'Hello Beautiful' just about sums up my feeling for the new Swedish addition, given that in 2008 the 9-3 platform was a number of years old, Saab did an absolutely exquisite design job of crafting one of the most beautiful and recognisable modern convertibles out there.
The front exudes Scandinavian simplicity and elegance whilst the rear and side profiles couldn't be anything but Saab. The headlight design is one of the finest I've seen with the simple eyebrow strip making it just so recognisable.
This one scapes itself in to the High Mile Club with 150,000 miles, although sitting in the sublime comfort of the premium leather seats, you wouldn't know it. It has some war wounds from its 13 year journey, but all easily repairable; the search has already begun for a whole host of interior upgrades to really finish it off like it deserves and a few more Hirsch parts found for the exterior too.
What really caught my eye was the super rare 19" Hirsch alloys, they're in poor condition, but again, they'll be fully refurbished and treated to a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4's very soon. It also has the full Hirsch suspension, 345mm brake upgrade, full performance exhaust and remap, making it another very desirable Saab to add to the collection.
Having been delivered late last night, I've only managed 50 miles in it, but absolutely taken by how little scuttle shake and wind noise this has compared to my previous Gen I convertibles, it genuinely feels far more planted but also a little less raw. The clutch feels very high, but again can easily be replaced with an uprated one before any further tuning begins if required.
All in all, a seriously great find, and one I'm very excited about working on alongside the current 9-5 Aero projects.
