Reassuringly Reassuring

January 24, 2022 Eleven

As the years pass and we watch our Saabs getting older, I find it reassuring that there seems to have been a real surge of interest in the brand of late; people are becoming more aware of their innovation, beauty and longevity. This will hopefully help to keep more of them maintained as they should be and ultimately, keep more of them on the roads for the future.

It’s been 10 years now since Saab manufactured a single car and yet their desirability doesn’t seem to have been lost. There are ones that have always been universally praised of course, the classic 900 for instance, but what’s reassuring is the appetite for other, later model Saabs too. The 9-3 and 9-5 are equally desirable and have seen asking prices increase recently, the 9000 is finally getting some of the attention it deserves and any model boosting ‘Aero’ is commanding even more of a premium.

As I’ve continued to source, rescue, drive and enjoy many Saab Aeros, one has consistently surpassed my expectations; the 1st and 2nd generation 9-5 Aeros. They’ve proved themselves to be not only exceptionally reliable and an absolute joy to drive, but with minor work to the handling, these Saabs can outshine many modern cars, for comfort, style and performance. Looked after, they show little sign of wear and equal iconic modern classics such as the Mercedes W124 and BMW E39, in fact, in many ways, better.

As new cars quickly change to alternative modes of fuel, be it electricity, hydrogen or other, I can’t help but think how important it is to maintain our Saabs. After all, they won’t be crafting any new cars, so what we have now, is what we’ve got.

Being somewhat of a collector has allowed me to compare my Saabs with plenty of other marques. I currently own several, and I find it reassuring that I’ll happily choose the Saabs over them and will continue to look after them for as longs as I can.

This exceptionally special 9-5 Aero, Hirsch upgraded from factory is currently for sale to make way for others to be rescued. Find out more.

Interior Therapy

January 17, 2022 Eleven

Despite owning the 9-5 Hirsch for over 6 months now, I hadn’t had an opportunity to spend time detailing the dashboard. Over the years, the buttons tend to get coated with grime and become sticky, so it’s an exceptionally rewarding job to tackle.

I tend to use warm soap and water with either a toothbrush or paintbrush to work in some moisture first and then move on to a Hi-Foam Interior Shampoo from Autoglym for a second stage clean. I’ll them remove any residue with a microfibre cloth and hoover over the entire facia to really pull out any remaining dust and dirt.

I’ve got a real hate for any kind of oil or shine on the surfaces, so tend to stay away from most treatments; Autoglym Vinyl and rubber care being the exception. This feeds the plastics and bring the colours out again but still remains matt after finishing.

It’s a stage I love doing, especially on Saabs, the older dashboards were beautifully designed and built and respond well to care. The buttons are once again free from grime with clear letting and symbols and with the new Saab carbon facia, is both timeless and functional, all that remains is a new Nappa leather steering wheel.

Handcrafted Beauty

January 3, 2022 Eleven

As work starts on the silver 9000 Aero rescue, so does the search for new and unusual parts to give it a few desirable touches that us Saabists seem to cherish.

Currently the interior has a standard black plastic dashboard which although inoffensive doesn’t have the style this classic Saab deserves, so the first option to source was a wood veneer dashboard to replace it with.

Most available are now broken, faded and a little worse for wear, but managing to find two filthy ones at my Saab specialist gave me hope. I set about a full clean and polish and was surprised to discover the maker’s original production checklist hidden on the back of the dashboard; William Lawrence & Co. Ltd, a fine furniture maker in Nottingham, England founded in 1875 by a local Quaker named William Lawrence.

I’ve always been impressed by the quality of these pieces; genuine walnut veneer that helps create individuality in each car, but now realise that the process took some seven days, from first pressing and pigment to polish and final finish. Although not perfect, these dashboards really are works of art, small details that make Saabs special, this was a nice discovery to make and one I had never known before.

Every Cloud

December 8, 2021 Eleven

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I haven’t written anything for a few months; a combination of feeling a bit down, getting a bunch of lowlifes commenting on the work i’ve done with some recent Saabs and generally a lack of inspiration to keep rescuing Saabs with absolutely no return. But, of course the love for Saabs doesn’t diminish, and as fate / luck would have it, a number of very special ones had been offered to me in the space of a few days, every cloud as they say.

