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Panda (Classic) John Dragon Man's Seat Marbella Fun

Introduction

Well guys and girls. i could not help my self when i saw this come in to our local scrap yard.

1994 Marbella with 20,079 miles on the clock. looks like it has not gone around the clock as the interior and parts of the engine and gearbox still look like new.

heres some pictures of how i came to it at the scrap yard:


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here you can see the melted wire:
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Stand by for some more pictures, and of course online video logs via Youtube!


bit of a story of how i found the car:

A few days ago (on the 23rd) me and a friend, went around another friends house. i parked up and used his (the friend we went around to see's) car to go down to the scrap yard (he is not far from it).
we had a good walk around and my friend found some more sound proofing for Talon (as he is very good at this) and some other odd bits (which i was told i could have for free - best scrap yard ever!).
on leaving the scrap yard a lorry came down the driveway looking for a way through to a business place. we told the lorry driver to follow us to where he needed to go as my friend knew the way to it.

on the way we passed a place i use to work at. as we went past the friend i brought with me noticed a seat marbella parked up in one of the car park bays. i didn't see much of it and only the back of the car, but noted the unusual reg number.
anyway. a day or so later (on the 26th) the same friend who spotted the car went to the same scrap yard we visited on the 23rd to get some bits for his car, and what car just so happens to be sat in the row of cars ready to have all of there vital fluids / environmental hazards removed? the little seat marbella. so he gets on the phone and rings me up.

I then ring up the scrap yard and ask them to hold the car and not to put it through the scrapping process as i would like to know if they would sell it.
they told me that it came in late on the 24th and i was lucky to catch it just in time. they gave me a price of £350 which was quite a bit for me so i was not really that bothered. my friend told me it was in good condition with no rust.
so i was just going to go down after they processed it for scrap as i wanted the rust free doors off it. (i know Sisley owners and Marbella doors.. :rolleyes:)

anyway. this morning (27th) i got a phone call from the scrap yard.
"you were interested in the marbella? i've stuck it to one side for you if you want to come down and have a look at it..."

well i could not resist.. even if it was just to see how good them doors were.. (ohhh those marbella doors..:yum::p:p). i drove right up to the gates and parked up. walked in and was greeted by this happy.. yet sad looking little red marbella.

well i looked around it found i could not get the bonnet open, would not pop up when i tried to open it. i did in the end get it open and soon spotted the "causes of death fault".
a really melted wire leading from the alternator that should of been connected to the starter motor, it somehow worked free and arced to the engine block causing the alternator to lock up and burn the diode bridge out. it also had short run issues like quite a bit of water logged oil in the oil filler (these engines get that, its normal), a smashed front headlight, on the inside the drivers side seat belt has been worn by something causing it to fray, and it is also missing a wing mirror.

inside the car was a notice saying that the car will not start and it was to be towed for scrap at 13:00 on the 24/04/13. i also found some paperwork with the previous owners name and address. (i was later able to track down the previous owner using this and retrieve the super rare parcel shelf! :D)

well despite the niggles that it had.. i just could not help myself... the car was rust free, solid as the first day it was put together.
so i end up talking to the guy on the weigh bridge and he said that i could take it for £325... delivered to my home address.:slayer:

and so, i now own a 1994 Seat Marbella "Fun" :D

it just so happens that my brother is taking driving lessons and i think that it would make the perfect car to welcome him into the life of driving a car.
keep this hush hush.. he does not know yet that this will be his car. ;)

Edits:
As of 17/08/2013 the car is now back on the road after its scrap yard rescue!!! High Five!
soon after the car was put in my brothers name as it made the insurance go down a lot.

Edit: This is a photo of the marbella when my brother sold it:
In the '70's you could buy little rocker box insulated jackets to prevent the condensation that creates the 'Mayo'
They were very silly.

Like the idea of that - got a vision of a little padded jacket like they put on those pointless rats on strings (with apologies to anyone who may have one of those! :doh: ).

