Aux In. Tunes Out.

August 8, 2020 Eleven

Without fail, owners of older Saabs will have faced the same problem, want to hold on to the super cool looking OE stereo but have no simple way of connecting their phone to allow for all you favourite tunes to blast out.

Endless hours of research always pointed me back to one solution, the CD Connect Aux function from Skyddet in Sweden. It a simple little gadget that replaces your CD multi changer connection, it's all totally invisible besides a discreet 3.5mm Aux jack that can be fitted to a black button on your dash somewhere.

After fitting one to the Viggen, it works beautifully; sounds clear, crips and loud, pretty much all it needs to do, however, it doesn't offer any control via the head unit besides the volume, which is a shame, but a small price to pay to keep the Saab looking sweet. Not cheap at £180 but highly recommended if your Saab aesthetic is important to you.

CDConnect Aux | Skyddet Sweden

Slammed Swedes

November 20, 2019 Eleven

I know there’s a load of Saabists out there that neither appreciate or understand the slammed scene, but it’s truly massive and as far as I’m concerned, if folks are saving Saabs and spending good money on keeping them in tip top condition, all the better.

I attended a Rollhard even at Bicester Heritage earlier this year and was both pleased and surprised to see a few Saabs in the mix, after a bit of digging I found out that Rollhard had also been at the Swedish Performance Show, Elmia back in 2018 and had captured a few gorgeous Swedes there too.

‘The Saab 9000 CS is epitome of Swedish cool. A modern classic reworked and oh so relevant. Perhaps not the most obvious choice of project car for most, but this is Sweden - this 9000 is a perfect example of what is possible. The last of the non-GM Saabs, these things are bullet-proof. Don’t blame us if you find yourself browsing the Car and Classic classifieds for a 9000 CS 2.3 turbo’

Rollhard | Elmia Sweden

Built not Bought

August 29, 2019 Eleven

A fellow Saabist, Jonas Kakarikas from Sweden has recently posted a time-lapse film of him building his dream Gen1 9-3 Aero convertible.

Jonas's build is similar to how I tend to like my Aero convertibles too, he's added around £5,000 worth of performance parts including upgraded and lowered suspension, sports exhaust with rear muffler delete, DO88 intercooler, an induction kit and the ever gorgeous BBS CH alloys.

I rarely see any other colour besides silver now, so this exceptional blue one is a real treat. Well worth a few minutes watch, and the smile at the end says it all, that's what Saabs are about.

Jonas Kakarikas | Instagram

Saab Alchemy

December 21, 2018 Eleven

Is it just me or have you ever dreamt of how the Ian Callum designed 9-3 Aero bumpers would look on a 9-5, or how a late 9-3 one would suit an earlier 9-3.

Well, recently I came across the personal Instagram of one very talented Rickard Karlsson from Sweden, it seems there's nothing he can't do to perform cosmetic surgery on a Saab. What makes it even more impressive is the quality of the work, it looks completely factory fitted.

Rickard retro fits different components to various Saabs giving them subtle facelifts, uses ng colours on og cars and seems to be able to get stance perfection with just the right choice of alloys, even fitting 20" to his divine and exceptionally individual 9-3 Sky Blue 308 Sportwagon, in short, Rickard performs Saab Alchemy for family and friends

If we're going to keep our Saabs on the road and looking mighty fine, we need more people like Rickard around, I just wish I lived in Sweden, my 9-5 Aero would be going under the knife right now.

Rickard Karlsson Instagram