Field Notes

October 7, 2026 Eleven

Not much has happened with the Saabs for a few weeks, the prep work on the new 9-5 saloon has begun and parts are steadily arriving for the ng9-5 suspension work, but other than that, it’s all very quiet, that leaves plenty of time to just enjoy them for a while - drive, photograph and write about them.

It’s always an absolute privilege to take the 9000 T18 out, it’s such an analougue experience, the visceral soundtrack and deep burble of the Abbott Racing stainless exhaust, the mighty torque of the upgraded Turbo, the ridiculously capable handling, the tactile dials and switches and of course the smell of Bridge of Weir leather and sublime comfort of the interior.

When I’m driving these iconic Saabs, I often imagine what it would have felt like to collect a brand new Saab 9000 Aero back in the 90’s? 30 years on and these cars have become modern icons, as good today as ever, but my god, the shear pleasure of collecting your new Saab from a dealership!

These 9000’s deserve every bit of praise and more, they have to be driven to truly experience what exceptional cars they really are.

Eco Power

September 28, 2026 Eleven

Following the recent audio installation in the 9000 T18, I've been needing a bit of a road trip to test it out. The 9000 is always an absolute joy to drive, but having the interior back up to scratch, and simple Bluetooth connection to tunes has completed the experience beautifully.

With the full Abbott stainless exhaust, I'm happy just driving with no music, but it's also great to have the option for longer journeys - we changed the disintegrating dash speakers for a set of Alpine SXE-1025S speakers, but the rears seem to be holding up nicely with the new system for now.

My destination happened to be the amazing Wakerley Great Wood in Rutland, just to sort of spot to park up the Saab 9000 and take a few photos in a place befitting its Nordic heritage - Ecopower in it's truest form.

The Abbott Racing Edition

August 17, 2026 Eleven

I’ve always held Abbott Racing in high regard for their dedication to Saab modifications over the years, they go far beyond mere aesthetics, focusing instead, on proven performance and handling enhancements. My recent addition to the collection, is a 2004 9-5 Aero manual saloon, and came with a couple of existing modifications, namely an Abbott Racing intercooler and stainless 3” downpipe with sports cat, and paired with a BSR remap.

That set my mind rolling on ideas for the project path for this Saab, with only 2 previous owners, low milage and rare heated and vented leather interior, it’s a car that deserves to be a bit special. I’m often offered Saabs and performance parts, and by happy coincidence, had also been offered a package of Abbott Racing parts, this included very rare and nos parts that I genuinely couldn’t resist buying. These included :

Big Intake Pipe
Delivery Pipe
Cobra Pipe
Carbon Fibre Induction kit
Full Stainless 3” exhaust

This has pushed me in the only direction possible an Abbott Racing edition 9-5 Aero. With the unwavering help and support from my friend Jason, all parts were successfully fitted to the car this weekend, and it’s beginning to take shape now and feels exceptionally well sorted.

I also have a new set of Abbott Racing supplied Koni Active Sports dampers, and a set of Eiback lowering springs on their way from Germany, once they’ve been fitted, I’ll get a new NoobTune stage 3+ map to suit the specific modifications. Bodywork will then be on the agenda over the coming weeks, although overall, it’s an exceptionally tidy Saab. The doglegs will be done, an Abbott Racing boot lip will be fitted, as well as a Sharktooth bumper, and wing mirror covers repainted.

I’ve recently refurbished 2 sets of Hirsch alloys - 18” classic 6 spokes, and 19” double 3 spokes, I’m on the fence with which suit the 9-5 best, I believe the 18” classics, but also find the more dramatic 3 spokes rather endearing now they’re fitted, especially in the dark grey metallic. I’ll look forward to switching both sets when the rest of the work is completed.

6 x 9000 = T18

June 9, 2026 Eleven

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I recently spotted a Facebook Marketplace ad for a 1996 Saab 9000 CSE that was being broken, I noticed that it had its original Clarion audio units still fitted, both the radio / tape unit and also the separate CD unit. I messaged the seller, and he confirmed they 'should' still be there, what's more, it wasn't just one car being broken, it was 6.

I decided to take the 9000 T18 on a parts sourcing road trip over to Lincoln where the cars were being kept, it's a good 150 mile round trip, so the perfect opportunity to give the T18 a proper drive.