One of these, was a Silver 9000 Aero, Rocky Black leather, super Aero alloys and just 107,000 miles. Its last owner has had it for the past 12 years, but over the past few has left the Saab unused. Although very clean, it has a lot to focus on; oil leaks, faulty sensors, loose belts, cracked tyres etc, but overall has the potential to be a wonderful example of this amazing car.

It has a little rust on the inner rear quarters which will be welded, it needs a new front passenger wing, dents removed and the rear bumper has a slight crack that needs welding. Other than that, it needs a load of tlc, cleaning, polishing and maybe a few enhancements.

1 / 195 Limited Edition

September 23, 2021 Eleven

The 9-3 Monte Carlo is a rare Saab indeed, rumour has it that only 195 were released worldwide. There were 3 and 5 door versions, but the coupe has to be the chosen one with its HOT B204R T5 engine, stunning interior that's inspired by the iconic 9000 Aero interior by Recaro, and of course the shear beauty of form; extended doors, large rear side glazing and the timeless curves.

It's a Saab that I'd been looking for for an exceptionally long time and finally, one showed up that was hard to resist. Having been stored for more than 10 years, it's bodywork is near on perfect with none of the rust these early 9-3 are beginning to suffer, what's more it had only covered 73,000 miles, was a manual and had an interior that's as close to new as you can possibly get.

Early signs were fantastic, it drove beautifully, smelled like a proper Saab (those who know will know) and truly didn't have a mark on it. But of course with any 20 year old car, not everything can be right and after a full and thorough inspection, we discovered the obligatory split bulkhead had happened, so the work began.

The engine was totally removed, all signs of associated corrosion addressed, the bulkhead repair kit fitted and welded and the entire area rustproofed and resealed. Whilst the engine was out, we took the opportunity to fit a new Viggen clutch and Abbott Racing lightweight flywheel, drop the sump for good measure and generally replace anything that might need doing in the future together with a 250hp remap by Noob Tune.

The legendary Viggen rescue kit by Abbott was also fitted together with new Bilstein B8 shocks and Eibach springs, new bushes, new arms, front discs and pads and finished off with the beautiful classic Hirsch 18" rims.

Whilst all of this work was going on, I happened to find one of the rarest parts I've ever come across, a genuine Hirsch carbon dashboard and leather covered centre console which together, have absolutely perfected the already special interior.

I've noticed the speakers aren't good and might need replacing, I'm also moving towards a 3" downpipe and stainless exhaust so I can give it a stage 3 remap, but other than that, this is almost perfection in my eyes, this one just might be a little harder to let go of.

Hirsch Troll R Touches

September 15, 2021 Eleven

It’s been a hectic few weeks for the new 9-3 Monte Carlo, it went in to Malcolm Miles for it’s normal check over; oil and filter change and brake checks etc and ended up with the entire engine out.

What looked like an immaculate Saab, turned out to have a few surprises for us, not unexpected on a 20 year old car of course, but the obligatory split bulkhead had caused some areas to corrode, so with the impending suspension changes and power upgrades, it needed to be fixed and done correctly. The engine was removed as was the interior, the bulkhead welded, rustproofed and resealed and the famous Viggen Rescue Kit by Abbott Racing fitted.

Rust prevention has also been done to protect it for the future, drain holes cleaned up and coated as have the inner wheel arches. Whilst we’ve been at it, we’ve changed bushes, track rod ends, arms and brackets to handle the new Bilstein B8 shocks and Eibach springs with ease, we’ve also fitted a new Viggen clutch upgrade, a lightweight flywheel by Abbott Racing and set of performance discs and pads. The engine is now back in safely, a new 3.5 bar fuel pump and fuel filter fitted and we’re awaiting the arrival of the Stage 1 NoobTune remap to give the Monte Carlo its first 250+ grunt.

But with all of this mechanical work going on, it’s always rewarding to see some visual changes happening too. The 18” classic Hirsch alloys have been added but the best part for me has been the fitting of the ridiculously rare Hirsch carbon dashboard and the leather covered centre console. Not only has it changed the feel of the entire interior, but in my eyes, has given it the touch of individuality and quality it truly deserves.

