1993 S2 Avant

[John.]

Well done John saw this a couple of weekends ago it's a nice example. Are you thinking of putting some 18s on her??!

Cheers, it's looking better today for some polish and wax!

Congrats on your bringing another S2 North o'the Border, John , enjoy!

Cheers dude.

[Michael S2]

Nice one John had to be an avant

Looks a cracking car. How are you liking the extra power?

[John.]

Nice one John had to be an avant

Looks a cracking car. How are you liking the extra power?

Haven't driven it in anger due to coolant leak but I can say that it drives well, very smooth.

[geneandbolly]

come on, mr chest chains - get them shiny photies uploaded asap!

I'm dying here on the nightshift and need something nice to look at!!

[John.]

come on, mr chest chains - get them shiny photies uploaded asap!

I'm dying here on the nightshift and need something nice to look at!!

It'll take a while, only had the time to do one side......work's getting in the way!!

[geneandbolly]

you tease !!!

[Trist28]

John - Not on here often so only just seen your private message about my old avant. As S2s go its a tidy/straight car. I can see you thought as much as you were the first to view and bought it!

Jack - I feel for you...... Its always hard selling decent cars, luckily I had another S2 Still its money in the pot for your NZ mission. I see you racked up some sweet driving routes before you let her go

[Jack4688]

Yeah that was mainly a few roads I wanted to drive before I lost my chance to but now I'm also glad I did it in the S2 even though it wasn't running 100% at the time. Hopefully I'll see you for that big meet in Wales

[Ian_C]

John - Not on here often so only just seen your private message about my old avant. As S2s go its a tidy/straight car. I can see you thought as much as you were the first to view and bought it!

Indeed. I've kept quiet until now. But this was one of the best S2s around back in the day. It was owned by my best mates family from new in 1993 until they sold it circa Sept 2005. The plate has been on it since day one. And with it insured under a company fleet policy, my best mate was lucky enough to be able to drive it when he turned 17 in 2000. I can vividly remember the first time I went in this car.

Around the time the warranty ran out at three years old, the car was extensively modified by AmD Bicester. This included Mille Miglia wheels, RS2 style 322mm 'big red' Porsche front brakes, Konis, stainless exhaust, and the engine uprated to approx 400 lb ft. This was all in the history file, I had a browse when it was for sale, it sold after being advertised by AmD Bicester in the end iirc

What happened next is a mystery. The Porsche brakes + Mille Milglia wheels were evidently removed and the original Avus 16s refitted (included and sold with the car, but didn't clear the Porsche brakes). Ditto the exhaust it seems. The buyer said they were a collector, London based I think, so one possibility is that they wanted it as standard looking as possible. However, I have no idea why you'd want to refit factory brakes to a car with that much power. My best mate said if he ever wanted to sell it to give him first refusal. This never happened, which suggest the buyer may have just stripped the 'goodies' and fitted with the original wheels and sold on.

The V5 might be a clue to the gap between 'RNA' and Tristan, how many owners in between etc. But it was certainly loved by its first owner for the first 12+ years of its life. It was a fantastic motor and only sold due to its age

[Jack4688]

Wow I had no idea it had been modified in the past! I found evidence of the Konis being fitted back in '98 I think but nothing of the rest... Other than the brakes I can see why one would want to revert it back to standard though.

[John.]

Indeed. I've kept quiet until now. But this was one of the best S2s around back in the day. It was owned by my best mates family from new in 1993 until they sold it circa Sept 2005. The plate has been on it since day one. And with it insured under a company fleet policy, my best mate was lucky enough to be able to drive it when he turned 17 in 2000. I can vividly remember the first time I went in this car.

Around the time the warranty ran out at three years old, the car was extensively modified by AmD Bicester. This included Mille Miglia wheels, RS2 style 322mm 'big red' Porsche front brakes, Konis, stainless exhaust, and the engine uprated to approx 400 lb ft. This was all in the history file, I had a browse when it was for sale, it sold after being advertised by AmD Bicester in the end iirc

What happened next is a mystery. The Porsche brakes + Mille Milglia wheels were evidently removed and the original Avus 16s refitted (included and sold with the car, but didn't clear the Porsche brakes). Ditto the exhaust it seems. The buyer said they were a collector, London based I think, so one possibility is that they wanted it as standard looking as possible. However, I have no idea why you'd want to refit factory brakes to a car with that much power. My best mate said if he ever wanted to sell it to give him first refusal. This never happened, which suggest the buyer may have just stripped the 'goodies' and fitted with the original wheels and sold on.

