Selling for a Friend

October 14, 2024 Eleven

This is not something I’d normally do, selling cars for friends, but these two Saabs are such great opportunities, I couldn’t resist sharing them. They’re both cars I’ve been offered recently and to be very honest, highly tempted to have myself, but space and a patient wife can only be pushed so far.

2007 Saab 9-5 Aero

A beautifully cared for and cherished genuine Aero which is very much factory standard, with exceptionally clean bodywork finished in solid Black.

Originally purchased from Gordon Lamb Saab, Chesterfield in 2007 and kept by its first owner until he sadly died in 2023. The Aero has been carefully maintained by Saab and then later by a Saab specialist in Sheffield, over the past year, it’s had a few small mechanical jobs taken care of, and is now ready for a new owner.

It will now have 2 previous owners, all owner’s manuals, a good service history and 1 key, the Aero interior is in very clean condition as is the bodywork, but could do with a good weekend spent on it, a machine polish and coating.

Not only is it a very low owner Saab, but has only covered 71,000 miles, making it a genuinely rare Aero. The price is also very appealing, just £4000.

Need to know

Saab 9-5 Aero Auto Saloon
KC57 BUJ
71,000 Miles
Full Service History
MOT 28th June 2025
£4,000

2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4

This one’s slightly more unusual, and a little more complex, the car originally came to the UK as an import from Singapore, but has been thoroughly used and enjoyed over the past 12 months having covered 26,000 miles, 51,000 overall.

In a stunning Granite Grey Metallic with Parchment Comfort Leather, this Turbo4 comes with some wonderful options, not only does it benefit from the rare DriveSense adaptive suspension, Pilot Head-Up Display and Advanced Park Assist, but it’s further enhanced with genuine Hirsch front and rear bumpers, exhaust tips and rear boot lip, together with upgraded 345mm front drilled brakes and Force six pot calibers sitting behind the gorgeous 10 spook Edge Silver, 19’ alloys.

Just a few of the nicer specified options listed here :

Full leather interior with Comfort seats in Parchment Granite Grey Metallic
10 spoke Edge Silver, 19” x 8.5” alloys
Sentronic 6 speed auto gearbox
U-rail Cargo track with management system
Saab Infotainment CD with MP3
Pilot Head-Up Display
DriveSense Suspension System ( Comfort / Intelligent / Sport Settings)
Advanced Park Assist
Automatic high / low beam

It arrived in the UK without much history or paperwork, but has all import certificates and has also been carefully maintained for the past year. A highly desirable Saab and again, one I’d have loved to give a home to. It has a few small cosmetic areas that require attention, the alloys need a refurb, the front bumper could do with a respray and theres’s some slight blistering on the dashboard and steering wheel, but overall, a very exciting opportunity to own a rare Saab.

Need to know

Saab 9-5 Turbo4 Auto Saloon
SO61 OEM
51,000 Miles
Will have fresh service
MOT 11th June 2025
£7,200

Neither of these Saabs are mine, I haven’t seen them myself and none of the pictures are mine either. However, I get numerous Saabs offered to me and these 2 stood out as being rather too good to not share. If anyone is interested, I’ll happily put you in touch with their owners and you can take the negotiations from there - I’ll only ask for a small commission, a bottle of wine maybe!

Note : Further photos of the NG 9-5 to follow shortly after a full clean, valet and daylight.

Weekend Aero Workshop

October 1, 2024 Eleven

A couple of jobs on the Graphite Green Aero had been outstanding for a while now, an irritating whine we’d narrowed down to either alternator, or power steering pump, as sod’s law always wins, we changed the alternator for a new one, and it wasn’t that, the whine continued. This weekend, it was finally fixed, a new pump fitted and we’re back to the quiet, smooth running I always associate with the Saab 9-5 Aero engine.

Annoyingly, the beautiful dark Walnut dashboard had started to delaminate and crack, so a perfect replacement was found and that has also been fitted. Over the years, I think I’ve possibly had virtually every facia option Saab offered, some more unusual, the light walnut with a gorgeous satin finish, the almost black Ash, and both the Saab and Hirsch Carbon options, but I still find the dark Walnut endearing. This Aero was also specified with the optional matching Dark Walnut Gloss gear selector, which really does finish the console off perfectly.

Another job for the weekend was to transplant the original Hirsch steering wheel from the Nocturne Blue Aero over to the Green Aero. As I’m not entirely sure what will happen to the Nocturne one, I wanted to keep the wheel as it’s a gorgeous shape, and feels so much more substantial than the standard wheel.

Last but not least, the Green Aero had a slight stutter under full acceleration, it hesitated and didn’t put its full power down, so we’ve changed over the brand new, genuine DI pack and also correct Aero spark plugs and it’s stopped the stutter completely, passing the issue to the donor Nocturne Aero, so yet another DI and plug set has arrived this morning from Neo Brothers.

