More exotic spots!

Think you've spied another forum member's XM out on the roads? Ask in here!
User avatar
Eddie nuff
Could do a 2.1 headgasket
Posts: 1227
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2013 7:53 pm
Location: West Yorkshire

Post by Eddie nuff » Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:02 pm

MTXM wrote:I think part of the appeal of the Ro80 for me is that it is a little understated
Lovely cars, obviously used as a template for the later Audi's, but yet fresher and less austere. Like most big companies VW bought them, ripped the guts out of them, and then let the accountants run riot to build in blandness. The Saab pictured is a proper Saab, before GM got hold of them and did the same.

The Saab dashboard is the best I have ever seen, but not in wood. :oops: Plain black with minor chrome bits is simple and effective. It doesn't matter that the switches are all over the place, it just adds to the aura.
89 XM 2.0Si RP4788 (Gold)

Dieselman
Global Moderator
Posts: 13734
Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:44 pm

Re:

Post by Dieselman » Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:18 pm

Eddie nuff wrote:
MTXM wrote:I think part of the appeal of the Ro80 for me is that it is a little understated
Lovely cars, obviously used as a template for the later Audi's, but yet fresher and less austere. Like most big companies VW bought them, ripped the guts out of them, and then let the accountants run riot to build in blandness. The Saab pictured is a proper Saab, before GM got hold of them and did the same.
Accountants make companies produce products that sell for a profit. Disorganised companies make irrational products that don't sell and lose money...hence the companies get bought out.

The RO80 and the SAAB 900 are both good cases of this.

The RO80 has no special features other than the disasterous rotary engine, the SAAB is completely outclassed by the competition in nearly every area. Due to having a wheelbase that gives it longer overhang than the distance between the wheels, it has a cramped cabin, the performance is low on all but Turbo versions, they always cost a fortune to keep on the road, even though most parts were from parts bins.

That's not to say that were a bad car, just horrendously expensive for what they were, due to poor management and cost control at SAAB. Once the exclusive car market dried up they were doomed.
92 2.1SED M.RP5740 ECZ Sable Phenicien
92 3.0 V6-24.Rp 5713 EXY Black
92 2.1SD M.RP 5685 ENT Blue Sideral
Prev
90 2.1SD M.RP 5049 EJV Mandarin
92 2.1SD A.RP 5698 EJV Mandarin
94 2.1SD A.RP 6218 ERT Triton Green
91 2.0SI M.RP 5187 EWT White

User avatar
MTXM
Citroen God!
Posts: 4895
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:45 pm
Location: Aylsham Norfolk

Re: More exotic spots!

Post by MTXM » Sun Nov 06, 2016 6:16 pm

The RO80 has no special features other than the disasterous rotary engine, the SAAB is completely outclassed by the competition in nearly every area.
I fear I must beg to differ on these two points Will, although to be fair both cars do appear to be a bit 'Marmite' from the widely differing comments offered! Regards, Matthew T.
1989 V6 Exclusive (Poland car) - Now living in a local Motor Museum!
1990 V6sei auto (grey auto)
1990 V6sei manual (gold car)
1990 V6.24 Pallas (Germany car)
1990 V6.24v (Scotland car)
Other previous XM sold and broken too many to mention!

User avatar
Eddie nuff
Could do a 2.1 headgasket
Posts: 1227
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2013 7:53 pm
Location: West Yorkshire

Post by Eddie nuff » Sun Nov 06, 2016 7:23 pm

Dieselman wrote:Accountants make companies produce products that sell for a profit. Disorganised companies make irrational products that don't sell and lose money.
Straight out of the British management book of finding someone else to blame.

Irrational succeeds where logic and format fail - any Citroenista can see that surely. The accountants then get involved to bring the innovation down to bland anonymity.
89 XM 2.0Si RP4788 (Gold)

User avatar
russ92xmsed
Global Moderator
Posts: 5733
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2012 5:23 pm
Location: Cheltenham
Contact:

Re: More exotic spots!

Post by russ92xmsed » Sun Nov 06, 2016 7:44 pm

Quite agree there. Unfortunately the best ways are always dropped for the boring conventional ways.

The 900 might be flawed, but they were extremely strong cars, as Top Gear proved dropping a 900 on its roof. Impressive!
Russ

1992 K reg XM 2.1 Auto SED RP 5712
1992 K reg XM 2.1 Auto SED RP 5705 (D)
Also
2003 C5 2.2 HDI Exclusive

I sell Engine bay, 1990 COTY, Total & Club XM Sticker Decals
http://www.rjwcreativedesign.co.uk

Ciaran
Site Admin
Posts: 1824
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:59 pm
Orga / RP numbers: 1234
5678
91011
Location: Ireland

Re: More exotic spots!

Post by Ciaran » Mon Nov 07, 2016 4:39 pm

Nice post Matthew, certainly not many Ro80s about.

That said, about 10 years ago I saw two of them together at a hotel in Belfast. A red and a navy one.

They were LHD and owned by two German guys who were on kind of a random tour of Ireland at the time. Not a bad way to travel. Unfortunately the owner's English wasn't fantastic and my German practically non-existant so I wasn't able to get too much information, but definitely an interesting find and not something I ever expected to see in person, nevermind two of them at once! To my surprise I knew what it was the second I saw it, having only ever heard of them due to them being in a '100 years of Classic Cars' book my Dad bought for me some years earlier.

I wonder do I still have any pictures of them anywhere, will post if I can find them.

I do find them an interesting car, nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing as say the SM or CX, but as everyone has pointed out they were great for 1967, and the technological aspects of the rotary engine do make them worthy of note, even if reliability wasn't great.

Certainly much more interesting looking than any subsequent VAG offering anyway.

Ciarán

xm24v
Knows how to use the parking brake
Posts: 166
Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2015 10:24 am

Re: More exotic spots!

Post by xm24v » Mon Dec 26, 2016 4:01 pm

As a kid my mates and I used to spend most of our time in the many,many great scrapyards around the Manchester area and there was a massive one called autosave,that actually is still there albeit having changed owners several times since the 70's, that used to have well over a hundred RO80's. The owner was obsessed with American cars and RO80's. He used to buy them when the engines had expired and then break them and send the parts all over the world. It was a great yard with everything from Citroen DS's, Jensen interceptors,a Fiat 130 coupe, American cars and then the huge section with just the RO80's. As kids we spend hours climbing in all the cars and collecting badges. Most of the NSU's were in really good condition but had suffered failed rotor tip seals. There were also quite a few with different engines in, the Ford V4's and V6's were a popular conversion. In the end the guy sold the yard in the early 80's and moved to America to open a scrapyard there. All the RO's got crushed as there new owners were not interested in them. For quite a few after though there was a big wooden shed full of RO80 alloys. The good old days.
1991 XM 24V S1
1991 Renault 25 2.9i Baccara
1994 Renault Safrane 3.0i RXE
1984 Talbot Tagora SX 2.6
1980 Renault 30TX auto phase 1
1980 Renault 30TX manual phase 1
1982 Renault 5 Gordini Turbo

Post Reply