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?