After such a long time to get this car back on track, it’s such a joy to own and drive, although it’s featured for sale on Aeroriginal, I’m not entirely sure I can let this one go now.

A Saabspotters Guide to 9-5 Spoilers

September 25, 2024 Eleven

Over the years, I’ve been asked numerous times about the different boot spoilers I’ve had on various 9-5 projects. I’ve always tried to stay authentic, and go for ones that feel appropriate for the car, these are the ones that were generally offered either by Saab or their immediate styling partners. There are, of course endless options available on eBay, however, I can’t vouch for their fit or quality as I’ve never tried them. I thought this might help other’s identify a few of the more period correct ones.

Saab

Let’s start with the genuine Saab offering, this was the only boot lip available direct from manufacturer. The Bridge Spoiler ‘Improved aerodynamics and give the car a sportier appearance’ according to the 2005 brochure. It’s actually my least favourite, I don’t feel it flows harmoniously with the contours of the car, saying that, they’re well made, robust and give the 9-5 a different aesthetic.

Hirsch

Now, the official partner for Saab; Hirsch. A much more discreet boot lip, that could be specified and fitted by the dealer or retrofitted after purchase. 'With Hirsch Performance’s aerodynamic boot spoiler, you kill two birds with one stone: improvement of the aerodynamics and a clear reduction in the lift values. At the same time the bullish look of your Saab makes it unmistakeable'. The distinguishing feature to me on the Hirsch spoiler, is the overhang, it effectively angles out over the back of the boot slightly, as you’d expect, excellent quality and superb fit.

Abbott Racing

Moving on to the rarer one, the Abbott Racing boot spoiler. Again, not dissimilar to the Hirsch offering, but with one very visible difference, the larger rise toward the centre of the spoiler. I've been lucky enough to own a few of these, and the build quality and fit are fantastic. I don't have any specific description on this, but aerodynamically it seems to hold the rear of the car nicely at speed and really suits it.

Tunstyle

As it became difficult to locate either the Hirsch or the Abbott spoilers, I went on a mission to find a genuinely good alternative, and this is it, the Hirsch Style Rear Spoiler by Tunstyle. Luckily this one is readily available and again, well made and perfectly fits the 9-5 boot line. It's a little smaller that the Hirsch or the Abbott ones, but really enhances the car when fitted and painted. Currently available here.

I've always been a fan of subtle OE+ modifications, and the boot lips just add the finishing touch to me. It is of course, a very personal opinion, but the 9-5 feels sharper with them on. I hope this helps others identity the individual spoilers, it took me a while before I knew them all.

Lost Carlsson Dreams & the beauty of Autumn

September 18, 2024 Eleven

It's been a few weeks since my last post, but there's plenty to share, some good, some bad.

Let's get the bad news over with first. My long standing dreams of rescuing the 9000 Carlsson have now been lost. It became obvious that my plans, based around a certain Saab mechanic helping me through the arduous journey, were not going to happen. This ended with me having to urgently get the Carlsson collected. In a happy turn of events, the long time Saab fanatic who collected the car for me, had always wanted to own a Carlsson, so rather than deliver it directly to me, he bought it and will now hopefully be able to work on saving this amazing Saab. I wish him the best of luck and maybe one day, I'll get the opportunity to own another; one that I can actually drive.

Moving on to the reason I had to have the Carlsson collected so urgently; my long term Saab mechanic has hit a few hurdles lately, which have slowly built up and sadly ended in the business no longer being accessible for me. I'm truly hoping he manages to sort the issues out and begin again, as he's a wonderful mechanic and rarely let me down on numerous past Saab rescues.

Now for the good news, for the past 6 months or so, one of the Malcolm Miles team who left the business, has been helping me with various jobs on the 2 current Saab 9-5's. Over the years, we've done a lot of the Saabvs builds together, he's a brilliant mechanic, and what he doesn't know about Saabs, possibly isn't worth knowing. He does however, have another full time job, so access is more limited and rescue projects will have to be on the lighter side from now on. It does mean I can continue finding interesting Saabs and giving them the Saabvs treatment for now though.

Although we have a short list of works for both 9-5's still to tackle, and the Nocturne Blue currently residing elsewhere, it's the Graphite Green Aero I turn to for my regular Saab fix. It's covered a few thousand miles since the final engine rebuild, and besides a few niggles to iron out, it's a Saab that ticks all of the boxes for me, and I find myself getting withdrawal symptoms if I have't driven it for a few days.

We returned home from a few weeks in Italy to some absolutely glorious English weather; 24 degrees, cloudless, deep blue skies and the beginnings of a beautiful Autumn. The Graphite Green Aero with its warm tan leather interior is the perfect Saab for a season of road trips and exploring our changing countryside before Winter sets in.

Saabfest 2024 Gallery

August 6, 2024 Eleven

This year's Saabfest; held at the wonderful Prescott Hill Climb happened at the end of July, and sadly, it was another event I couldn't make, even though I had a working Saab this time, but some great reports coming in of lovely weather, a bunch of amazing cars and as ever, good company.