Anybody got pics, as I don't recall seeing those? Could be quite cool in a retro sad way - black & white with ears maybe.... :devil:
 
My brother and i tracked down the previous owner of the red Seat Marbella to a house near to where my granddad lived as a boy. (so i know the area quite well)

only his wife was in at the time sadly but i have left her my phone number so her husband can ring back.
who knows, maybe he still has the spare keys and parcel shelf! maybe even all the booklets and paperwork!
its a most awesome feeling :LOL:
 
went a bit mad.. started to strip out the interior of the marbella to do a proper cleaning job on all the fabrics, floor pan and just to give it a general inspection of the floor pan.

dont know why but i have done this with every car i have owned so far. well all but the cinq, i cleaned the carpets and took the seats out but never removed the carpets from the car.

here is some pictures and at the bottom a video., i know you like pictures and videos :)

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dark patch is caused by the rubber anti ware patch in the carpet. not sure why.. rubber must of reacted with the paint sprayed on the sound proofing
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and for the Video:

 
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i think Marbella owners are like the crazy people of the Panda scene so it needs some mental mods to match. It should be a rule all Marbellas should be retrofitted with a Turbo :)

A blower would really give that perverse early 90s carb/ECU setup something to think about
 
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@Alixcompo the fuse box is near where the wiper motor is, behind the spare wheel. it has its own box, nothing like how yours or the one in Talon looks like. ill be sure to take a few snaps of it when i next take pictures :)

@cheekylittlescamp, i dont know.. its looking good so far. there is rust all around the battery box where the old one leaked. only surface though no weakening of panels. i have washed all the acid away from it with the hose, and just waiting for it to all dry out so i can treat it and paint it.
i have to take the plastic panel from off the drivers side to replace the seat belt. so we will see if ye ole trolly tin worm has sank its jaws in somewhere around there.

i cant help but get the feeling that all this seems too good to be true.. i only hope this feeling is wrong.:worship:

poor Talon must be feeling very neglected seeing me do all this work to the marbella.

oh and ran out of room in my sig:cry:
 
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its normal i think for such cars, it can have an owner for most its life who's kind to it and then it gets sold and they can go downhill rapidly, cinqs are getting the same now. They worth so little that its almost inevitable that they at some point get sold a few times for next to no money and end up with someone who only bought it cause it was cheap and not because they want it, all old fiats need at least a bit of love or they throw a paddy and start rotting lol.
 
i dont know, it also does not have the "Marbella" name badge on the back. i am wondering if it is part of the "Fun" spec.

just had a look on howmanyleft, 16 on the road and 12 sorn.
http://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/seat_marbella_fun

shockingly, according to howmanyleft.co.uk ther is only 100 Marbella's still knocking around in the UK!:eek: that's combined taxed and sorn!:eek::eek:

kinda feel quite privileged to own one :)

also just replaced the drivers side seat belt. to use a cinquecento's seat belt you have to drill out the threaded mounting bolt hole on the seat belt reel's cadge so be able to bolt it into the car. easy job.

oh and @cheekylittlescamp.. i think i am going to make you very jealous when i tell you that under the drivers side plastic wheel arch cover there is not only no rust.. but its also covered in sound proofing! sorry man but smug mode engaged.:D
 
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Fantastic news everyone!
i have just got off the phone with the guy that use to own the marbella.
he says he may still be able to get me the parcel shelf and a few other bits for the car.

he is also into his classics and a huge fiat fan, he told me.. and i also guessed it as before he had the marbella he had 2 panda sisley's parked where i use to see the marbella parked. (one was blue, like @JamieK's sisley, and one was the same colour as Talon)

i told him about us lot, and he said he is going to come over and check us out! :D
he is also after another panda, so lets hope he gets one.

going to do some more work on the marbella today, jack the back end up, take the wheel off, take the filler pipe off, and repair the damage to the panel around the filler cap.

you know, i really like this car.. i cant wait till my insurance comes down a bit so i can be put on as a 2nd driver :D
 
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