Dog Days & Saab Sundays

December 9, 2019 Eleven

Cold crisp Sunday morning, blue skies and an invitation to pop along to one of the last Sunday Saab gatherings of 2019. Organised by the East Midlands branch of the Saab Owners Club GB, a lovely chilled out Dyno Day kindly hosted by the folks down at StreetRacers in their brand new digs in Billsdon, Leicestershire.

50 of so cars, mostly Saab's but a few other suitably interesting beasts, including a, Mercedes E63 AMG, a rather gorgeous sounding TVR Cerbera and an immaculate cult classic Rover P6 V8.

Some familiar faces in the crowd together with a few new ones - drinking coffee, talking cars, eating cake and guessing what the next on the dyno will make. Jason from Malcolm Miles was there with his expert views, and accompanied by his dog who seemed to be more than content drooling over the cake with minimal interest in much else.

An enjoyable few hours spent with great folks, great cars and decent coffee, what more could you wish from an early December Sunday morning?

Saab Club GB | StreetRacers

Less than the sum of its parts

September 5, 2019 Eleven

Last night, the Ebay auction ended on a pretty special first generation Saab 95 Aero, i’d set a sensible reserve taking in to account the high level of new and unusual performance parts, and also the amount of time and effort that had gone in to saving another Saab for a long future.

It didn’t meet the reserve, it was exceptionally close, but i’d already set it to the lowest acceptable price, I always question why others don’t see value in older cars, especially one’s that have had so much work lavished on them, they actually offer far better value the a lot of new cars, take devaluation and running costs in to the equation, together with build quality, longevity and reliability and I’m honest surprised people don’t see the benefit.

Alas, I have a sad option facing me, I can essentially break all of the hard work up, remove all of the performance parts for a future project or to sell them and still sell the basic car and that way, the car becomes more valuable in parts as it is as a whole.

Question is, can I bring myself to do that knowing what an exceptional, all rounded reliable and unique car it is? Cash vs Integrity, hard one.

Saab Sleepers

July 16, 2019 Eleven

1989, the year I started driving and also the year I realised I had an uncontrollable desire for cars, over the years I’ve owned around 90, but one kind has always intrigued me more than others, Sleepers.

'A sleeper or Q-car is a car that has high performance and an unassuming exterior. Sleeper cars are so called because their exterior looks similar or identical to a standard car'

I started with executive, big engined BMW 5 series, 528, 530 and M5, then I tried an Audi S6 and a few wonderful Mercedes W124 320 coupes, all had the Sleeper feel, but it took my very first Saab 9-5 Aero to fully realise the beauty of a true Sleeper. Exceptional comfort, relaxed cruising, unassuming styling, yet put your foot down and it quite easily surprises many other drivers, even in its standard form and I loved that.

What followed was a growing passion for the Saab marque, but the 9-5 Aeros have always held a special place in my automotive heart, over the years I've owned eight 9-5 Aeros, all saloons and all tuned to at least Stage 3. I love modifying them just enough so that folks in the know, will know, but everyone else will presume it's just a nice looking executive saloon.

Of course there are always giveaways, the lowered, purposeful stance, the larger exhaust, the subtle whoosh from the upgraded induction kit, and in my case, always a set of purposeful wheels, but to the uninitiated, still no hint of what hides under the bonnet, and to me that makes the perfect Sleeper.

The 9-5 remains an underrated car in my eyes, ridiculous value for money with huge tuning potential and has to be one of the most comfortable cars ever crafted, and long may they stay that way, after all that means more for us Saabists to keep to ourselves.

Saab Countryman

June 6, 2019 Eleven

If you love taking photos of cars and you're like me, I'm constantly looking for the next perfect location, a hidden corner of a city, a wide open space, a secret country lane - it becomes a pleasurable obsession.

About 10 minutes from home, I've discovered an ideal place - shaded by trees, no though roads and peaceful, I can leave the car in the middle of the road and take time to get the photos I want.

Part of the pleasure of this blog is having the ability to share the beauty of Saabs, the timeless style that every Saab possess, from the early 99 and the 9000 to the later 93 and of course the gorgeous original generation 95 Aeros.

Purity of Design

May 8, 2019 Eleven

When it comes to wheel design, not many marques got it quite so right as Saab, they seemed to create an endless array of beautifully simple styles that remain just as timeless today as they did the year they were launched. From the early Inca and Aero wheels, the later double Y spokes and brutal nailhead wheels they’ve all kept a purity of Scandinavian design that’s hard to beat with any aftermarket alloys.

On my current project, the 9-3 Aero convertible, it already has a set of iconic nailheads, but I’ve always been tempted to push the size up slightly to a set of 18” and only one original Saab design keeps me coming back for more, the Turbo X. After fitting a set of the rarer 19” Carlsson versions to the 9-5 Aero project, it seems only right that the 9-3 should be treated equally, so once the brakes have been totally replaced, we’ll see how they look, I’ve only ever seen them on one other og 9-3 Aero and they looked exceptional.

Be Different

April 3, 2019 Eleven

I've had this idea brewing for a while now, a personal obsession to rescue older Saabs, sort them out, add something unique and keep them on the roads for years to come. It always surprises me that folks are willing to spend thousands of pounds on terrible, middle of the road cars that are neither reliable or beautiful, it just so happens Saabs are both and offer exceptionally fantastic value too.

My obsession with Aero models specifically has led to me hunting out ones that are a little different, it might be they have some rare Hirsch Performance parts, or an unusual colour, or maybe just the wonderful heated and vented leather seats, but always something that makes them stand out from the crowd. Once I've had the amazing folks at Malcolm Miles ensure the mechanics are back on point, I set about adding more unique touches, subtle details that make all the difference, from handcrafted satin black and anodised mesh grilles to rare Hirsch spoilers or Nappa leather steering wheels.

Stance and sound are always important, so exhausts are changed to stainless steel Jetex sports ones and maybe paired with a commissioned APH Performance downpipe to really maximise the flow. Bilstein suspension together with MapTun, Eibach or Abbott Racing lowering springs and strut braces ensure drive is given a modern touch and all finished off with a decent set of alloys, usually Saab originals, but sometimes others that really give a unique touch to the overall style. Power wise, I aim for reliable but smile inducing, between Stage 3 and 4 with ecu upgrades by the very talented NoobTune, this is generally reinforced with upgraded intercoolers and filters to keep things beautifully smooth.

I genuinely do this to keep Saabs on the road, and much to my wife's upset, I usually lose money on each an every one, but if it works, other Saab folks will benefit from a unique desire to drive something a bit different, after all, why spend £5k on a boring car when you can drive a truly exceptional Saab - reliable, timeless and above all, individual?

SEE CURRENT AEROS FOR SALE