Luckily, I've managed to persuade the very talented, Matt Searle, to allow me to share his photos. They're exceptionally close to my own photography style, so feel they beautifully convey the Saabvs aesthetic too, thanks for letting me share them Matt.

Day One

Day Two

Saab BioPower 100

July 22, 2024 Eleven

From time to time, I love digging back into the Saabvs archives and finding interesting stories about what Saab might have been in the future. As we all know, Bioethanol hasn't become what Saab might have hoped it would (at least, not in the UK), but I can't help thinking that it still sounds like an attractive proposition for sustainable driving, even today.

Back in 2007, Saab claimed that the new 9-5 BioPower 100 Concept would have been the first production car designed to run on pure E100 bioethanol; a clean and powerful fuel. Most bioethanol cars that were on sale, ran on E85 (a blend of 85 percent bioethanol, 15 percent regular unleaded), but pure E100 had a higher octane rating. The 9-5 concept produced a muscly 300bhp from just 2.0 litres. Torque was equally high at 295lb ft, for a rapid 6.6sec dash to 62mph. Saab said that the main benefit of flex-fuel vehicles is that the CO2 emissions created during driving would be balanced by the crops grown to make bioethanol, making them potentially carbon-neutral; what's not to like?

Not only that, the BioPower Concept car was one of the most aesthetically pleasing versions of this generation 9-5 I'd ever seen. The pure white paintwork, ice block lights and 19" turbine alloys, whilst the interior was upholstered in unique white leather, complemented by black leather dash and doortrims overlaid with a carbon fibre pattern.

The BioPower 100 Concept brought Saab's technology to a new level by showing the true potential of combining turbocharging and sophisticated engine management with pure bioethanol fuel, it might have been one of the best examples that greener motoring could also mean even sportier driving.

Total BioPower

Saab is already established as the leading player in Europe's emerging market for 'flex-fuel' vehicles able to run on gasoline and/or bioethanol (E85). Its current Saab 9-5 BioPower model is the best-selling flex-fuel car in Europe and Sweden and, at Geneva this year, Saab also announces BioPower's introduction throughout its 9-3 product range.

So far, Saab BioPower development has been focused on using E85 fuel, (85% bioethanol/15% gasoline). Now, with the announcement of the fully functioning BioPower 100 Concept, Saab confirms its leadership position by showing how bioethanol technology could be further extended. In combining pure bioethanol with Saab's expertise in turbocharging, the BioPower 100 Concept offers drivers an exciting win/win proposition: greener motoring with dramatically enhanced power and performance.

Running on E100, the concept car's engine delivers peak power of 300 hp at 5,800 rpm and an exceptionally strong 400 Nm of torque between 3,000 and 5,100 rpm, withalmost 85% available at just 2,000 rpm. This strong and flexible power delivery gives the Saab BioPower 100 Concept car zero to 100 kph acceleration in just 6.6 secs and 80 - 120 kph (fifth gear) in an even more impressive 8.2 secs. The standard 150 hp gasoline engine produces 240 Nm of torque from 1,800-3,500 rpm, giving zero to 100 kph in10.2 secs and 80-120 kph (fifth gear) in 16.3 secs.

The secret behind such enhanced performance is the ability of E100 fuel to resist harmful self-ignition, or 'knocking', as the fuel/air mixture is compressed in the cylinder. This attribute is denoted by E100's high 106 RON octane rating. It permits the use of an engine compression ratio that is higher than normally possible with turbocharging, giving more power and greater combustion efficiency without risk of knocking.

The BioPower 100 Concept's engine operates with a compression ratio of 11.0:1, compared to 8.8:1 for the standard gasoline engine. This has been achieved by modifying the shape of the piston crowns to reduce the volume of the combustion chamber, thereby raising the engine's compression ratio.

New software for Saab's powerful Trionic engine management system, which controls the throttle setting, ignition timing, fuel injection and turbo boost pressure, looks after the different ignition timing and fuel/air mixture requirements of E100 fuel.

More durable valves and valve seats are fitted to the engine, together with bioethanol-compatible materials throughout the fuel system. The only other modification necessary is pre-heating of the fuel. This is required to achieve good cold-starting performance, which is the main reason why bioethanol is currently blended with gasoline and sold as E85 fuel.

In ambient temperatures below 15°C, the chemistry of E100 makes it resistant to vaporization and, as a result, it can be difficult to start the engine. To overcome this issue, the Saab BioPower 100 Concept has an experimental fuel heating system, using small heating elements in the inlet ports downstream of the injectors. When the engine is cold, these elements warm the incoming fuel sufficiently to allow it to vaporize. Shortly after start-up, the function is automatically deactivated.

