Whilst the Viggen goes off for more bodywork, the attention has turned to the 9-5 Aero, the folks at Malcolm Miles have been fastidiously replacing warn parts and perished hoses, performing a full sump drop, clean, oil change and replacing a few pipes to the gearbox which had been leaking oil.
The DO88 Intercooler and pipe kit has gone on, a new fuel pump, new induction kit and a Stage 3+ remap from Karl at Noob Tune, the ever gorgeous handmade downpipe from APH Performance has been put on together with a full stainless steel Jetex exhaust with dual pipes giving the wagon an understated but purposeful look, whilst new discs and pads, a Bilstein B12 Pro Sport suspension setup and a serious MapTun strut brace have really sorted out the Aero’s handling.
Sleepless nights and many Photoshop mock ups finally made me choose what I consider to be the perfect alloys for this Saab; Japan Racing JR18 in a Matt Bronze to really enhance the Hazelnut Metallic, 19x8.5 with an ET35 offset and Pirelli P Zero 235/35/19 rubber.
The underneath was looking a little flakey, so has been given a good wire brushing and treated to some Waxoil whilst a few areas will need a small amount of welding to secure them for the future. Once the mechanics have been done, it’ll need to go to the bodyshop and have the rear lower arches cut out and fixed, the bumpers removed and repainted and a new bespoke satin black mesh grille fitted.
This is the first Aero wagon build I’ve done and I absolutely love it, the style is just so timeless, an old Saab ad campaign claimed it was a Dad Racer and I tend to agree, but with these modifications, it also becomes one the ultimate sleepers, and the colour…
…Love it. Thank you Saab.