More work will continue in time, but so far, I’m thrilled with how the Monte Carlo is coming along, it’s a Saab that deserves all it gets and will be an absolute pleasure to own and drive, the Hirsch touches taken from a genuine 2.0 Troll R from France, just add even more desirability.

Legand

August 19, 2021 Eleven

Yesterday I watched sadly as the iconic 9000 Aero was driven away by its new guardian, and yes, this one made me exceptionally sad to see it go. I’m constantly on the search for Saabs that are a little bit unusual, ones that maybe have a unique specification, a limited edition or even just an exceptional colour, and this 9000 was most defiantly one of those.

The 9000 Aero had always been a dream for me, I’ve wanted to own one for some 20+ years and have to say, it did not disappoint in any way shape or form, it was quite simply, a legend of a car. The biggest pleasure for me is bringing these Saabs back to life, giving them the dedication they deserve and fixing issues that other’s might have just neglected, hidden or deemed unnecessary to do. Once those have been ticked off, I can start to dream, thinking about what I’d love to do the make it really special again.

This specific 9000 had already been beautifully maintained and received plenty of performance updates throughout its journey, but I had a personal vision of how the 9000 Aero interior should be especially; I changed the faded walnut dash and central pocket cover, found original audio head units and rare cup holder, changed the gear knob and replaced all of the blown bulbs bring the interior back to how I remember seeing it in the 1996 brochure. Alongside a full mechanical shake down, we’ve also fitted a full set of Abbott Motorsport discs and pads and a new Michelin tyres.

It’s been a short but sweet Saab story with the 9000, but I’ve had it, loved it and passed it on to a fantastic new owner who I know will truly cherish it as much as I have. I do often wonder why I continue to search out these Saabs but they still excite me, they make me dream of what can be achieved and how I can make them as good as my vision, they also help to keep me on the right side of sane which is often not an easy task. Above all though, it’s when I read words like this that I realise why I still and will continue to love Saabs and our odd little global community :

"Big thank you to Paul a.k.a Saab vs. Scepticism for selling me this gorgeous 9000 Aero. I could tell he was genuinely sad to see it go but he knows it will be cherished. What a top guy, properly enthusiastic about keeping the brand alive and clearly a true car guy! As part of the deal I asked him to stick a bit of juice in it (enough to get me home) and rather than just putting a £10 splash he went and brimmed it with 99RON, as well as getting it cleaned for me. Legend, thank you”.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

July 21, 2021 Eleven

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Over the past few months, I been slowly coming to terms with the fact that my constant mission to buy and rescue Saabs is proving more and more painful for both my soul and my bank account. It’s become obvious that the way I like to do each project is just wasting time and money, and the resell value can’t ever match what I put in, let alone make a tiny profit.

It fills me with sadness really, as it’s one of my ways to stay buoyant and inspired, but, there is an upside to this reality, I needed to find another Saab that was exceptionally special, one to keep for longer, one for myself. As luck would have it, I was recently contacted by a great guy who asked if I might be interested in buying his Saab 9-5, he hadn’t driven it for 4 years due to personal circumstances and needed to sell it.

After further talks, he told me it was a factory Hirsch Aero with a hefty specification;

Performance enhancement to 305hp
Intercooler
Intake
Air filer housing
Exhaust system inc sport catalyst
Turbo
Fuel pressure regulator
Sports chassis including shocks and springs
4 piston brake system
3 part mesh grille
Rear spoiler
18” six spoke alloys

What really tipped it over the edge for me was the generous Saab specification too, it comes in the beautifully rare Smoke Beige Metallic, has an almost immaculate Sand leather interior and also has the factory sat nav and Harman Kardon Audio upgrade. It’s been lovingly cared for by specialists, most notably Abbott for a big chunk of its life and the paintwork is superb.

Of course, having sat in a garage for 4 years, it’s going in for recommissioning immediately, together with a new Hirsch front brake kit that also came with the car. It’ll get all new fluids, filters and air con clean and regas and a new MOT.