The V5 might be a clue to the gap between 'RNA' and Tristan, how many owners in between etc. But it was certainly loved by its first owner for the first 12+ years of its life. It was a fantastic motor and only sold due to its age

Have had a look through the AmD receipts, there's mention of the Koni shockers being fitted in Dec '96, and mention later of copper washers between flexi's and calipers(Jan '06) so presumably the Porsche brakes were in place at this time when owned by a Mr. Boroughs?
No mention of exhaust or power upgrades though......maybe receipts were removed from history when they were removed from car?
From receipts it can be seen that it was looked after, no doubt about that.

John.

[K Simmonds]

I went to view this example with Tristan when he acquired it and can also confirm that it's a very solid straight car, the chap he purchased it off had spent a fortune on trying to stop it smoking and had basically given up. Oddly enough I bumped into the guy a few months back in my local petrol station as he spotted my RS2 and was most complimentary about it.

There's something of a black hole in it's history as it was further modified after AMD with a K26/7, larger injectors and software from Hoffer if my memory serves me correctly. Though the downpipe, exhaust and inter-cooler were stock which didn't seem to make a lot of sense to us.

The smoking was down to the K26/7 so the guy had the valve stem seals done for no reason.

Anyway congratulations on S2 ownership John, I hope you have years of enjoyment from the car. I'm sure Tristan will have given you much more detail as it was him that sorted it out and got it going properly in stock form. It was the first S2 Avant I've driven.

And commiserations Jack, it must have been hard to see her go, best of luck with the move too NZ

[geneandbolly]

i told you it was a fast one, john . .

[Ian_C]

Have had a look through the AmD receipts, there's mention of the Koni shockers being fitted in Dec '96, and mention later of copper washers between flexi's and calipers(Jan '06) so presumably the Porsche brakes were in place at this time when owned by a Mr. Boroughs?
No mention of exhaust or power upgrades though......maybe receipts were removed from history when they were removed from car?
From receipts it can be seen that it was looked after, no doubt about that.

John.

I wasn't aware of the next owners name, but if the receipt for Jan 2006 says Mr Boroughs, this is *definitely* owner 2 continuing the servicing back at AmD. A receipt for brake parts suggests this is when the Porsche brakes were likely removed. Hopefully the AmD receipts were removed/binned purely to hide the fact the car had been tuned - NOT to try and disguise the mileage in any way.

I went to view this example with Tristan when he acquired it and can also confirm that it's a very solid straight car, the chap he purchased it off had spent a fortune on trying to stop it smoking and had basically given up. Oddly enough I bumped into the guy a few months back in my local petrol station as he spotted my RS2 and was most complimentary about it.

There's something of a black hole in it's history as it was further modified after AMD with a K26/7, larger injectors and software from Hoffer if my memory serves me correctly. Though the downpipe, exhaust and inter-cooler were stock which didn't seem to make a lot of sense to us.

The smoking was down to the K26/7 so the guy had the valve stem seals done for no reason.

Anyway congratulations on S2 ownership John, I hope you have years of enjoyment from the car. I'm sure Tristan will have given you much more detail as it was him that sorted it out and got it going properly in stock form. It was the first S2 Avant I've driven.

And commiserations Jack, it must have been hard to see her go, best of luck with the move too NZ

Jack mentions he bought it May 2013, approx when did you view it with Tristan to purchase Kit? And what part of the country - near yourself if you bumped into him at your local filling station I guess!

Fair enough it had a turbo - my friends dad ran it tuned for approx 9 years, and I don't think the turbo failed during this period. As already suspected, there was definitely more than one owner between my friends dad and Tristan then - owner 2 who returned it to stock (including finding an original exhaust and brakes) and owner 3 (or more) who replaced the turbo, injectors the valve seals you mention

[John.]

Changed hands (new owner A.Burroughs/Burrows/Boroughs) between Feb.'05 and Dec.'05
New owner was from Newport according to receipts, he used AmD for a service on the car in December '05 then he used Pool Gargage, Llandevenny. Last receipt from this garage was June 2007 when MOT was carried out.
After this someone in Hereford owned it, receipts state customer as Trionic Joinery & Building Co. Receipt from DH Hall & Son, Hereford, for replacing valve stem seals in May 2010.
.......then Jack.