Mechanically Sound

July 22, 2020 Eleven

Feels a little like half time, I collected the 9-5 today from Malcolm Miles and as ever, they've done me proud, the stage 4 remap together with the long list of performance upgrades has made the Saab feel almost as lively as my Alpina D3 Bi Turbo, and that's saying something. The twin Jetex exhaust coupled with the handmade downpipe from APH sounds absolutely superb and really suits the look of the car too.

Pause for 3 weeks.

Then we're off to the bodyshop to have the rusty rear arches cut out, the rear bumper removed and repainted and the front bumper replaced with a later shark nose version, the Saab rear spoiler will also be fitted and a couple of areas given some attention. During it's time at home, I plan to give the interior a full valet, clean and feed the leather and give the carpets a full on deep clean too.

With only 80,000 miles under its belt, this 9-5 Aero just needed a bit of vision to bring it back up to one of the best wagons <£5k can buy in my eyes. It offers ridiculous comfort, safety, individuality and reliability not to mention the Saab smile. This is going to be a hard one to let got of I think.

Dad Racer

July 15, 2020 Eleven

Whilst the Viggen goes off for more bodywork, the attention has turned to the 9-5 Aero, the folks at Malcolm Miles have been fastidiously replacing warn parts and perished hoses, performing a full sump drop, clean, oil change and replacing a few pipes to the gearbox which had been leaking oil.

The DO88 Intercooler and pipe kit has gone on, a new fuel pump, new induction kit and a Stage 3+ remap from Karl at Noob Tune, the ever gorgeous handmade downpipe from APH Performance has been put on together with a full stainless steel Jetex exhaust with dual pipes giving the wagon an understated but purposeful look, whilst new discs and pads, a Bilstein B12 Pro Sport suspension setup and a serious MapTun strut brace have really sorted out the Aero’s handling.

Sleepless nights and many Photoshop mock ups finally made me choose what I consider to be the perfect alloys for this Saab; Japan Racing JR18 in a Matt Bronze to really enhance the Hazelnut Metallic, 19x8.5 with an ET35 offset and Pirelli P Zero 235/35/19 rubber.

The underneath was looking a little flakey, so has been given a good wire brushing and treated to some Waxoil whilst a few areas will need a small amount of welding to secure them for the future. Once the mechanics have been done, it’ll need to go to the bodyshop and have the rear lower arches cut out and fixed, the bumpers removed and repainted and a new bespoke satin black mesh grille fitted.

This is the first Aero wagon build I’ve done and I absolutely love it, the style is just so timeless, an old Saab ad campaign claimed it was a Dad Racer and I tend to agree, but with these modifications, it also becomes one the ultimate sleepers, and the colour…

…Love it. Thank you Saab.

Cafe Racer

June 8, 2020 Eleven

Whilst the Viggen project slowly comes to life, I continually miss having a Saab 9-5 Aero alongside, every time I sell my latest 9-5 projects, I immediately long for another.

They remain one of the most underrated sleepers that has ever been crafted, the design is timeless, they're fast, reliable, super comfortable and ridiculously stylish and well built, both inside and out. I'm always searching for the next Aero, one that offers something different from the rest, heated and vented seats, sunroof, unusual colour, Harman Kardon audio - anything that captures my imagination and gives me a starting point to create another Saab build and rescue it for the future.

I'd seen this particular 9-5 for the past few weeks, only 2 owners from new and spending most of its life in the royal town of Leamington Spa, very low miles at just 80k and most importantly, a rare colour, the gorgeous Hazelnut Metallic.

Love or hate it, but the light tan interior with the exceptionally rare light Walnut dash is something I adore, the car feels cosy, warming and timeless. The whole interior needs a nice deep clean, the seats need cleaning and feeding but it's in truly immaculate condition.

Sleepless nights imagining what can be done to this one, but feel it needs a little time to settle in to its new life before the transformation begins. It'll be going to Malcolm Miles shortly for its inaugural check up, sump drop, oil change and to check its overall worthiness but plans are falling in to place and some must haves are already on their way.