Safrane-tastic (25v6turbo's thread really)

[Skizzer]

Following a discussion in another thread the other day, I'm helping out 25v6turbo by posting up his pics of a particularly lovely looking Renault Safrane. He'll doubtless fill us in on the details shortly

 

Here are the pics:

DSC02403 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

DSC02401 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

DSC02406 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

DSC02391 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

DSC02999 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

DSC02950 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

DSC02954 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

DSC02723 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

I'm lovin' that TV, by the way Although presumably you have to sit on the gear stick to watch it.

 

Over to you, Mr Turbo...

[ProgRocker]

Oh, that is lovely.

 

  Skizzer said:

I'm lovin' that TV, by the way Although presumably you have to sit on the gear stick to watch it.

 

Or use a series of mirrors.

[25v6turbo]

Hi folks

Well at last a few pics of my Safrane and many thanks to Skizzer for posting them.

The Safrane was built around Christmas 1993,this i have managed to trace down using dates on various looms,plastic items which carry build dates,it was then shipped to the import centre(CAT GB)in Southampton,then it was used as a publicity car for Renault Safrane brochures,and range brochures circa late 93/Jan 94,not a press car or roadtest car,just a persian red RXE used in brochures,only a few times but its enough,then it was registered at the import centre and despatched to Renault Croydon as a demo car,it was then bought by the previous owner to me in Sept 94,they owned it until i bought it a few years ago,it was replaced by a red Laguna turbo,the previous owner pampered it greatly,keeping it in a stunning garage with electric doors etc.

I always wanted a Persian V6 RXE as i remember clearly when they where launched in the U.K(Feb 93)the first Renault garage i worked for had the exact car as a demo and i loved driving the MDs car being only 18 at the time!!So when this came up as a buy it now on E-bay i had to have it.

It really has been well looked after,the first time i clapped eyes on it it just reminded me of the launch in 93 and my jaw just dropped,the condition was stunning.

So once home a good close lookover the Safrane at work showed how nice it really was,the cleaniness was amazing,door shuts,boot shut,engine bay etc are just superb and had obvious been well cared for,but being an ex car valeter(i used to clean these when new)i detailed it myself a bit more just to get it up to scratch,very little has actually been spent on the Safrane,just a bit here and there,plus a nice discount from the parts department resulted in me getting the car as good as i can.

All the bodywork is totally original,no paintwork has been done,theres not a single parking ding,scuff on the body,the odd very small blemish,but i mean small,very small.The alloys are mint,not a single mark on them(i,am sure these must of been refurbed before i bought it)

It has a fantastic selection of paperwork with it,a complete bookpack with every book that it should have plus more,its brilliant,full service history since day one,3 sets of keys,never smoked in,un-used toolkit,sparewheel etc,etc.

The car itself has some great original details aswell as rare accessories,Renault croydon window sticker,key fob,numberplates(had to get the plates remade as originals weren,t perfect)Renault RAC tax disc holder(i have the Renault Croydon one aswell)original overmats,period Renault TV.this doesn,t work,bought it from France but its dated May 93,mudflaps,bulb kit,first aid kit,all genuine Renault items and genuine period items from the 90s,no modern repro crap!

The one thing i added was the rear glass partition that is fitted between the rear parcel shelf and the roof,its a cracking item and looks stunning,it was only fitted to French spec V6 Baccarras,never in U.K cars,except mine,i waited weeks for this,but i was told it was the only one ever sold in the U.K.

As for toys it has everything it could possible,some of the more interesting ones are electric individual rear seats,these are amazing and never put on any Renault since,also electric steering column,electric memory front seats,with memory mirrors,so adjust the memory button and the front drivers seat,mirror glasses and electric steering column all adjust on there own,you can set 3 different setting,all mine at at extremes so they all move a lot when you select 1,2,3.

Computer controlled suspension,this was a stupid idea which cost a fortune and became an expensive(£1500) option in later cars,it adjusts itself at higher speed to a lower postion,and can raise itself at a standstill for when you go over rough ground,crap idea but looks good when i activate it,but i don,t often incase it breaks....