It’s a genuinely stunning find, and as far as I know, there’s only a handful of these heavily specified Hirsch Aeros left in the country. I feel privileged to have been offered such a great Saab and will be working hard to get it spot on, but for myself this time.

The Journey Continues...

July 13, 2021 Eleven

After many months of work on the Scarab Green 9-5 Aero, it felt like the right time to pass-the-parcel so to speak. I wouldn't normally be a happy man to not have finished a project, but this one defies logic. I should be doing the bodywork next, but my heart says leave it as it is; a genuinely lovely Q car, so I'm letting its new owner decide what's next this time.

In its 21 years, it has only covered 83,000 miles, and with the work done so far, it honestly feels like a new Saab, the modifications have given it a new lease of life and it feels exceptionally tight; no rattles, no awkward noises, just super smooth and rather fast thanks to a Stage 3+ remap from Noob once again.

It took endless revisits to finally eliminate all of the issues with the suspension and handling. We've changed endless arms, bushes, brackets and bearings, we've added the B8 shocks with Eibach springs, put new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rubber all round, fully refurbished the beautiful Hirsch alloys and we've had a full alignment done; utter perfection.

The interior was possibly the worst I'd ever seen; buttons were horrible, seats ruined and layers of dirt everywhere, but now it once again honours the quality and longevity of Saab craftsmanship. A new full Saab Carbon dash has been added together with all new units; SID, climate and Audio all changed, a spectacular new Nappa leather wheel by TunStyle and late 2005 Aero sand leather front seats, brand new carpet mats and later Aero door sills to finish things off.

I'm always sad to watch these go, but also fills me with joy to think that another Saab is going to be cherished and kept on the road for years to come, one day, one's of these Aeros is going to be the 'one that got away' could it be this one?

Perfection

June 3, 2021 Eleven

Perfection isn’t a word to be used lightly, but the Saab 9000 Aero comes close to it for me. Don’t get me wrong, it does have its faults, but all in all and being able to compare it to over 150 cars, I’d say it’s one of the best I’ve ever driven.

During the past year, I’ve been lucky enough to own what I’d class as the all time 90’s super saloon greats; the Mercedes Benz W124 E500, Audi C5 RS6 and the BMW E39 M5, and I can confidently say, the 9000 Aero stands its ground beautifully and dare I say it, in some areas, wins.

It’s got almost unbeatable proportions for instance; 25 years old and still comfortably seats four adults in sublime comfort and style, it’s a hatchback too, and with the rear seats down will take an enormous amount of stuff, and when you want it all to yourself for a full on B road blast or just a relaxed cross country cruise, well, it just handles that too.

This isn’t quite your standard 9000, it’s had various performance enhancements to make it feel utterly at ease with modern driving; a Turbo Technics Hybrid Turbo, upgraded intake and indiction kit, large downpipe and free flow stainless exhaust together with a lovely remap running at around 300hp. The suspension has been totally upgraded with Koni shocks and Eibach springs, and it’s just about to receive a full set of Abbott Racing motorsport drilled and vented discs, pads and a set of Michelin tyres.

I might just be a little biased here as this has been a long awaited dream for me, but in the first month of ownership, it has completely justified its high ranking spot on my list of best cars. They’re getting rare here in the UK, especially the Aeros, and ones without rust are like gold dust so I count myself a lucky man to have found a lovely example. These things should be easily worth 2 to 3 times their value, the stunning interior designed and made by Recaro, is worth buying a 9000 Aero for alone in my book, they’re possibly the best looking, most comfortable car seats I’ve ever sat in.

I have lots of questions for myself at the moment, modify or leave well alone, larger wheels or just stick with the iconic, sixteen inch Super Aeros? I’m sure it’ll continue to get lavished with care and new parts, but for now, I’m just enjoying automotive perfection.

Possibly the best ‘spares or repair’ Saab 9-5 Aero ever

May 17, 2021 Eleven

I’m really not sure where to begin with this beautiful first generation Saab 9-5 Aero, it’s in an amazing colour combo of course; Scarab Green with Sand leather, it’s low miles at just 83,000 and low owners too, that’s almost unheard of, oh and it drives perfectly. What’s more, there’s virtually no rust, so why advertise as ‘spares or repair’?

