The Rains Came

August 6, 2020 Eleven

…Just, but enough for me to run outside and see how well the detail on the Viggen had worked. I don’t think I’m alone in getting a bit excited about some tiny beads of rain sitting atop newly detailed paintwork and fabric, it’s one of those simple pleasures that just makes any petrolhead smile.

From early signs, it seems as though the Fabsil Gold on the roof has worked a treat, keeping to interior dry and cosy whilst the Soft99 Fusso has worked equally well on the Lightening Blue paintwork, reassuring considering it’s been sat in hibernation for the past 5 years. I’ll looked forward to a proper English downpour with fingers crossed next.

Viggen from the Flames

August 4, 2020 Eleven

Almost 5 months ago today I purchased the Saab 9-3 Viggen convertible, I’ve done a number of updates throughout the journey, but today, it finally had it’s full exterior detail.

It’s not perfect, having covered 140,000 miles for it’s 5 previous owners, that’s almost 6 times around the Earth, it has stories to tell; stone chips and a few dents, but totally honest and with virtually no rust I couldn’t ask for more, it deserved to be saved, pampered and then enjoyed.

A local detailer has given it a good scrub down, clay bar and treated with Soft99 Fusso; a Japanese paint sealant which will protect it for up to 12 months whilst the roof has also been given a good clean with G101 APC together with a Fabsil Gold waterproofing.

Having driven it for a few hundred miles now, there are a few niggles to deal with, the Air Bag light needs reseting after removing the interior, the outside temp sensor needs replacing and there’s a slight knocking from the driver’s side front suspension set up. Other than that, the short shift gear knob is taking a while to settle in and has a tendency to pop out of 2nd when downshifting, and if this can’t be adjusted satisfactorily, I’ll change it back to the standard shifter instead which will be a shame, but essential.

As this was always a project to save another beautiful Saab, it’ll be up for grabs once the issues are all addressed, you’ll find the full build over on Aeroriginal soon.

Black and Blue

August 3, 2020 Eleven

It might sound strange, but one of my favourite parts of any new Saab rescue is the interior refresh, I look forward to it, I plan what I need to do and how to approach it, I even like stocking up on the products iv’e trusted for years.

After a good few months of the Viggen being made mechanically right again, the interior has languished in 5 years of dust, dirt and tiredness, the leather looked sad and neglected, cast off parts all over the back seat and numerous fittings missing, lost over its 20 year journey.

I like to remove all of the seats, that way, I can treat each one to a full clean and 24 hour feed with Gliptone, bringing the leather to life again, the distinctive Viggen blue leather has come up a treat, it looks bright and firm again, and although the drivers seat has some cracking, the moisuriser has given it a new lease of life and left it with a lovely patina to help tell the car’s story.

I used a foam cleaner by Autoglym for the carpets and plastics and finished it off with a light rub of Autoglym Trim Gel which brings out the grain and colour perfectly.

The new CD head unit replaces the old cassette unit and a subtle AUX input has been fitted, the gorgeous new Nappa leather steering wheel by Tun Style and a genuine Saab replacement leather gear knob.

Tomorrow, the Viggen will be pampered even more by Harry the detailer, the body gets a full clay bar treatment and polish and the roof gets cleaned and sealed again ready for its first outdoor Winter in 5 years.

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.

Saab Style 2020

May 28, 2020 Eleven

Do you ever try and imagine what a 2020 Saab might look like, what would a new 9-5 look like, more to the point, what would an all new Saab 9-3 convertible look like?

Sadly, except in my imagination, none of us will ever know, but what we can do, is work our magic on the iconic Saabs we already have and continue to maintain. I have an obsession with wheels. and although I love original equipment rims, most are just too small for today’s aesthetic, so what would a Saab rim look like today?

I’m currently stock piling parts for my next project, it’s one i’ve never had before but always been on my most wanted list, a Lightning Blue Viggen convertible. As well as collecting the usual suspects; Bilstein B8s, Eibach lowering springs, full Tarox drilled Japan Street brakes , DO88 Intercooler, Nordic Performance induction kit etc, I also wanted to update the wheels whilst still honouring the original Viggen 5 spokes.

It’s taken me a load of time to choose the perfect set but think these Stealth rims by Momo are bang on, two tone similar to the Saab Turbo X rim, simple and timeless in design and just in a league of their own, very Saab. As it’s going to be a few weeks before I can try them out on the Viggen project, I had a little play in Photoshop, but truly believe they’ll be just as Saab might have fitted today.

