A good few years ago i got a call from Sean Pepper who wanted to trade a load of Triumph 650 stuff for some Ford V6 tuning parts i had for sale. Now Sean is a larger than life character who runs a small wooden garage with a very large sign bearing the legend "Mr Peppers SAAB Workshop", this is not on a scruffy back street or industrial estate but on a pleasant leafy road of tall town houses in the middle of Hull. Up and down the road and in neighbouring car parks are about 20 to 30 SAABs in varying stages of decay all belonging to Sean. He gets away with it partly because a good few of the houses are rented out to students, and also he is quite a big bloke.
Sean terrorised the streets of Hull with his chop in the 70s then took up drag racing with it, most people would have built it into a more suitable chassis but he weaved his way to low 14 second quarters at York Raceway still with slugged forks and forward controls, even ran it on methanol at one time.
Following its final blow up the mechanical parts were all thrown in a big green plastic bin in the corner of his dingy workshop while the chop lived in his mothers garden outside for over 20 years. I kept it in my garden for a year or two but because i cant leave anything alone stripped it and sold the parts that were worth selling. Wish i hadnt now.
Last time i saw him his health wasnt too good, if you get to read this Sean hope thing are going better for you now. Top man !
Hey Pete, as you know since I saw you at Mark Mullen's place this easter, I'm back to firing on all cylinders. Takes more than a missing thyroid to keep an ex chopper pilot down! Love the old write up. I'm still Mr Pepper's Saab Workshop on the leafy Hull street, and still provide an attractive array of Saab vehicles near and around as automotive eye candy for passers by. Top Bloke to you too Pete!
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