a british racing green Dolomite Sprint, had a couple of nice lifts to school 

[2boxerdogs]

Mate of mine had the yellow & black sprint , looked very smart  totalled it on the way home from Brighton one Saturday night, luckily I wasn't with him out with a nurse I had just met 😀😁😂 so I was otherwise engaged !

[EMD]

What did the Sprint handle like ? Remember seeing plenty around int me youf .. Can still pick up a tea bag cheap enough .

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

They handled just as you would expect a BL car with a 1950,s derived suspension design to handle. 

[Kevin Wood]

A mate of mine has a couple of BMW 2002s. You only have to have a short ride in one of them to appreciate how woeful the British car industry was in the 70's.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I can still remember my first ride in a 2002 in the 70,s. The difference to anything else I had ever been in up to that point, was staggering. 

[Nick W]

They handled just as you would expect a BL car with a 1950,s derived suspension design to handle. 

What, double wishbone front and four link live axle with coil springs all round? The real question is the same as the performance: why wasn't it as good as the spec suggested?