On The Road

In optimising the potential of bioethanol fuel, the Saab BioPower 100 Concept turbo engine offers improved driveability, as well as greater full power performance. The high compression ratio allows the engine to generate more torque more quickly, particularly from low engine speeds. On the road, the driver of the BioPower 100 Concept will immediately notice a sharper engine response, with a better low speed pick-up before the turbo is engaged.

On full throttle openings, the turbocharger packs up to 1.2 bar boost, without risk of 'knocking' from the high octane fuel. It gives the BioPower 100 Concept driver access to the sort of in-gear performance typical of a modern, naturally-aspirated engine of four liters or more. The smooth power delivery - without fossil fuel emissions - takes Saab's traditional 'less is more' turbo philosophy to a new level.

That impressive 150 hp/liter specific power output also indicates considerable future potential for engine 'rightsizing', giving the driver the performance characteristics of a 'large' engine without incurring its additional weight, greater complexity or higher fuel consumption. In this way, E100 offers significant potential to reduce the displacement of an engine - thereby reducing fuel consumption - while still achieving a desired power level.

The overall fuel consumption of the current Saab 9-5 BioPower engine using E85 is about 30% higher than on gasoline and the optimized BioPower 100 engine is expected to yield a near 10% gain against this. Bioethanol burns at a lower temperature than gasoline, which reduces thermal stresses on the engine and benefits fuel consumption at higher cruising speeds. With the future addition of direct injection and lean-burn technology, E100 fuel consumption can move even closer to gasoline levels.

For optimum energy saving, future E100 applications could also be combined with electric hybrid technology, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions still further. This development has already been previewed in the Saab BioPower Hybrid Concept, the world's first such vehicle to use pure bioethanol.

Whilst the BioPower 100 Concept is focused on performance, it still retains a 'flex-fuel' capability and the engine will also run on gasoline, or E85, although power levels are not so high. Trionic monitors fuel quality after every visit to the filling station and automatically makes any adjustments necessary for running on E100/E85 and/or gasoline in any combination.

To handle the increased performance, the BioPower 100 show car is fitted with a limited-slip differential and larger front brake discs (345 mm) and calipers, while using the sports chassis settings of Saab 9-5 Aero SportCombi. It also has a dual pipe rear exhaust system, with tailpipes similar to those of the Aero X Concept.

Just a few more miles

July 17, 2024 Eleven

For the past month, I’ve been putting the Graphite Green Aero through its paces, over 1000 miles covered, and what an absolute pleasure it’s been. I’ve taken it up to the beautiful Northumberland coastline, through rush hour traffic in Nottingham, in and out of London, and many, many B road blasts around Leicestershire and Rutland. It’s given me time to not only work out a few of the niggles after the second engine rebuild, but to also get fully aquatinted with the car again.

As much as I love a manual 9-5 Aero, there’s something exceptionally rewarding about the auto in these Saabs, it compliments its luxurious, comforting cruiser mode so perfectly, and when called upon, the torque and acceleration are still smile inducing. Over the years, I’ve learnt to not give the car full throttle, but to tease the power out more steadily, it rewards you with a growing surge of Turbo boost and doesn’t down gear or scream at you. Its smooth changes enhanced by the NoobTune Stage 3 remap, and even on hot days, the power is constant thanks to the upgraded intercooler.

It needed a new alternator as there was a constant whine that got worse over a few hundred miles, so a new one has been fitted, and not directly associated to the car’s drivability, but a new set of boot struts have been added to stop it slamming shut, other than that, the 1000 mile road test hasn’t thrown up any other concerns and more importantly, the reoccurring oil light issue seems to be well and truly fixed.

An obvious fascination with this car for me was the beautiful Graphite Green Metallic paint and Sand leather interior, it’s a combination that is so endearing and really suits the 9-5’s elegant form. The satin anthracite 18” wheels and Michelin tyres have enhanced the overall aesthetic, and the usual Bilstien / Eibach suspension combo has transformed the handling of this car. The wonderfully low 75,000 miles it’s covered over its 21 year life means it also feel really tight still; it gives you a small glimpse in to how it might have felt to pick up a brand new 9-5 Aero back in 2003.

Top Gear recently classed the 9-5 Aero as one of their top Saabs of all time "The first generation 9-5 Aero may have had the greatest driver focused, button filled interior of all time. It also looked fantastic, was hugely reliable and could do 0-62mph in under 7.0 seconds. All the car you would ever need".

I'm not really sure I could put it better myself, these are truly fantastic cars, and have been underrated for far too long, saying that, I'd prefer them to stay under the radar. Is the road testing finished yet? Hmmm, just a few more miles please...

NOS

June 25, 2024 Eleven

Three letters that bring a smile to the face of any hardcore Saab fan; NOS or New Old Stock. An absolute joy to discover, especially when it describes an original Saab 9-5 SID unit. Brand new, never fitted with unmarked buttons and perfect pixels.