This has been an odd one for me, and I’m still not sure what the best route is, but what I do know, is that it’s a wonderful car. I’ve spent over £6000 on it so far, and virtually every single issue it had on arrival has now been fixed and it also has a brand new MOT.

The list of parts is almost endless, but a small overview:

DO88 performance intercooler and pipe kit £650
APH sport car 3” downpipe £500
Full stainless Jetex dual performance exhaust £500
Noob Tune stage 3+ remap £200
Bilstein B8 suspension with Eibach lowering springs £670
Fully refurbished 18” Hirsch six spoke alloys £1200
Brand new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres £500
Full 2005 Aero electric heated leather interior £500
New Saab Carbon dashboard £300
New SID and heating unit with no missing pixels £200
Nappa leather sport steering wheel by TunStyle £400
New genuine Saab carpet mats £100

Let’s just add the parts list up, that’s over £5700 not including any labour or mechanics costs, servicing, new filters, sump drop, new fog lights, upgraded later Aero wiper arms, blades etc., one word springs to mind; idiot.

The next step for me would always be the bodywork, but this is where I’m slightly confused, because although it might just be the perfect sleeper, it’s by no means perfect, it has many tiny dents, it’s had an overpainted red door at some point and it just looks a little tatty. After a good inspection, even the usual areas of weakness for rust just aren’t bad at all, it’s utterly solid.

The only other faults left on the entire car are that the interior heater offers ice cold or boiling hot and has to be adjusted by the fan only, works for me but the idea of ripping out pretty much the entire dashboard and engine to fix it offers little excitement and the front interior door handles need replacing as the rubber coating has gone brittle and is falling off.

This is the first Saab I’ve ever been stuck on, my head tells me to do the bodywork, but my heart (and wallet) says leave it alone now, it’s such a great sleeper and cruiser like it is and it’d honestly be a shame to take away from that. So back to the post title ‘spares or repair’ there’s actually only one or two things left to repair, it can be utterly enjoyed and used for years to come exactly as it is, but if someone wanted a ridiculously amazing spares car, or to spend the time of the bodywork, they’d have a pretty rare gen 1 Saab on their hands.

I’m open to sensible offers, but even reading the list above, it seems to dictate a price of around £4,000; think of it as a wish list of parts for your first generation 9-5 Aero but with a perfect 9-5 Aero thrown in, make sense? Nope, it doesn’t to me either, ‘idiot’ once again springs to mind, but someone’s in for a huge treat.

Full details here.

Patience

May 11, 2021 Eleven

Way back in the early 90’s I bought my very first Saab, an early, non turbo 2.0 9000 and to say I was disappointed is an understatement, although it was a lovely car it was slow, lacking any interior refinement and just wasn’t how I’d wanted Saabs to be, what I eventually came to realise is that my dream Saab was a 9000 Aero.

Some 25+ years on, and although I’ve owned over 30 Saabs, I’ve never owned another 9000, until midnight last night that is, when a rather lovely Scarab Green Aero arrived all the way from Scotland. I’d recently put the feelers out for a nice, manual Aero, preferably with little rust and a sunroof and a great guy answered and said he might just have the Aero I’d been searching for.

Registered in 1996, it’s had 6 previous owners and covered some 210,000 miles, has been cared for and lavished with love throughout the years, it needs some tic now, but popping it up on the ramps this morning reveals a very solid chassis and plenty of updates during it’s life. It comes with a full set of Koni’s and Eibach springs, a JT downpipe and full stainless 3” exhaust together with a hybrid Turbo Technics turbo, a decent Red ECU remap, MapTun value and a few other nice performance enhancements.

The interior isn’t perfect and I’ll be replacing numerous parts as and when I find them, but the Aero seats by Recaro have already lived up to my high expectations, not only are they absolutely beautiful in form, but they just wrap around you like incredibly well designed pieces of Scandinavian furniture; truly exceptional.

The work has already started with solving a horrible stutter on acceleration together with fresh oil and filter to begin with, missing interior bulbs located and replaced to bring it all back to life again and my recent cup holder and coin draw installed.