So what doesn,t it have?well to be honest nothing,there was only 3 options when brand new,leather,CD player and the ergomatic seats,these are great,individual cushions that inflate inside the front seats to tighten up the seat,i must admit i love these,great toy,and super rare on these(i have a spare set in cloth)my car has all 3 of these,and had Renaultcare when new,which was some sort of extended warranty.

Do i use it much,simple answer is no,between MOTS last year to this,its done 10 miles,and only 3 miles since May,but its 100% roadworthy,all legal,garage kept under a dustsheet.i have never driven in in the rain or had it out on a damp road,and i,ve never washed it ever,it was that good when i bought it.

At one time(95/96) this was Renaults most expensive car for sale at nearly 28K,since i bought it i amassed a huge collection of brochures,posters,presskits etc,i have a few large boxes,one full of English stuff,the other all the foreign stuff,i have tons of it...

How much did i pay for it £600 buy it now,the wife wants it gone,she can go first!!!!!!

[Hertz]

What's the point in having a fully MOT'd car and not use it? Why not take it to the odd show next year so you get to enjoy driving it and people get to enjoy looking at it?

 

It is lovely I must admit but I think you should have kept the 25 Turbo instead as that was a cracker

[25v6turbo]

I only keep it roadworthy as its not garaged at my house,so if i want to take it to work(about 1/4 mile away)then i can,if its SORNed then its no use,i can,t move it anywhere if i want to.

The 25 wasn,t as good as this,it had a few problems and actually wasn,t as clean,still a nice car though!

[fiatdaft]

Im no that keen on modernish french stuff,but at £600 i would have,thats lovely !

[Mr_Bo11ox]

That is a STUNNAH! Absolutley lovely. A 2.5 Auto one was winking at me on the bay lately, I proper fancy one. Seems mad that you can get em with 4, 5 or 6 cylinders as per your preference.

[R9UKE]

Absolutely stunning! SUCH a gorgeous car. Currently in negotiations with a guy over one of these and it will hopefully be home in January if his price is right. It's also got the air suspension, electric rear seats etc, in nowhere near as good condition though and has a few engine problems which I'm ready to nurse it through. That's a beautiful Safrane - can't believe I haven't owned one yet

[andrew e]

Never been washed

[25v6turbo]

Hi chaps

Cheers for the comments,thought i might get taken the piss out of about the way i keep it so clean,few miles it does etc,but i just want to try and look after it as best as possible seeing as they are so rare now...

I,ve never washed it all it was that good,just a detailed polish etc did the trick,even the spare wheel well has been polished,and the door/boot shuts.

The engine bay needed the most cleaning up,but came up lovely,a few new nuts/bolts and a couple of small parts from work sorted it out.

Future plans for it include actually doing a few miles in it next year,maybe to a few local shows,and get more brochures etc for the collection and just carry on getting it as good as i can.

R9UKE you have a PM.

[Hertz]

No doubt this is in nicer nick than your old 25 V6 Turbo, wasn't the 25 nicer/quicker to drive though?

 

I have only driven a Safrane once, it was only the 2.0 one and I crashed it It was owned by a B "Celeb" at the time, well when I say B probably E is closer to the mark. It had had issues with the Auto box surprise surprise and I was delivering it back to the owner after it had been fixed. Anyone remember Eamonn O'Neal from Granada in the mid 90's? His face was a picture when I delivered it with the front end caved in

 

[25v6turbo]

You know anorak facts about the Safrane V6

It was the first Renault ever to have electric rear seats as standard(25 Limo wasn,t a production car!),

electric steering column

CD and tape player

regulated A/C

Heated seats

Rear sunblind

Dipping N/S mirror when reverse selected

Computer controlled suspension

Heated front screen

Blue tint mirror glasses

Sure theres some more,all to be expected in 2011 but a first in 1992 for Renault.

[R9UKE]

Heated seats??? Really? I didn't think Renault learnt about their existence until the Laguna II.