Another Black Edition Aeroriginal

Whilst we concentrate on getting the stunning Graphite Green 9-5 Aero completed after a full engine rebuild, another, darker project awaits in the shadows; a Black Edition Aeroriginal, this time, a manual 9-5 saloon.

It’s currently looking a bit sorry for itself with poor paintwork, a few dents and a very musty interior, but underneath it’s utterly solid, and it benefitted from an engine rebuild a couple of years back too. Surprisingly, it comes with an almost identical spec to the Green Aero, although the interior is black, it has the third rear headrest, the 18” ALU56 alloys and even a rare Abbott Racing rear boot lip.

Once the green one is back safely on the road, we’ll begin to work out what to do with it, keep it standard, give it a similar sleeper appeal, or go for something completely different, I’m not entirely sure, but what I do know, is that these amazing 9-5 Aeros are becoming incredibly difficult to find, at least one’s without stellar miles, terrible interiors and non existent subframes, and I feel privileged the have the opportunity to rescue another one.

Updates and design thoughts will follow over the coming weeks, but wanted I’d share a few photos and make it feel a bit loved.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Ready for Take Off

Incremental fixes and modifications mean that I’d been without the Turbo X for the past few weeks again, I collected it last Friday to take it over to the Wings n Wheels gathering. It was only a 100 mile round trip from where I live, but enough to give it a good run with a mix of fast B roads and the excellent A46 straight in to Newark.

Not having had a real chance to road test the Saab, it surprised me with it’s smoothness and reassuring composure, even at higher speeds, the X has plenty of reserve to overtake with ease. The active XWD system gives endless confidence and really does turn the 9-3 in to an exceptionally capable car, whilst the upgraded Bilstein B12 shocks and Hirsch springs have helped give it the perfect stance and really enhance the optional 19” alloys.

I’ve been wondering whether to add a sport cat downpipe and maybe a centre box delete, but for now, I’m quite happy with the stock system; it leaves the V6 growl a little quieter than I’d prefer, but also keeps it very refined and easy to live with on longer journeys.

I’ve got a couple more snags to get sorted and a strut brace to add, but after that, I’m looking forward to enjoying this one for a while, I didn’t want to fall for it after all the problems it’s given us, but it has a huge personality and really does honour the iconic 900 Turbo, just with a little more refinement.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Black Edition

Imagination, creativity and craftsmanship have long been associated with Saab, but in recent years, these skills have had to be lovingly upheld by the owners and diehards instead, the ones that can make things happen themselves.

When any car becomes a 'modern classic' it takes people like that to keep them alive and on our roads, parts might become rarer and difficult to find, but it also empowers us to be a little more creative in finding alternative solutions.

Obviously, the foundations are usually in place for us to be inspired by, folks like MapTun and Hirsch, Nordic Tuning and Abbott Racing have all given us desirable enhancements for our Saabs in the past but all too often these are no longer available.

This is where a bit of Saab craft comes in. I recently started to discuss a bespoke mesh grille with a lovely guy and a fellow Saabist. Turns out he's been reimagining Saab grilles for a while now, he sources perfect original plastic and chrome frames and then proceeds to adapt them, adding chrome mesh similar to Abbott Racing and Hirsch ones of the past.

View fullsize

View fullsize

I wanted to go a little further and create a satin black frame with a louver style anodised black mesh for my 9-5 Aero instead. After a few weeks, my bespoke grille has arrived and what a difference it's made, the Aero front feels updated yet timeless, it enhances the 'black edition' look and gives a subtly aggressive stance to a 17 year old Saab.

Whilst we have folks like this around, our Saabs have very bright and exciting futures, imagination leads to unique and interesting Saabs for us all to enjoy and admire, and allows to share them with future generations.

Need a bespoke grille handmade in the UK? Contact the craftsman here.

Turbo Godfather

I felt that this Saab really deserved an entire post of its own, after all it can easily be described as the undisputed Godfather of Turbos. Launched in the hedonistic 1970’s, the 99 Turbo was literally one of the first cars to combine safety and exhilarating turbo performance, it singlehandedly put Saab on a legendary pedestal, which still holds strong today.

This one, in the only acceptable Turbo colour - black, was quite rightly getting a lot of attention at SaabFestUK, a perfect example, unmolested and seemingly unchanged since the day it drove out of the Saab showroom, paintwork immaculate, all accessories intact including some super cool spotlights and an interior that screamed ‘jump in and drive me’.

I felt myself gravitating to this car over and over again, it’s owner should be hugely proud and also feel just a little bit privileged to be the guardian of such a legendary car.