I arrived only to find that the 9000 with the 2 units in, actually weren't together any longer, but after an initial walk around the various cars, I noticed I could source them from a couple of different breakers, I also managed to rescue a number of other interior parts, 2 climate control units in great condition, switches including the central window unit, and a few temperature sensors - all items that might come in useful to keep the T18 in great shape for many more years.

It's always a sad sight the see so many amazing Saabs being broken, but for numerous reasons, they might not have been in good enough shape to rescue, I don't know their full history, or why they ended up as breakers, but from a part story, they were purchased as a lot together from an old gentleman who'd also collected them for parts.

Besides leaving with a box full of finds, the drive was hugely enjoyable, the T18 has the ability to cover vast miles in true Saab comfort, and for a 30 year old, can really move at great pace. It is also a great pleasure to experience what Abbott Racing believed to be the best version of the mighty 9000 Aero, the amount of torque, smooth, decisive gearing, fettled handling and capable braking makes it a seriously special Saab.

An optimistic way of looking at these 6 cars being broken, is that in some part, they are helping other, luckier Saabs thrive for the future, without them, we'd be starting to loose many more, and that'd be a crying shame, as I truly believe the Saab 9000's are one of the best Saabs ever built.

A few valuable parts remain; rear lights and central reflector panels, rust free front wings, a full set of super rare veneer door caps, (although in dire need of full renovation), Turbo grilles, badges, wheels, glass - all parts that sadly, will become harder to find in the next few years, I wish I had the time to strip them all down and store the parts, hopefully someone else will, and what a treasure trove.

The Saab 9000 Aero T18

March 2, 2026 Eleven

The Saab 9000 Aero T18 was an exclusive collaboration between Saab City and Abbott Racing, inspired by the stealthy 1947 Saab T18 Torpedo Bomber, only 21 full conversions were ever produced, an exceptionally rare Saab, created to be the ultimate 9000 Aero. Back in 1996 when this specific T18 was converted, it cost a not insignificant £48,000, and came with every conceivable Abbott Racing modification.

I’ve admired these builds for many years, but never really seen a suitable one for sale, until recently; a single owner car with low mileage. What makes it even more special, is its provenance. It was ordered new by a close friend of Mike Powell, the Managing Director of Saab City, then owned and maintained by the same family ever since.

Talking the Giles Fairweather (ex Abbott Racing); who can be mostly accredited for the concept and creation of these T18 Aeros, he remembers these amazing cars with great fondness - ‘I was involved in that car from start to finish, from the initial fax from Mike at Saab City, to becoming friends with the owners during their ownership. I remember the Speedo heads were done by Reap Automotive Design by Julian who also does Porsche dials. They then go off to Speedy Dials for re-calibration as they went to 180mph, rather than the standard Aero 140mph. Many happy hours spent in his studio getting these done, he was a skateboarder as well, bit of a duuude, and let’s not get into the heads, diffs, side sills, I remember it all, as it was mostly my idea and Mike Powell having the confidence to go with it’

As everyone knows, I’ve been a huge advocate of Abbott Racing over the past 20 years, from memories of the first 9000 Aero I saw modified for an old boss, to a rather special 9-3 convertible I purchased directly from Abbott, and the renovation of my 900 classic convertible. They have always had a passion for Saab that has driven their specialised modifications and products. The T18 is much like a showcase for their passion, an example of refining and fettling, a vision of their winning track cars, but for the road, this was the original T18 spec back in 1996:

18 x 8 6 spoke T18 alloys wheels 225/40 tyres
Gas flowed cylinder head with 31mm exhaust valves
Limited slip differential
55mm high flow intercooler
Engine management upgrade to 1.35 bar boost
Full lowered sport suspension - including springs
Stainless steel twin T18 exhaust with DTM tail pipe
4 pot AP racing calibers (Aluminium & power coated)
Front ventilated discs (330mm / 13”) and slotted rear discs
Competition front pads
Aluminium polished ‘Special Reserve’ gearknob
Stainless steel ‘Special Reserve’ door kick panels
Colour coded grille
White dials with T18 numbered speedometer
T18 Badges
BHP - 310

I can only imagine what it would have felt like to have collected one of these special Aeros back in 1996, but Giles’ final memory gives us a wonderful insight - ‘We did a beautiful black T18, and the owner used to go home under the LimeHouse link in 2nd gear on the rev limiter for the intoxicating pops and bangs at 70mph, 32mph through there and you had 3 points heading your way, good old days I must say’.