Wheel & Grille

March 30, 2020 Eleven

Whilst the whole world is in Isolation mode, driving has become something I can only currently reminisce over and look forward to for the future, but that doesn’t of course, stop me from planning my next project Saab. Over the past few months, I’ve been slowly gathering parts for the long awaited Viggen convertible, and although that also has been put on hold whilst to bodyshop is on lockdown, it won’t stop me enjoying each and every component that arrives at my door.

I’m a sucker for a beautifully crafted steering wheel, the feel of new Nappa leather, immaculate perforations and visible craftsmanship. I’d originally enjoyed my Hirsch wheel so much that I search out a new one for pretty much every build now. This latest one arrived from the folks at Tun Style in Belarus who craft a wide range of fantastic quality gear for Saabs, mostly following on from Hirsch performance parts, but some originals too.

First impressions are fantastic, quality of the leather is exceptional with good perforations and exquisite stitching, the contours are ergonomic and feels gorgeous to hold, I just need the Viggen here to put it on now.

Nappa Leather Steering Wheel | TunStyle

This is my fourth Black Edition grille now I think, I initially commissioned one from a very talented Saabist called Fraser, based in Scotland he somehow manages to make each bespoke grille that little bit better than the last.

He sources great quality metal mesh in black, the best genuine Saab grilles he can find and sets about carefully cutting the internal plastic section out to form an open frame, he then applies several coats of a durable satin black paint and finally bonding in the black metal mesh.

Black Edition Mesh Grille | Fraser Davison

The Last Great True Saab

August 20, 2019 Eleven

Back in 2017, Jalopnik got hold of a Viggen convertible for one of their Not New Reviews, I've only just come across this and it's a great article, ok so a few obvious non Saab statements, but well written and some superb photos.

To me, it just highlights what a fantastic car the original generation 9-3s are, and why to this day, they remain just so unique. It’s a long review so i’ll feature a few highlights here, but it’s well worth popping over to Jalopnik to read the entire article.

Out of all the quintessentially weird cars that wore the Saab badge, this one has to be among the most eccentric. I took one out for a drive, a convertible one too, which technically makes it more of a hot coupe than a hot hatch. Plenty of Saabs came after this one, but this one was one of the last true great weird examples from the brand.

All that factory-tuned 20 psi of boost (that’s a lot for a factory setup) went straight to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. Other mechanical modifications over a standard turbocharged 9-3 included a higher capacity intercooler, a performance-tuned ECU, a higher flowing exhaust system, a performance clutch and pressure plate, stiffened and lowered suspension components as well as reinforced CV joints and driveshafts.

Back in the day, Saab claimed a 0-60 acceleration time of roughly 6.5 seconds. That’s about the same as some current front-wheel-drive hot hatchbacks like the Ford Focus ST. But unlike the Ford, the Saab came with its own training program video hosted by a professional jet fighter pilot.

Fundamentally, what makes this Viggen so special is that during Saab’s 67-year run of building quirky and unusual aircraft-derived automobiles, the Viggen stands out today as one of the fastest production Saabs ever built.

Getting inside a Saab reminded me how absolutely different these cars were from anything else in the late nineties and early 2000’s. The dashboard and windshield are as flat as a plank of wood, and the dash is high, filled with buttons and a large air vent, presumably to look like an airplane cockpit.

It kind of works? Oh, and the radio has a weather band. A weather band!

Nothing really happens below 4,000 RPM. That’s when the insane boost pressure shoves you hard into the immensely comfortable seats and emits cool jet-like air swirl sounds along the way - pssssttttssshh - boost gauge all lit up and everything, quickly running out of puff at around 6,000 RPM.

It’s an unusual way to put down power, but it definitely works.

Maybe someday Saabs will become so sought after that the brand will mysteriously spawn back to life. And what a glorious day that would be.

Jalopnik | The Saab 93 Viggen was the last great true Saab

Ice White

December 17, 2018 Eleven

For years I’ve collected photos of Saabs, mainly for inspiration and future projects yet to be realised, but some are just too good to not be shared, like this exceptional white 900 T convertible from Poland.

It started life a basic looking ng 900, but went through a massive facelift at some point in its life - Viggen bodykit including front and rear bumpers and side skirts, later 9-3 grille and central reflector blanking plate. It’s also been beautifully stanced and sitting on an immaculate set of 18” Volvo T5 R alloys.

Wish I knew more about this 900 convertible, but from a visual point of view, this is one gorgeous, ice white Saab for us all to enjoy. Photographed by the talented Grzegorz Baranowski and features an equally talented Polish blonde.