A Different Kind of Luxury

May 30, 2024 Eleven

The Graphite Green Aero has been somewhat of a nemesis over the past year for me, all originating from an oil light that kept haunting me on tickover; two bottom end engine changes, and finger’s crossed, I think we might have finally sorted it.

Malcolm Miles, have somehow kept their cool, sourced another Aero block and brought it all together again, there are a few small snagging issues to sort; a whinny belt and a slight hesitation on full acceleration, but it’s back to being as nice to drive as I remember.

Having just had surgery, I have to suffer two whole weeks without driving, but today, I felt well enough to do some much needed work on the interior, lots of dirt and a general build up of grime left it feeling a little sorry for itself, sticky console buttons, film over all of the windows, disintegrating mats and the odd missing fitting here and there. Taking my time, I cleaned the dashboard, seats and door cards with soapy water to get the worst off, then moved on to Autoglym interior foam and a brush to give them all a thorough clean.

It’s not perfect, but after putting in a high quality set of new carpet mats and a final hoover, it’s starting to look how it deserves to look. Not to everyone’s taste, but the cream leather, carpet and headlining give the interior a beautifully calming and airy feel, whilst the dark wood dashboard and extended wood gear knob just add to the overall sense of luxury. The clear orange and green lights are a welcome relief from the harsh, bright instrumentation of many newer cars and overall, the Saab offers a rare, relaxed space in which to enjoy endless journeys; the Graphite Green Aero is finally coming together.

The Joy of Road Testing

March 14, 2023 Eleven

Having the Graphic Green 9-5 Aero home has been a real pleasure so far, in-between snow, rain, wind and more snow, I’ve been making a start on the interior clean up; dashboard all done and now only requires a new SID, all door cards given a detox and have managed to remove the grease and oil marks from the A pillars. The glass has had a thorough clean inside and out, and the original Saab carpet mats deep cleaned too.

However, the main joy has come from being able to give it a few road tests. With all oil leaks fixed, a huge service, new oil pump, DO88 intercooler and the NoobTune stage 3 remap, it’s an absolute dream to drive. The torque is effortless and feels as though it just wants to push on constantly, the gears are impeccably smooth throughout the range, and the sport setting takes it all to another level on this one.

With the modified suspension setup, the handling is also sharp and refined, lowered around 30mm and running Bilstien B8 shocks, freshly balanced 18” alloys and new Michelin rubber, the overall feel is one of confidence and clarity. Along twisting country roads, the Aero is tight and has little roll, whilst on faster A roads and motorways, it cruises beautifully and feels relaxed and smooth.

It’s taken on everyday driver duties for now, and has already covered 500 miles without fault, the superb comfort of the Aero interior is really hard to match, it still manages to feel special, a touch of rare individuality that only a Saab can offer. As I add the miles, I’m also adding to the next work phase list, the upgraded brakes are a little weak, the front suspension needs tightening and possibly requires a new exhaust, but for now, I’ll continue to road test the hell of of this wonderful rescue Saab.

Clean Up

March 2, 2023 Eleven

It’s always an exciting time for me when we’ve finished the first phase of a rescue, it’s time to give it its first real shake down and figure out what still needs work. A few months ago, this beautiful Saab Aero was facing impending doom at a dismantlers, so I wasn’t sure what to expect; are the engine and gearbox good, and do all of the electrics work are my main concerns, most things can be fixed of course, but it’s always a worry when you rescue a car like this.

It seems we have a seriously great Saab, after the extensive mechanical refresh, the engine is exceptionally smooth, the new DO88 intercooler and remap have given it their usual boost and the gearbox is as crisp as any Aero auto I’ve had previously. After 40 of so miles, I got the red oil warning light, which is always nerve wracking, but after a quick inspection, it’s a faulty oil sensor that needs replacing. It needs a full alignment, a new SID and the alarm resetting, but for first phase, I’m impressed.

For me, this is when the fun starts, it gives me the opportunity to begin the clean up, and this one needs a lot. A few hours spent with the pressure washer removing the moss and greenery, a full detail of the glass, inside and out, and a first feed of the faded black trim with Autoglym trim and bumper care.

I also spent a rewarding few hours removing all of the terrible badges and carbon look vinyl from the B pillars, bonnet and front spoiler, the heat gun helped remove most of them, but a bit more effort will be required to remove the rest of the adhesive.

Happy to have this one home and looking forward to getting to the interior over the next few weeks.

Graphite Green Aeroriginal

January 12, 2023 Eleven

Graphite Green Metallic over Sand leather Saab Aero, how could I resist.

A bit of a risk, as I found this at a dismantlers, it seemed too good to break so they put it up for offer, it has no service history or owner's manuals, but after a thorough check, it has a wonderful MOT history with almost 100% pass rate, exceptionally low milage at 75,000 and just 5 previous owners; so how the hell did it end up at a scrapyard?

Rust? Well no, it's been up on the ramp and besides the usual rear arch corners, the bodywork and underneath are solid. Engine? It has a large oil leak and the cam cover has been fitted badly, but seems to have a new Turbo, runs beautifully and absolutely no knocks or smoke. Accidents, theft? Again, no, completely clear history.

Although I was sold on the colour combination, I also noticed it had a Hirsch boot lip, a rare central rear headrest and mahogany gear selector, not only that, but it had visibly been cherished in the past; numerous polished components in the engine bay and even a faded Saab Owners Club sticker. It also happens to be a gen 2 Aero with shark nose bumper and Bi-xenon headlamps.

Needless to say, it'll have a full mechanical shakedown, we're removing the sump to clean and fit new gaskets, the cam cover will new gaskets too and a huge service; oils, filters, fluids etc.

Modifications incoming will be a DO88 intercooler, Jetex stainless exhaust, NoobTune Stage 3 remap, Bilstein B8 shocks, Eibach springs, upgraded brakes, Saab ALU56 wheels, Michelin PS4 and plenty of other Aeroriginal touches.