I’m sure I’ll be calling on more of Giles’s knowledge as I look to refresh this special Saab Aero T18, but for now, I’ll just let myself enjoy the moment.

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.

Arts and Crafts

May 29, 2020 Eleven

For years I've been designing Saab builds, essentially to save some stunning cars from being broken up as parts but mostly to make the best possible version of each and every one.

With each build it's hard not to notice the exceptional folks who continue to invest their engineering skills into handcrafting special parts for our Saabs, in my eyes, these folks are Artists. The Viggen project parts store grows daily with many, many more to source but some recent deliveries really are just pieces of art, and all bespoke.

The 3" downpipe from APH Performance Almost too beautiful to hide, these all Stainless construction pipes have either a free flowing 200 cell cat or no cat at all if specified, tig welded and purged with V band joints for a perfect fit. I've commissioned five of these now and I'm sure the get better each time.

The Black Edition Grille Again, i've had a number of these commissioned and Fraser has done an exquisite job on each, he takes the best OE grilles he can find, cuts away the plastic louvers and replaces them with a perfectly fitted black metal mesh. I have mine finished in a smooth satin black finish which so far has suited each build, can't wait to see what this latest one looks like on the Lightning Blue Viggen.

The Viggen Short Shifter After a long and enjoyable conversation with Peter Raw about the Viggen Project, he suggested a part that he swears by, a bespoke short shift gear mechanism from Jam Saab. It's the first time I'll have fitted on to a build so will report on the difference it makes in a few months. Needless to say, the standard gearing is just a bit long for such quick cars, it generally feels slightly spongy and I have a feeling this will give it a more engineered, accurate feel.

Viggen Project parts list (to date) :

Tarox Sport Japan fully drilled and grooved vented discs
Tarox Sport Japan brake pads
Tarox high performance braided brake lines
Abbott Racing stainless steel subframe brace
Abbott Racing rack brace kit
Abbott Racing rear body strut brace
Bilstein B8 shocks
Eibach springs
DO88 Performance Intercooler
Nordic Performance induction kit
Momo Stealth 19" 5 spoke rims
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo tyres
TunStyle Nappa Leather steering wheel
Skyddet Aux kit
Viggen side badges by Raw Saab

The Viggen should be returning from the bodyshop soon after some required welding and paint, it’ll then land at Malcolm Miles once again for Jason and Andy to work their magic. Our aim is to build a super stylish Viggen convertible with a very capable 300+hp. The story continues…

Phase 2 _ Stage 4

February 5, 2019 Eleven

Excess noun An amount that is more than is needed, expected, or acceptable. I question the 'acceptable' part, but excess possibly describes the last few weeks with the 9-5 very accurately.

What's been done? Performance first, an amazing handcrafted stainless steel 3" downpipe by APH Performance together with a Jetex full system exhaust has been fitted, a DO88 Intercooler, intake pipes and all hoses, a BSR performance filter, Abbott Racing top strut brace and a Stage 4 ECU by the very talented Karl at Noobtune all lovingly installed by the guys at Malcolm Miles (again).

Having jumped straight into Stage 4 rather than staggering the upgrades, you realise the shear change in power and driving ability of the Aero, together with the Bilstein B8 shocks and MapTun springs, the 19" Turbo X alloys and the Pirelli P Zeros, it becomes the sports saloon it always had the potential be.

Producing around 300hp, the power delivery is smile inducing, put your foot down in 3rd and you'll easily get those 19" wheels upfront spinning briefly before grabbing control and surging forward. The 9-5 in contrast to my old HOT Aero, doesn't feel as out of control, it handles the extra power admirably, it gives you the reassurance to really push it to the limit and make the most of every kind of journey.

Inside, things are changing too, the early 9-5 Aero leather, although beautiful quality, does not have the structure or support of the later Aeros, I've managed to source an immaculate 2 tone Anniversary leather interior for a 2007 model, happy to stick with manual operation, the transplant has been seamless, the seatbelt warning light still does its thing, and even the 3 stage roller works perfectly for the heated seats, they really have lifted the interior to the next level - the ultimate spec for a 1st generation 9-5 Aero in my opinion.

Next stop, some subtle cosmetic work to bring the 9-5 back to glory.