I’ve always had a huge love of the Saab 9-5 SportCombi, and my fascination for ones modified by Hirsch is well documented, but to me, there is one fabled edition that far surpasses any other; the 9-5 TQT.

From my many research missions, I’ve only ever really found a handful of information about this special edition Saab, and it seems to precede Hirsch altogether, almost the forefather of our esteemed Hirsch Saabs shall we say.

TQT stands for Titanium Quality & Technology and was crafted by a Swiss tuning company; Titan AG in Zurich. There appear to be only 7 of these spectacular Saabs ever created, but the specification is a thing of beauty, with upgraded Turbo, intercooler and induction pipes, modified exhaust, Brembo brakes, sport suspension and, according to legend ‘a very aggressive’ Sportec remap offering 340ps and 560Nm.

Visually, the TQT came with 18” cross spoke ACE wheels in a satin titanium finish a blacked out front grille and modified front and rear bumper, whilst the inside remained relatively untouched, the headliner and seats did receive a generous helping of dark grey Alcantara.

I took the TQT as a basis for the inspiration behind the Café Racer SportCombi I saved back in 2020, it remains one of my favourite builds, despite causing endless hurdles along the way.