Sao Penza

[bigstraight6]

That’s some find, and it’s incredible it flew through the MOT after all that time being laid up.

[Shep Shepherd]

23 minutes ago, egg said:

K reg, and Kent registered. Who were the original supplying dealer?

Must make next year's calendar.

Going by the rear number plate and  the sticker on the tailgate, it was at one time sold by Colonial of Gillingham. No idea if they sold Penzas new, though. I imagine that most Sao dealers were small garages with one or two car capacity showrooms akin to the dealers of other 'budget' marques and rural Rover and Ford dealers of the time.

I believe that the cars were imported by a subsidiary of Mazda UK, which is based in Kent and has been since the marque was first sold in the UK. Every photo of a UK model Penza I've seen online features cars with Kent registrations

[Spottedlaurel]

Did John Childs ever sell Sao? I know of them as they took my Laurel in as a part-ex against a Perodua in 2008, and Streetview shows they still had old Dacia and Yugo signage in place as recently as 2016. The sort of place that would have tried Sao....

[Shep Shepherd]

They were definitely the sort of Kent car dealer that would have sold Penzas new. Ditto outfits like Spand Motors and Westbrook Cars.  The former sold Protons and the latter sold Ladas.

[trigger]

2 hours ago, SiC said:

Didn't trigger track one of these down a year or so ago as well?

This is the same one, Jude posted it on Facebook and knowing it's one of the Autoshite holy grails I posted it on here.

 

I'm pleased it's been bought and has found a new home, just to find that Londsdale now!

[dome]

I clicked on the Mazda 323 thread earlier and thought"it's good, but it's no Sao Penza." 

Then I saw this thread.

I love this place!

[brownnova]

This is what makes this place awesome! 

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, Spottedlaurel said:

they took my Laurel in as a part-ex against a Perodua in 2008

From the sublime to the ridiculous.  I hope it was a Myvi at least - going from a Laurel to a Kenari would be a proper shock to the system.

[skoda_fan]

I can't believe what I've read here. Amazing save. Brilliant.

[somewhatfoolish]

I now expect someone on AS will produce a 'barn fresh' Zworykin Pet or Contadini Lambrusco with original spaghetti harvesting equipment before the new year.

[stuboy]

didnt sao do other models?

[catsinthewelder]

I remember Embletons in Durham sold them alongside Kia Prides when Lancia pulled out of the UK.

Top save.

[shoddybanger]

Charming. This is a piece of obscurity I didn't even know to exist.

[lovejoy]

Having lived/worked in Sarf Efrica for some time, I am very aware of the curious S.A. variants

and unique vehicles produced there, so I can safely say I have seen another imported Penza,

initially on SA plates, then re-registered on UK plates, driving round Bournemouth suburbs by

a young lady, it must have been her daily, as I would often see it turn at lights on the A348.

Hello Nigel,  and "well done" !     

[SRi05]

Amazing find sir. You win the internet for today

[martc]

'Sao' was a brand name of Samcor - the South African Motor Corporation, who still exist now assembling Fords (Ford once (still do?) own Mazda). Samcor also assembled the booted Mazda 323 sold as the Mazda? Meteor or Ford Laser in some markets. Automotive Holdings, a subsidiary of Mazda Cars Ltd, imported the Penza; there's an Automotive Group Holdings still registered in Orpington - I wonder if this is them?

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, SRi05 said:

Amazing find sir. You won the internet for life years ago, so not surprised in the least  

EFA

[flat4alfa]

Top Bickleing!

[DoctorRetro]

[Steve79]

Sao Penza wiki page updated!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Familia#Sao_Penza

[LightBulbFun]

27 minutes ago, Steve79 said:

Sao Penza wiki page updated!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Familia#Sao_Penza

you can cite autoshite as a source on Wikipidia?! LOL

not complaining mind, the Wikipedia article for the invalid carriage/Invacar is in serious need of corrections and updates

(sadly im not sure how to go about editing wikipedia articles LOL)

[Datsuncog]

4 hours ago, catsinthewelder said:

I remember Embletons in Durham sold them alongside Kia Prides when Lancia pulled out of the UK.

Yup, I can remember a shopping centre up the road from me displaying a Kia Pride and Sao Penza alongside each other in the main concourse... I was about ten or eleven at the time. I found it a bit confusing since they were both plainly Mazdas, and neither Kia nor Sao were familiar manufacturers to me at all... the Kia, in particular, looked rather naff with its ersatz whitewall tyres.

I've been trying to remember which local dealer sold them, and can only assume it was either Sammy Mellon - who were Mazda dealers in the 1980s, but were possibly transitioning to their current Hyundai dealership at that stage - or else Roy Paul Motors, who had recently lost their Volvo franchise and were grubbing about with SEAT Marbellas, Ibizas and Málagas c.1990

24 minutes ago, Steve79 said:

Sao Penza wiki page updated!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Familia#Sao_Penza

That's a pleasing reference to see. Good going!

[LightBulbFun]

oh and for people browsing on a laptop/desktop and are wondering why they are getting the mobile site

heres the desktop version  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Familia#Sao_Penza

(just remove the m from the URL)

[Dead_E23]

The importers were based in Tunbridge Wells, and also brought Mazda, FSO and Seat into the country.

I am surprised it is not a place of pilgrimage, especially as the water from the Chalybeate spring in the nearby Pantiles is a cure for rust.

[Spiny Norman]

I've driven a Penza, a long time ago on holiday in Cyprus we rented one for a few days. I remember driving it on roads I'd never have considered taking my own car, and at one point we got lost on what started out as a dirt track and ended up as a military training site. We were 'encouraged' to leave by some armed soldiers.

My memory of the car is that it took the kind of abuse only a rental car should ever endure, and apart from being full of red dust when we took it back, it survived the experience without protest.
I still have a very blurry pic of it somewhere.

[Burnside]

Well done Nigel Bickle for once again saving another rare motor. Looks to have survived pretty well given it's lengthy layup too.

Added Bonus for me is I can finally tick it off in my 1992 I Spy II Cars Book. Which I've had since I was about 8 years old.

[paulscavalier]

I remember when these first came out. Never saw one on the road though. Great find great save

[HMC]

I’ve got the same I spy book-

IIRC - Toyota sera.............. Toyota would like to point out its use in some countries may not be legal - or something like that!

top save btw

[Spottedlaurel]

It's reminded me of this oddity I saw back in 2010, last MoT expired in 2016 and no longer on DVLA so presume scrapped:

1998 Ford Tracer 1.3 (Mazda 323) + 1991 Ford Sierra 1.6 Laser estate by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

Believed to have come from South Africa.

[Steve79]

The Sao Penza acquired celeb status in the early 90's when Rotherham defender Billy Russell was given the keys to one by a Jack Boswell from Bread looky likey by Kimberworth Service Station.

Bet he was chuffed!!!