Back in July, I purchased this wonderful 9-5 Aero manual saloon, having only had 3 previous owners, low mileage and a decent history, it offered the perfect opportunity for a new project. I always look for rare or unique features in each Saab, and this one came with the heated and cooled, premium sport leather interior, enough to set the car apart, it also had an Abbott Racing Intercooler and 3” downpipe already fitted, giving me the inspiration for the entire project - an Abbott Racing 9-5.
As luck would have it, I had also been offered a selection of performance parts, all supplied by Abbott Racing, which included :
3” exhaust
Cobra pipe
Delivery pipe
Carbon intake
Koni Active Dampers
We set about getting the foundations in order first; sump drop and clean, pick up modification, a full service with oil and filter, genuine Saab DI pack, NGK plugs, cabin filter and new Aero discs and pads all round. We then replaced the suspension with the Koni active dampers, paired and Eibach springs. Once it was running as expected, we then fitted the Abbott performance parts and a set of fully refurbished Hirsch classic 6 spoke alloys with new Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres, new centre caps and new bonnet and boot badges.
Although the bodywork was in very good condition, it needed some details to make it really special again, as well as addressing the rear doglegs, which were cut out and welded, we added a later shark tooth front bumper, repainted the mirror covers, removed a small dent on the rear passenger door and also added a rare Abbott Racing boot lip.
These final enhancements have finished off the Saab beautifully - an understated but purposeful Aero saloon that honours Abbott Racing conversions of the past, there are a couple of small things to still do, adding a Bosch 3.5 bar regulator and changing the BSR map to a more suited Noobtune stage 3, which should help maximise the performance parts fitted.
I have to admit, these 9-5’s continue to surprise and delight in equal measure, they’re refined and comfortable, great for any and every situation, I truly find them more captivating than nearly every other car I own and drive, and that unique Saab feeling seems to get stronger over the years, not weaker - long live Saabs.