I promised myself, that when I bought this 9-5 Aero Sportwagon back in June, I wouldn't modify it, I'd keep it completely standard and use it as a Saab daily driver. Needless to say, my will power is terrible when it comes to Saabs and almost 6 months later, I've just added the final touch to the transformation; the fully refurbished, Hirsch 18" six spokes alloys.

The trigger was access to a full Hirsch performance upgrade which included intercooler, exhaust, cobra and ECU, the original mods that took the standard 250hp to a conservative 280hp. However, we all know how addictive Noobtunes maps are, so the ECU was overwritten with one of Karl's 295hp maps together with an upgraded fuel pump and a sport cat downpipe.

Areas of the bodywork didn't come up to scratch, so it's had the front and rear bumpers, bonnet, rear lower arches and 2 doors repainted, the aluminium wing mirror casting refurbished and the wiper arms refreshed.

Aesthetically, the Hirsch boot spoiler and rear bumper diffuser have been added, the suspension upgraded with lowered springs and after a road trip up to Wales, a set of iconic Hirsch 18" six spoke alloys fitted. These have just been fully refurbished by Perfection Alloys and treated to new Saab centre caps, black Hirsch rim stickers and new Goodyear tyres.

Internally, it came with a superb factory specification, with full black heated and vented leather, the AS3 audio upgrade and beautiful dark wood dash, the only addition I’ve made here, is the perfectly crafted, Nappa leather steering wheel by Tunstyle. I’ve even kept the original Saab phone mount accessory, as it just felt period correct for the car.

It is indeed, Made in Sweden, but with the Hirsch Performance pack, it’s not only powered in Switzerland, but give it the style and precision it truly deserves.