I know it might not seem much to most people, but small pleasures are sometimes the best ones. As it becomes harder to find certain parts for cars that are 20+ years old, and from a lost manufacturer, it brings me a lot of pleasure to find them. It can be anything from a badge to an owner's manual, a door handle to a head unit, it really doesn't matter, the joy is still the same.

My NOS SID arrived today, and from the beaten up box to the unmarked, original label, it brought a smile to both me and my Saab.

Small pleasures...

More Fettling

June 17, 2024 Eleven

One of the greatest pleasures of saving these amazing Saab Aeros, is the shear joy of getting to drive and enjoy them all. The Graphite Green 9-5 hasn’t been an easy one, and the concerns over the oil light returning after this last bottom end replacement, has been in the back of my mind. So best thing to do was put some miles in and reassure myself if wasn’t going to happen again. After some 500 miles and a lot of joy, I’m feeling exceptionally happy I stuck with this one and we’ve finally got there; no oil light.

As ever though, it’s an iterative process, and there’s always something to take care of, so on Saturday, we had another round of fettling, we fixed a slight hesitation in acceleration, which turned out the be a boost pipe that had come loose and the dump value not fitted quite correctly. We also changed over the worn, sliding arm rest for an almost immaculate one, and secured some loose wiring for the front fog lamps.

There’s also been a slight whine since the rebuild, and we’ve narrowed it down to a noisy alternator. Hopefully this can be exchanged soon and the Saab returned to peek driving condition. Once again, I can’t help but respect the 9-5 Aero, it’s super smooth, powerful and calming on longer journeys, but press on, and it turns in to a smile inducing sport saloon that handles beautifully with it’s modified suspension, upgraded brakes and new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rubber. It’s hard to believe it’s over 20 years old really, the quality shines through and feels every bit as special as modern executive cars; just better looking of course.

The 443 Mile Saab

June 11, 2024 Eleven

It took me a little while to believe this; a 2010 Saab 9-3 SportCombi 1.8t Turbo Edition with just four hundred and forty three miles, that’s one tank of fuel used since it left Sweden.

Finished in showroom condition, Nocturne Blue Metallic with 5 spoke ALU59 wheels and appointed leather in black, this is as close as you'll ever come to walking in to a Saab showroom and collecting your brand new SportCombi fourteen years ago.

Its owner; J, contacted me recently to share its story, truth be told, it has yet to start a real story, as this Saab has been silently waiting in a heated warehouse for the past twelve years. But this isn't J's first Saab, back in 1971 he owned a two stroke 96, followed by having the unique privilege of driving the very first Saab 99 Turbo to arrive in the UK, that lead him to own and drive two further non-turbo 99's throughout the years.

Then, in 2012, J purchased this beautifully understated 9-3 SportCombi from Saab Swansea with just 37 miles in readiness for his retirement car. It's twelve years on and he still hasn't found the time to retire, and the Saab has only ever been taken for a few drives, including trips for 3 MOT's since being purchased.

In J's words "I bought the car for use in my retirement, but find myself still working. I now have too many cars and would prefer to see this sold to a Saab enthusiast rather than being used as the taxi for the grandchildren".

I've been exceptionally tempted by this one myself, but feel it needs to be cherished and enjoyed left completely standard, and I for one, know I'd struggle to leave it alone. If anyone fancies turning back time by fourteen years, and buying themselves a brand new, Nocturne Blue Metallic Saab 9-3, this is quite possibly a unique opportunity to do exactly that. J doesn't have a specific figure in mind, but anyone interested can message here and I'll pass on your details.

Against all Odds

June 1, 2024 Eleven

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Back in January last year, I spotted this spectacular Saab 9-5 Aero at a dismantlers, it was being sold as a spares car, after a few conversations, it seemed like this had been a much loved Saab, but for some reason, had ended up here; no log book, no manuals etc, just a rather down on it’s luck Saab, low milage at 72,000 and only 3 previous owners.

Not one to be put off by lost bits of paperwork, and being in my favourite colour combination of green over tan, I couldn’t let this one go. I bought it, had it transported directly to my Saab specialist, and let the process begin.

Early positive news, the car was in remarkably good condition, yes, it was filthy inside, yes, it had vegetation growing out of its joints, and yes, a forklift had crushed the side skirts enough to need replacing, but overall, remarkably rust free. The bad news, it seemed to have the oil light on at low tickover after warming up, we changed the oil pump, cleaned the oil pickup and sump etc, gave it a thorough recommission and service, and the oil light vanished, for about 200 miles.

Now the fun started, it not only come back on, but very quickly turned in to the unnerving clattering and tapping soundtrack we all dread, I limped it back in to the garage and left it for a full diagnosis; new engine needed. With a stroke of luck, a donor Aero was offered to me with a decent engine and plenty of nice upgrades, I took the opportunity to buy a load of the elements I like to add to each project, and also had a replacement bottom end.