They say patience is a virtue, and in this case, I have to wholeheartedly agree.

Crème de la Crème

April 22, 2021 Eleven

There are always cars that you look back on with fond memories and kind of wish you hadn't sold, and for me this especially applies to Saab. I did a rather special early 9-3 HOT Aero build with a 9000 engine block, upgraded Turbo and numerous other mods running close to 300hp, it was an absolute joy to drive and I miss that for sure.

Then there's the first 9-5 Aero wagon I did last year, and that was on another level, it was one hell of a big project but when finished, I honestly felt it was the best one I'd rescued. The colour combo on Hazelnut metallic paint, Sand leather and light walnut dash together with the stunning Matt Bronze wheels really stick in my mind, it was an absolute beauty, and I still can't get enough of it and would do the same again in a moment.

50 shades of Grey

April 21, 2021 Eleven

Over the years, I've fallen for many Saab 9-3 Aero convertibles, mostly Carbon Grey and mostly first generation, but I'd never moved to the last generation. When I first spotted this one for sale, it was the Carbon Grey I fell for again, not only that, although not mentioned, I noticed the 19" Hirsch wheels, what looked like Hirsch 345mm brake upgrades and a Hirsch single exhaust system, it didn't look at it's best but had huge potential.

Alongside all of the mechanical work previously carried out, I’ve had the very neglected Hirsch wheels refurbished by Perfection Group, powder coated in a metallic grey, rebalanced and treated to new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres and now it has just returned from it's cosmetic surgery.

There were numerous small and annoying dents on a number of panels which have now been removed, both bumpers have been repainted along with the front wings which had some slight rust appearing, and both side skirts removed and repainted.

I'd also found a rare Turbo X diffuser which has given the rear an amazing and purposeful look and I've got some Turbo X trapezoid tailpipes to add to the Jetex stainless system. The front has been given a complete refresh with new Saab Aero grille and foglight surrounds and a full 4 piece Hirsch mesh grille set added which just enhance the timeless beauty for this Aero. To finish off, the entire car has been given a good machine polish to make it feel like new again.

It's always a real pleasure to see the difference a great bodyshop can make to any car, but I've always adored Saab Aero convertibles on any generation and this latest Aero is no exception, it seems the defy time with it's design, it has a purity that I still believe Saab did so well, a Nordic beauty that's hard the beat.

It's easy for forget this is a 14 year old car with 150,000 miles; it now looks and drives as well as I'd hoped, Karl at Noob Tune has remapped it again to accommodate the APH Performance downpipe and exhaust system which has an amazing growl to it and the new clutch has given it a silky smooth gear change to make it a shear delight to drive, especially with the roof down and just as Spring has properly blessed us with perfect weather.

Swedish Interior Design

April 14, 2021 Eleven

On each Saab Aero project I've done, there's one part that I always find most rewarding; the interior refresh. The early 9-3 and 9-5 both have beautifully designed, intuitive aesthetics, but they've also proved to be superior quality too, they've faired well over the past 20 years and with patience and hard work can be brought back to a seriously nice place to be.

They do of course have their Achilles heal, and these from experience are the seat bolsters, the dash buttons and screen pixels. The soft touch rubberised coating on the buttons wears off easily and can also become sticky to the touch, I always look out for units that have minimal wear, but these are getting harder to find now, there are fixes around, but originality to me is always key. For the 9-5 Aero, I've managed to source a set of new dash units that have excellent buttons and also no missing pixels, they slot in beautifully and always help to remind me just how exemplary Saab interior design was.

The seats are always another area of wear, mostly on the driver's bolsters, but if not looked after, the entire seat surface can become cracked and tired. I've found a set of sand coloured leather Aero seats from a 2005 model, these offer more side support and comfort and work beautifully in the gen 1, I've also added leather trimmed door cards from the later model, some minor adjustments to the boot and full buttons are required, but again, the results really add to the overall interior feeling. I'll be having some new leather handle covers made as the rubber coating on these too, tend to perish and flake off.

