SR Sado
| SR Sado | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Schroeter Romeo |
| Production | 1992–1995 |
| Assembly | Vriendendam, Netherlands |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | GT |
| Body style | 2-door coupé |
| Layout | Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive |
| Chassis | ladder chassis |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 5.0 L SR Splerg 5-cylinder petrol |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual |
SR Sado, usually called Sado, is a limited-production sports car designed and produced by Schroeter Romeo. It was produced from 1992 to 1995 as a 2-door coupé and was the first Schroeter Romeo car designed for both circuit use and normal road use.[1]
History
[edit | edit source]In 1990, after the main course of the Vriendendam Racetrack received a new road surface, racing activity on the circuit increased. The Schroeters had previously raced on the Schroeterbaan, where they mainly held individual time trials. After the municipality of Vriendendam announced the 1990 renovation of the main course, and after other families began preparing for racing activity there, Lourens Schroeter ordered Schroeter Romeo to design a new sports car.
The order led to the creation of a new design bureau within Schroeter Romeo. The bureau designed the Sado within one year. Its design used components with tighter dimensional tolerances than the company's earlier road vehicles. This required Schroeter Romeo's component factories to purchase additional machines, which delayed the completion of the first model by another year.
Two years after the design order, the first roadworthy Sado models left the Schroeter Romeo assembly hangars in Vriendendam.
Naming
[edit | edit source]The name Sado differs from the standard Schroeter Romeo vehicle naming system. The name has been attributed to a wordplay by Schroeter Romeo accountants during the short development period. According to this account, the accountants could not produce a suitable name other than Schroeter's Cadeau. Before the Sado name was chosen, the car carried the concept name Project 5, which annoyed the accountants.
Production
[edit | edit source]Production was largely handled by the component factories of Schroeter Romeo in the Netherlands. Only the tyres and windows were supplied by external suppliers. Between 1992 and 1995, Schroeter Romeo produced 5 pre-production models and 25 production models.
Schroeterrit
[edit | edit source]On 5 October 1992, during the event later known as the Schroeterrit on the main course of the Vriendendam Racetrack, Lourens Schroeter broke records that other participants had held for decades. The event became the main public demonstration of the Sado's circuit capability.
Powertrain
[edit | edit source]The Sado served as the test platform for the SR Splerg, a new 5-cylinder petrol engine developed by Schroeter Romeo. Although the engine was large for the Sado itself, it became the main test unit for the company's first sports-car and sports-engine design bureau in Vriendendam. The engine was paired with a 5-speed manual transmission.
On the racetrack, Lourens Schroeter reached a top speed of 250 km/h in the Sado. This set a new Schroeter family record for closed-cabin sports cars, replacing the previous record held since 1975.
Surviving vehicles
[edit | edit source]By 2020, 20 Sado models were no longer roadworthy because high-quality marble replacement parts were no longer available after the bankruptcy of Marmerfabriek Overschie BV.
See also
[edit | edit source]- Schroeter Romeo
- Vriendendam Racetrack
- SR Splerg
- Schroeterrit
- Lourens Schroeter
- Schroeter family
- Marmerfabriek Overschie BV