The work was carried out and it drove absolutely beautifully for a few weeks, so the bodywork repairs were commissioned; new side skirts replaced, rear lower arches cut out, welded and leaded, front bumper, passenger wing and Abbott Racing boot lip all sanded down and repainted, the Saab was starting to resemble the car I imagined it could be, the gorgeous ALU 56 alloys had been refurbished in satin anthracite with new Michelin PS4 rubber and now adorned the car, then, after just a few weeks, the dreaded oil light began to reappear.

The core issue hadn’t been fully identified, and to be honest, we still don’t know exactly what caused it, but we had to repeat the process again; a full Aero engine was sourced, and rebuilt, a another new MOT gained, and it’s back on the road once again. After the first few days, early signs are positive, but to be 100% I want to do a few serous road trips and really enjoy the car for a moment. It’s been a hard rescue, but from dismantlers to today, this Saab Aero deserved to be saved. Cleaned up and with its numerous enhancements, this is a Saab that had obviously been adored in the past and deserved to be again. Finger’s crossed we’ve beat the odds on this one, and a beautiful, rare specified Aero will enjoy many more years of life now.

What it cost

Graphite green Aero £1300
18” ALU56 alloys £340
4 x Michelin Pilot Sport 4 £411
Full wheel refurbishment / satin anthracite £450
Donor car £1250:
Engine
Bilstien shocks
Eibach springs
Polybushed subframe
Upgraded Intercooler
Upgraded brakes
JT 3” exhaust £500
Welding, bodywork and paint £1500
2nd Aero engine £750
Mechanical inc. ancillary parts, oil, filters etc £2000
NoobTune Stage 3 £90
Genuine Saab badges £100

Approximately £8691

A Different Kind of Luxury

May 30, 2024 Eleven

The Graphite Green Aero has been somewhat of a nemesis over the past year for me, all originating from an oil light that kept haunting me on tickover; two bottom end engine changes, and finger’s crossed, I think we might have finally sorted it.

Malcolm Miles, have somehow kept their cool, sourced another Aero block and brought it all together again, there are a few small snagging issues to sort; a whinny belt and a slight hesitation on full acceleration, but it’s back to being as nice to drive as I remember.

Having just had surgery, I have to suffer two whole weeks without driving, but today, I felt well enough to do some much needed work on the interior, lots of dirt and a general build up of grime left it feeling a little sorry for itself, sticky console buttons, film over all of the windows, disintegrating mats and the odd missing fitting here and there. Taking my time, I cleaned the dashboard, seats and door cards with soapy water to get the worst off, then moved on to Autoglym interior foam and a brush to give them all a thorough clean.

It’s not perfect, but after putting in a high quality set of new carpet mats and a final hoover, it’s starting to look how it deserves to look. Not to everyone’s taste, but the cream leather, carpet and headlining give the interior a beautifully calming and airy feel, whilst the dark wood dashboard and extended wood gear knob just add to the overall sense of luxury. The clear orange and green lights are a welcome relief from the harsh, bright instrumentation of many newer cars and overall, the Saab offers a rare, relaxed space in which to enjoy endless journeys; the Graphite Green Aero is finally coming together.

Nocturnal Instincts

May 15, 2024 Eleven

It’s be a bit of a slog getting the Nocturne Blue Aero back up to scratch, but with the help of a few, very clever Saab friends, the 9-5 passed it’s MOT last weekend and feels like it’s well on the way to a full recovery. When I bought it from Peter Raw, it was purchased as a spares car, great engine, rebuilt Turbo, and fast, bloody fast, but it wasn’t a car I planned to rescue.

We got it up on the ramp, and besides visible neglect for many years, it was a solid car, no gaping holes or disintegrating sub frames, just serviceable parts that hadn’t been serviced; brakes with so much wear they’d stopped stopping, lowering springs that had literally fallen apart, cracked DI pack, incorrect plugs, split gaiters and hoses, and numerous parts that hadn’t seen a spanner or fresh oil for way too long.

We set about working nights and weekends to fix a long list of issues, many that are usually overlooked on regular servicing, but now all done. We’d spent a few weekends on it, when a curveball hit us, it lost 5th gear, again, possibly due to many years of driving at sub optimal conditions, boosting hard in 5th gear, too much torque, and it just disintegrated. Luckily, another absolute Saab genius offered to fix the broken gear and all is well again.

The list is long, and never cheap, but decided the Saab was way too good to use as a donor car:

Neo Front 314mm Big Brake Upgrade kit
Genuine Saab Rear Vented Brake Discs and pads
New Eibach lowering springs
Steering Rack gaiters
Fuel filter
Rear rose bush
Genuine DI pack
Correct Aero spark plugs
Front low and main beam bulb upgrades
Auxiliary belt and idler pulley
Full service, oil, filters, brake fluid

It’s one of these cars that looks great from a distance, but get close and you’ll see it’s had a hard life, the interior has cleaned up amazingly well, but the bodywork isn’t fantastic, some areas of surface corrosion, including a few holes in the usual places, faded panels, and a few dents here and there, but here’s the thing, now it’s mechanically sorted, I kind of love the idea of it not being perfect, it’s a sleeper, an utterly sorted and genuinely exciting Saab to drive around in. With 340+ hp on tap, a manual gearbox and super limited slip diff, it’s an absolute smile inducing machine, and because it’s not perfect, I’m not precious about it, it wants and needs to be driven.