Ive removed the seats and given the carpet a good clean, the seats have been cleaned and moisturised, and all surfaces treated. Ive added a brand new Saab Carbon Fibre dash and also another beautiful Nappa leather steering wheel by TunStyle to finish it all of nicely. Ive even found a set of new, genuine Saab sand coloured carpet mats which really do work wonders.

Respect your Elders

April 8, 2021 Eleven

It’s no secret that I have a real addiction to the first generation 9-5 and 9-3 Aeros, there’s something very pure about them. In essence, it’s how Saab envisioned them, yes the cliché about being on GM platforms is obviously correct, but the truth is, they were designed by Saab, built in Trollhättan by the Swedes and any inherited parts that didn’t live up to Saab’s vision, were remanufactured to their own strict specifications.

It’s also becoming hugely difficult to find any half decent early Aeros to save, especially the 9-5. For whatever reason, their values in the past haven’t been considered good enough to warrant them being saved from rust, neglect or even breakers, but that seems to be changing rapidly, even poor ones are fetching higher prices recently, and hopefully, that in turn will manage to keep the remaining ones on the roads for us all to enjoy.

I’ve had this latest rare Scarab Green with Sand leather interior for over 6 months now, progress was ridiculously slow due to parts availability, mainly the Bilstein B8 suspension, but this finally arrived towards the end of February and the build progressed. Although it’s only had a few owners and has only covered 83,000 miles with full service history, it had a lot of niggling issues that required attention, it felt like a daunting list to begin with, but we’ve got through most of them now.

It has had the usual sump drop, clean, new gaskets, oil and filters, its had new braided brake hoses, arms, bushes and mounts sorted, and a rather large list of performance parts fitted:

DO88 Intercooler and pipes
APH Performance downpipe
Jetex stainless dual exhaust
Noobtune Stage 3+ remap
3.5 bar fuel pump
Bilstein B8 suspension
MapTun top brace
18” 6 spoke classic Hirsch alloys
Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Genuine Saab Carbon Fibre dash
Tunstyle Nappa leather steering wheel

The interior was an absolute mess, so I’ve also worked hard to bring that up to scratch again, new leather lined door panels, new 2005 Aero front seats for more support, a genuine Saab Carbon dash, Nappa leather wheel from Tunstyle, new genuine Saab sand carpet mats and all central units replaced with perfect buttons and no missing pixels. It’s getting there, next stop will be the bodyshop for some dent removal, bumpers removed and repainted and the minor rust points at the base of the rear arches again. After that, a huge clean inside, leather feed and pamper to see how it all comes up.

Refining

March 31, 2021 Eleven

Feels like pass the parcel with my 2 Saabs at the moment as they go back and forth to Malcolm Miles to iron out any remaining issues. I swapped them over again this morning and now have the 9-3 back for a few days, it's had it's Stage 3 remap done by Karl at Noob Tune, a bottom ball joint replaced, Hirsch pedal set fitted and throttle body removed and cleaned to stop to over revving issue.

But the most rewarding change of all comes in the form of the new flat bottomed Nappa leather steering wheel crafted by TunStyle, having had a number of genuine Hirsch wheels in the past, this is as close as you can get to a new one in 2021. Beautifully sculptured with amazing materials and craftsmanship, it truly makes the car feel like new. Out of interest, I dug around in my Saab vs. archives for an image of my original Hirsch 9-3 to compare the two wheels, even after studying them both, I honestly can’t see any discernible difference; great work TunStyle.

Next week the 9-3 will be heading in for its body refresh, which will be the final stage of bringing this beautifully iconic convertible back to fine fettle again.

9-3 Hirsch Edition. Phase I

March 8, 2021 Eleven

It’s always a combination of excitement and Intrepidation when a new Saab Aero project arrives, especially as I often go with my gut instinct now rather than being able to see the cars in the flesh. This latest 9-3 Aero convertible comes with an amazing service history and is also a local car to me, looked after by Bond Street Saab for most of it’s life, and from the moment I noticed it had a set of rare 19” Hirsch alloys, I knew it would make another exciting Aeroriginal Saab, and my instinct wasn’t wrong luckily.

