9000 Carlsson

February 5, 2024 Eleven

From the moment you sit inside the Saab 9000 Carlsson
with its unique upholstery of suede and leather,
it is immediately apparent that this Saab is truly something special.

Excerpt from the 1991 Carlsson range brochure.

A Saab acquaintance urgently needed another car, and ideally he wanted a Saab 9000, so the decision was made to let my Aero go, as part of the exchange, I've now become the custodian of a non-running 9000 Carlsson.

Whereas the Aero needed a minor amount of work, I have a feeling this needs more major work; it has corrosion that needs urgently addressing, the ABS system has failed and is currently un-drivable and there's no key, so the lock mechanism needs changing before I can even move it. My immediate thought was to break it for parts, but my ardent nature has got the better of me, and wants to attempt to save it.

Let's see where this one guides us...

Dirt don’t slow you down

December 19, 2022 Eleven

As the legendary Porsche guy; Magnus Walker, says, “Dirt don’t slow you down” and he’s right, we tend to like showing our Saabs looking as clean as possible, Sundays spent polishing rather than enjoying. I learnt many years ago that I just don’t have the time to waste making them look immaculate, I want to be out there, driving and enjoying every spare moment I have.

Yes, it was great to see the 9000 Aero looking so lovely when it finally emerged from the bodyshop, but given a few days on the UK roads in Wintertime, and it’d reverted to type, looking purposefully dirty and very much enjoyed. We have salt on our roads of course which has to be constantly removed, but it really won’t harm them for a few weeks without a clean.

I take immense comfort in a dirty car, I don’t have to worry about steering around puddles or avoiding our inspiring country roads, in fact I take the time to actively search them out to truly enjoy the Aero’s wonderful comfort and handling. The fat Michelin Primacy tyres do their job well and soak up plenty of dumps and potholes with ease, whilst the embracing comfort of the interior allows you to sit back and enjoy every moment of the drive.

Get out there and drive I say.

1/100

October 24, 2022 Eleven

According to How Many Left, genuine Saab 9000 Aeros are getting rarer each and every year, with the Autos down in to their 20's this year in the UK. That's not counting the one's currently SORN, but even then, we're talking very low numbers.

Along with the Saab 9-5, the 9000 Aeros have always been a personal favourite of mine, the understated luxury and quality of build still surprises me today, beautifully solid composure and one of the best Saab interiors of all time, but they're getting old and tired and most have covered hundreds of thousands of miles.

It's one of the reasons I find it hard to turn down a genuine Aero, I just feel they deserve to be kept on our roads and the reason I'm so proud of this Silver 9000 Aero.

It's been a slow process, almost a year since I was offered it, but time has been well spent, the integrity of the rear half has been cleaned, welded and protected, new suspension, new brakes, wheels refurbished, new Michelin tyres and new stainless exhaust, whilst mechanically, it's been given a good overhaul with numerous parts replaced, and is now running as smoothly as I'd hoped for.

Whilst I love the manual gearbox, I also feel that the Auto suits the big 9000 to perfection, a genuinely capable cruiser with 275hp on call to keep up with modern traffic. Shift is smooth and refined for a 90's car and happily sits for hundreds of miles at high speeds for road trips in style and comfort.

The interior remains flawless, every dial and every switch remains working and the more you're in a 9000, the more you become addicted to its simplicity and form. The Recaro designed seats still haven't been bettered in my eyes and feel both supportive and comforting to spend drive time in.

It has just come out of the bodyshop, where they've managed to remove a large dent in the door, a nasty crack in the rear bumper and also resprayed a number of panels including a replacement front wing and rear spoiler and truly looks exceptional again.

With these rescues, I'm never after perfection, I don't look to build them 'as new', far from it, I love the integrity of time, preservation rather than renew, it produces a Saab with more stories to tell and enjoy, a Saab that remains affordable, yet reliable and ready for many more journeys. With numbers dwindling, these Aeros offer rare and individual ownership, a chance to enjoy what Saab called their ultimate specification.

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.

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”.

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.

From the moment you sit inside the Saab 9000 Carlssonwith its unique upholstery of suede and leather,it is immediately apparent that this Saab is truly something special.

From the moment you sit inside the Saab 9000 Carlsson
with its unique upholstery of suede and leather,
it is immediately apparent that this Saab is truly something special.