236,000 Mile Interior

March 19, 2024 Eleven

Despite not being the most urgent job on the long to-do list for the Nocturne Blue Aero, I couldn’t resist spending a few hours giving the interior a bit of a clean and a few treats.

First off, replace the terrible blue / white LED interior bulbs for the factory standard, warm white ones, then replace the broken gear gaiter for a genuine leather Saab one, finally replace the missing lighters for completeness and then on to the cleaning.

The Hirsch steering wheel had such a build up of dirt, that parts of the perforated leather sections were actually hidden, I wrapped it in damp clothes for a few hours, and then used a leather cleaner and a soft brush to scrub off the grime, finally, I gave it two applications of leather feed.

Because it had been smoked in, it had a stale smell and a build up of surface dirt, I’ve used an Autoglym interior foam cleaner, an old nail brush and a bunch of micro cloths to get the worst off, and then applied the different surfaces with suitable Autoglym treatments, including moisturising the leather. The roof lining needs a good clean still, and I need to source a new set of A pillar covers, as they have cigarette burns in them.

I removed the worn out rubber mats and have ordered new dark grey carpet replacements, sadly not genuine Saab ones as I can’t find them any more, but decent quality ones that should fit nicely and are made to order.

My overriding thought, is just how well these Saab interiors clean up, I’ve owned and cleaned many marques, and Saabs are genuinely some of ones that stand the test of time. This Aero has covered 236,000 miles, has visibly been roughly treated, not cleaned often enough and yet, with some hard work, comes up beautifully.

I have a spare driver’s seat I’ll use to replace the current one, as it has a serious squeak, but decides that, the interior still feels solid, rattle free and beautifully put together, it has once again been returned to the state it deserves.

More than the sum of its parts

March 5, 2024 Eleven

The decision has been made (for now) to work on the Nocturne Blue Aero and see if we can get it fighting fit again. As many of you will know, this was bought as a donor car to save the beautiful Graphite Green Aero, but needless to say, it has won me over and I can’t bring myself to break it for parts. After an initial inspection, it needs plenty of maintenance items; genuine DI pack, starter motor, spark plugs, oil trap hose assembly, discs and pads, tyres, handbrake return springs, a good service and stopping the power steering fluid leak.

However, amongst its long list of modifications and equipment, it came with a number of Hirsch parts, one being a Hirsch front grille, sadly though, the two side kidney grilles were missing. After a catch up with a Saab friend in the US, he happened to have a pair of them spare, a few weeks later, the entire 3 piece grille has now been reunited. It’s a small detail, but one that fills me with joy, apart from the kindness of the person who helped me out, it provides a positive step forward to bringing this Saab 9-5 back up to the level it deserves. In the next few weeks, I’m hoping to get the headlights de-misted, the maintenance work done, and maybe even repair the heater and uneven dual exhaust pipes.

Although I’ve been used to modified 9-5 Aeros in the past, most have been running around 300hp, this one however, is 350+hp. It really is a weapon to drive, especially on quiet country roads where it’s refined handling really proves its worth, the limited slip differential also transforms the traction and gets the power down rapidly and confidently.

I wasn’t entirely sure about the 18” Team Dynamics wheels, but again, they’ve grown on me and suit the car’s aesthetics perfectly, in fact, once some of the more urgent work is done, I’ll be refinishing them and treating them to some decent new types; I’m not convinced the Landsail rubber is up to coping with the amount of power, although so far, I’ve been surprisingly impressed with their performance. Now all I have to do, is find yet another engine and gearbox for the Green Aero.

Saab dilemmas

February 19, 2024 Eleven

I currently have yet another Saab dilemma playing off in my subconscious mind; to break or not to break?

I purchased this 9-5 Aero from Peter Raw a few months back with the intention to use its considerable list of parts to finally rescue my Graphite Green Aero, which is basically a gorgeous body with a knackered engine.

Such is the draw of the 9-5 Aero to me, that I’m now struggling to let this one go. The bodywork is tatty, it needs some rust taken care of, holes in the bonnet, dents on the front wing and boot, and numerous other areas of aesthetic attention. However, despite it’s 200,000 plus miles, mechanically, it’s been lavished with attention, the engine completely rebuilt a few years back; forged, Wossner pistons, massive turbo, intercooler, Noobtune 260 map etc, together with a manual gearbox fitted with a limited slip diff, upgraded clutch and endless modifications, all making it a pretty riotous Saab.