Not only did it have the Hirsch wheels, but came with Hirsch springs, Hirsch single exhaust system and diffuser, 345mm brake upgrade and Hirsch 240 remap, however, it’s covered just over 150,000 miles, not too much for a Saab, but after driving it for a few weeks, the list of ‘to do’s’ began to grow if I wanted this to be as special as it can be. The clutch was slipping and has now been replaced with a new one together with flywheel and slave cylinder, the leaking radiator has been replaced with a brand new one, air con all fixed and working again and although the Hirsch exhaust was great, it’s condition wasn’t amazing, so we’ve taken the opportunity to replace the entire system with an APH handmade downpipe and a full stainless dual system from Jetex to give the rear a more purposeful look.

The suspension was also in a bit of a mess, rattling, lumpy and awkward, so that’s also received a full refresh, upgraded Sachs Sport Shock together with a new set of lowered Hirsch springs, new arms, top mounts and bushes make it feel totally sorted again and most importantly, no rattles. The Hirsch rims have had a full refurb in a slightly darker metallic grey and treated to a new set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, it’s had a full service; oil, filters, brakes removed and cleaned, and it’ll be having a new remap by Noob shortly.

Whilst it’s always great to feel the difference of on the mechanical work, the visual enhancements always excite more, and I’ve been going about collecting parts that will really make this look exceptional, the entire front end has had a refresh with the 4 piece Hirsch grille set complete with new genuine Saab satin chrome surrounds, the rear diffuser will now be from the rare Turbo X and it’ll be off for some bodywork shortly, bumpers repainted, dents removed and a tiny area of rust cleaned up and repainted, it’ll get a full machine polish and them the roof treated to a deep clean and reseal.

The interior is also being treated to a host of goodies; a genuine Hirsch Carbon dash has been fitted, another Nappa leather flat bottomed steering wheel is on it’s way from TunStyle, new Hirsch leather door and centre handles, and a set of Hirsch aluminium pedals to finish it all off beautifully.

As the sun begins to warm and the days of roof down road trips are in the air, I can’t help but admire the shear timeless beauty of the Saab convertibles, throughout each generation they have perfected their design language, and this model features some truly genius touches, the beautifully curved covers for the roll bars for instance, the lines flow into the cover like the old speedsters, the gloss body coloured mappings that flow along the entire edge of the car, and the seamless flow of form into the large bumpers and wonderfully proportioned front and rear lights,

Nip & Tuck

February 9, 2021 Eleven

As with every Saab Aero I try and refresh, I tend to have to look at the bodywork carefully and see what needs doing without taking away from its journey, its life story, what marks and small chips to leave, and what to remove, it’s a fine balance.

The 9-5 Aero Hirsch, had small amounts of rust appearing at the top of each rear wheel arch, and this is a must for me, it always needs addressing before it takes hold, and the bumpers, usually marked at this age, so both have been removed, sanded down, and given a full respray together with the removal of various dents on the bodywork.

I’d also studied the front bumpers on this generation 9-5, and there is no recognisable difference between the Aeros and other models, whereas older models always had a slight variation. The lower grille looks odd to me, the 3 grooves that really didn’t give it the purposeful look it deserves, so we’ve removed the bars and created a single larger central grille with closely matching mesh which has given it a totally different look, a slightly more aggressive feel.

I’ve had a genuine set of Saab satin finish headlight surrounds fitted to replace the slightly overwhelming bright chrome ones and this has made a huge difference also, it’s a small touch but one that really does add a more refined touch to the 9-5’s front elevation.

And to finish, it’s had a full clay bar and machine polish to make to entire car look exceptional again. It’s amazing what difference these small details make and I really appreciate to work involved to turn a good car in to a really special one, if any Saab deserved it, it’s this beautifully Hirsch specified Aero.

Simple Pleasures Part II

February 1, 2021 Eleven

After the amazing quality and craftsmanship shown on the last Hirsch wheel refurbishment by Perfection Alloys, the rarer 19" alloys were removed from the convertible and given the same treatment.

I'd been debating whether tho have the same bright silver as original, or whether to go slightly darker again as the last set. We've gone darker, closer to a metallic grey than silver and it was a great decision, they look fantastic.

They're off to have new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 235/35/19 tyres all round and new Saab Griffin centre caps to make them pretty much like new again.