Celebrating Icons

April 17, 2023 Eleven

One of the wonderful things about our global Saab community is its ability to bring people together, to create common bonds and lifelong friends. I first met Ward a number of years ago, as he often followed the stories here on Saabvs. Based in the Netherlands, we plan on meeting up when I finally get our road trip to Stockholm sorted, but in the mean time, we continue to talk often about our shared love for not only Saabs, but cars in general, food, wine, architecture and life. I quite honestly feel privileged to have met so many people and especially proud to have inspired Ward to start the newly founded Saab 900 Club.

Ward set up House of Swedish Cars to honour all amazing Nordic creations, but especially Saabs, more recently he’s established the classic 900 Club, a way for us all to recored as many of these iconic Saabs as possible. Yes, it features global locations, mileage and wonderful stories, but it also features a gallery of inspiration for anyone dreaming of owning and maintaining a classic 900.

From a factory perfect early 900 8v Turbo to an impeccable 900 T16S, iconic Inca wheels to louvers, gorgeous Burgundy leather interiors and luscious caramel convertibles, you’ll spend hours flicking though them all. In its first few months, the Club has already attracted close to 100 members, but with some 53,000 known as registered worldwide (and counting), there’s still plenty more of these beautiful Saabs to include.

I can’t congratulate Ward enough for this new club, I just hope I’ll have another classic 900 Turbo at some point, so I can also join its hallowed pages.

If you own a classic 900, it’d be great to see it added to the club, you’ll find more about it here.

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.

Hej Snygging

January 6, 2021 Eleven

'Hello Beautiful' just about sums up my feeling for the new Swedish addition, given that in 2008 the 9-3 platform was a number of years old, Saab did an absolutely exquisite design job of crafting one of the most beautiful and recognisable modern convertibles out there.

The front exudes Scandinavian simplicity and elegance whilst the rear and side profiles couldn't be anything but Saab. The headlight design is one of the finest I've seen with the simple eyebrow strip making it just so recognisable.

This one scapes itself in to the High Mile Club with 150,000 miles, although sitting in the sublime comfort of the premium leather seats, you wouldn't know it. It has some war wounds from its 13 year journey, but all easily repairable; the search has already begun for a whole host of interior upgrades to really finish it off like it deserves and a few more Hirsch parts found for the exterior too.

What really caught my eye was the super rare 19" Hirsch alloys, they're in poor condition, but again, they'll be fully refurbished and treated to a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4's very soon. It also has the full Hirsch suspension, 345mm brake upgrade, full performance exhaust and remap, making it another very desirable Saab to add to the collection.

Having been delivered late last night, I've only managed 50 miles in it, but absolutely taken by how little scuttle shake and wind noise this has compared to my previous Gen I convertibles, it genuinely feels far more planted but also a little less raw. The clutch feels very high, but again can easily be replaced with an uprated one before any further tuning begins if required.

All in all, a seriously great find, and one I'm very excited about working on alongside the current 9-5 Aero projects.

Viggen Rescue Update

June 25, 2020 Eleven

It’s been a busy fews weeks down at Malcolm Miles, the 9-5 Sportcombi has been dropped off and some serious work has started on the Viggen.

Firstly, some housekeeping, although the sump had been dropped only a few hundred miles ago, it was actually back in 2015, so that’s been dropped again, oil completely drained and refilled with new oil, filters and spark plugs. The power steering pipe has been replaced as have a number of other pipes and perished hoses, the brake lines all cleared out and new high performance Tarox brake fluid added together with Tarox Japan Street drilled, grooved and vented discs, pads and braided hoses. We’ve also added a new oil cooler together with a new DO88 intercooler, Nordic Performance induction kit and a Stage 3+ ECU upgrade by Karl at Noob Tune.

The Bilstien B8 shocks and Eibach springs are now fitted together with the Momo Stealth alloys wheels, chosen for an updated play on the original Viggen 5 spokes, 215/35/19 tyres from Hankook have been used, but from early thoughts, we could upgrade these to 225/35/19 tyres and still fit without issues. The gorgeous craftsmanship from APH Performance has been fitted in the form of a 3” stainless steel downpipe, this links up to the original Viggen middle and rear exhaust section to keep the style right.

Inside, the original tape only head unit has been replaced with a CD unit and an AUX input, the new Hirsch style Nappa leather steering wheel has been fitted and a new OE leather gear knob tops off the superbly tight short shifter from Jam Saab, all in all, the Viggen is beginning to look like my vision, progress continues and this iconic convertible should be ready to take its first road trip in 5 years.

Nothing to prove

May 29, 2019 Eleven

I find it hard to explain why I’m drawn to Saabs, despite having a choice of other marques to grab the keys to, I still choose the Saab ones. I think about this a lot, what makes them such emotive cars, yes they have smile inducing performance, they’re becoming rare and yes they’re ridiculously comfortable, all reasons to love them, but I keep coming back to one thought - they have nothing to prove.

They take you out of an increasingly banal world of shiny identikit cars, not competing on worth or ego, not ashamed to be different, they offer a kind of moving sanctuary from a world of meaningless superiority.

Saabs still have a presence that is rare, they sit alongside their peers with ease, they allow you to arrive anywhere in style and more often than not, induce happy conversation, “Do they still make Saabs?” “My Father used to own a Saab” “The most beautiful convertible ever built”.

In an age where everyone should be considering sustainability, I find it hard to comprehend why folks need to buy a new car every 3 - 4 years with huge manufacturing impact, when an older Saab offers luxury, reliability, style and efficiency.

Saabs have nothing to prove, and I love them for that

You got a fast car...

May 23, 2019 Eleven

Sometimes, it’s hard to not just stop and stare for a while, giving yourself a moment to fully appreciate the aesthetics of a car, it’s form and stance, it’s simple, sharp design. For years I’ve found myself drawn back to the first generation Saab 93 convertible, the Ian Callum Aero bodykit especially adds a touch of genius to an already exceptional car. Even today, 17 years on, it feels timeless, the clean Swedish lines uncluttered and uncompromised.

Subtle enhancements are all that are needed to create my perfect convertible, a lowered stance and a gorgeous set of alloys to fill those arches.

Let the world around you pass by in a blur while you take in the moment.

Turbo Godfather

November 14, 2018 Eleven

I felt that this Saab really deserved an entire post of its own, after all it can easily be described as the undisputed Godfather of Turbos. Launched in the hedonistic 1970’s, the 99 Turbo was literally one of the first cars to combine safety and exhilarating turbo performance, it singlehandedly put Saab on a legendary pedestal, which still holds strong today.

This one, in the only acceptable Turbo colour - black, was quite rightly getting a lot of attention at SaabFestUK, a perfect example, unmolested and seemingly unchanged since the day it drove out of the Saab showroom, paintwork immaculate, all accessories intact including some super cool spotlights and an interior that screamed ‘jump in and drive me’.

I felt myself gravitating to this car over and over again, it’s owner should be hugely proud and also feel just a little bit privileged to be the guardian of such a legendary car.