The interior is also tatty, it smells of stale smoke and has plenty of burn holes in the A pillar covers, the Hirsch steering wheel and pedals will need some love, but it feels as though it could be turned around still. The huge, 4 pot Maptun brakes desperately need new discs and pads, and there’s no heating either.

And yet with all that in mind, I can still see this as a usable and exciting Aero, the Nocturne Blue Metallic is a colour I’ve rarely seen before, and the overall look and stance of the car is pleasing. The dual stainless exhaust system, Racing Dynamics 18” wheels, rear bridge spoiler and Hirsch front grille all give the car a rather strong allure. Does the search continue for an engine and gearbox for the Graphite Green Aero, or do I push on with my original plans to use this one?

9000 Carlsson

February 5, 2024 Eleven

From the moment you sit inside the Saab 9000 Carlsson
with its unique upholstery of suede and leather,
it is immediately apparent that this Saab is truly something special.

Excerpt from the 1991 Carlsson range brochure.

A Saab acquaintance urgently needed another car, and ideally he wanted a Saab 9000, so the decision was made to let my Aero go, as part of the exchange, I've now become the custodian of a non-running 9000 Carlsson.

Whereas the Aero needed a minor amount of work, I have a feeling this needs more major work; it has corrosion that needs urgently addressing, the ABS system has failed and is currently un-drivable and there's no key, so the lock mechanism needs changing before I can even move it. My immediate thought was to break it for parts, but my ardent nature has got the better of me, and wants to attempt to save it.

Let's see where this one guides us...

Saab vs. the ordinary

January 23, 2024 Eleven

Over the years I’ve been doing Saabvs, I’ve always had my favourites; the 9000 Aero and 9-5 Aero are the obvious ones, and of course, the iconic 900, but one I hold a particular fondness for is the original generation 9-3 HOT Aero convertible.

I designed the Saab vs. the ordinary poster to honour both the original campaign and also this particular Saab. This one single image has repeatedly persuaded me to buy this stunning Saab, and imagine it will do again and again.

I’m never sure why, but believe it’s the idea of utter freedom, roof down in all weathers and embracing the beauty of the world around us, it allows us to experience a feeling of calm and of elevated awareness. It’s a sensual experience that envelops you in its Swedish elegance and style. This generation 9-3 felt both restrained and decedent at the same time, its purity of design, clean lines and provenance giving it utter individuality.

Good ones are getting harder to find now, Viggens are often expensive and the automatic versions don’t appeal in the same way, but one day soon, I’ll find the right one again, always imagine.

New Events Page

January 23, 2024 Eleven

I’ve been meaning to add this new feature to the site for some time now, I know there are other decent resources for what’s going on, but in the UK at least, I’ve never been able to find a straight forward guide. Supporting our friendly community is important to me, meeting new Saab folk is always inspiring, and if I happen to grab a few photos of the events too, even better.

This does however, require audience participation, if a Saab event isn’t on here, feel free to chuck me an email or message over on Facebook or Instagram, and I’ll get it up on here to share with everyone.

Saab Life

January 22, 2024 Eleven

It’s been a busy few weeks as far as Saabs are concerned, coming and goings, parts arriving and respected folks finally met.

As anyone having kept up with my various Saabs will now, I have a gorgeous, Graphite Green 9-5 Aero rescued from the breakers about a year ago, It needed a lot of work to get it back on track, which we did, but then the replacement engine let me down. Last week, I was offered a hugely interesting donor Saab with a highly modified engine and gearbox; maybe the perfect answer to get the Graphite Green Aero finally running. I made a deal to px a lovely, low milage Vector 2.3t for it and also had the pleasure of meeting Peter Raw, who’d offered me the car and kindly drove it down for me.

Although not running great yet, the engine is indeed a bit special; running around 350hp and with a superb, lsd, manual gearbox, the car also comes with huge MapTun brakes, Bilstien suspension and a hoist of other goodies I can rescue. It would mean converting an Auto to a Manual though, and we’re just weighing up the costs of doing such a conversion. It would, however, give me, my perfect Saab 9-5 Aero.

I’ve also bought a few old Audio units from Peter, old school, high end audio for a Saab 9000, we’re not entirely sure what each one does, but I’ll have a lot of pleasure working with you guys them all out and hopefully, fitting them to the 9000 Aero. I’ve also managed to get hold of a great condition high level brake light and rear light bar for the 9000 too, all details to help give a bit of life to the black Aero.

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Lastly, the beautiful Saab 9-5 Hirsch Sportwagon was collected on Sunday, designed for its new home in Ireland. It’s one of my nicest cars to date, and hopefully, will be enjoyed for many more years now. I have to admit, I was a little sad at letting it go, the rare Hirsch Performance package, classic wheels, heated and vented interior and HK audio upgrade made it a very special Saab, they’re getting difficult to find in normal specification now, let alone a Hirsch wagon.

I’m sure there’s more to share, but felt I needed to scribble down a few whilst I remembered, finger’s crossed for the Graphite Green resurrection, I can’t let it go just yet.