Minneapolis Street Sighting: Saab 900 Turbo

When enthusiasts think of performance cars of the 1980s,  especially European brands, images of the BMW E30 and E28 frequently come to mind; for Mercedes, the venerable 190E 2.3-16 and 560SEC spring to mind. Obviously, so do the stereotypical Porsches, Ferraris and what have you.

But there's another brand that's quickly forgotten. Well, two, really, but this post will focus on one of those two.  Introduced in 1978, the Saab 900 is the quessential "classic" Saab, as its the vehicle that draws up the most recognition--at least among non-Saabophiles. I am a "newbie" at Saabs, so admittedly, the 900 (especially the first generation) is the first car that springs to mind to me. And like Volvo 240s, I consider the Saab 900 to be somewhat of a timeless car.

In the 1980s, the first age of downsizing was at its finest; the popularity of forced induction was at its peak in the US, and would remain so for at least thirty years. Small displacement engines, coupled with turbochargers were the norm, and the result was good performance (for the time), combined with decent fuel economy (again, for the time), and Saab was still carving out their niche in the US.

Packing a turbocharged four cylinder that generates a fairly decent 143 horses, the Saab 900 has performance that is likely on par with a normally aspirated Ford Focus today; my how the times have changed. But since the Saab is lighter, and is marketed as a drivers' car, it probably would be more of a treat for someone behind the wheel--and obviously saying "I drive a Saab Turbo" sounds way cooler than saying "I drive a Focus." Right?

The Saab 900 would serve both the luxury, and sport niche fairly well, depending on which model you chose and what options were ordered; however, the 900s that still remain as survivors here in the rustbelt all seem to have one thing in common-- they're forced induction models, and they're slowly appreciating.

 

This particular car is a neighborhood fixture, as its been spotted outside of several local businesses; I waited until I saw the vehicle with no distraction beside it, and this photoset is the result. Okay, in hindsight, the pictures could be a little bit better, but there's no going back.

I would've really liked to find a green or perhaps a dark blue one, but the light gunmetal example I found is nice, especially for a car that calls the rustbelt home; complimenting the paint color are a variation of the popular Saab three-spoke them, and I happen to like these wheels slightly better than the other version offered on the 900.

Inside, the typical Saabness shown through in oh-so-1980s tan leather; if I remember correctly, this vehicle was indeed equipped with a 5 spd, which is probably the best idea for the 900 yet. I don't recall any other details about this particular car's interior, unfortunately, as I was in a bit of a hurry.

I would love to shoot another 900 again; maybe I'll opt for a four-door or a convertible next?

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Saab 900

Saab has always been one of those brands that's overlooked in the car community; either people know about them, and are obsessed with them, or people have no clue what they are. When I was very young, I thought Saabs were supposed to be exotic, since in Kansas Saabs were not all that common. I used to think same of Volvos, too, but as a kid, I thought the Saabs always looked "sportier" if you will.

Some of my friends in the UK, or even on the West Coast of the United States have asked why I care about "old Saabs"; I am a guy from the mid-west--specifically Kansas, where everything that isn't a mainstream car brand (luxury or not) goes virtually unnoticed.  I did see these 900s from time to time, but common they were not. Even the newer ones are less so.  Oddly enough, the latest-gen 9-5s are starting to become common-- but this generation is still about as rare as a 1990 Honda Civic anything here. And for that reason alone, I shot--not to mention I thought it was a turbo at first glance. But I was wrong, sadly; it's just a "normal" 900 in a fairly decent color scheme.

I still like this; I've always been a fan of off-color car, particularly with trim the same color as the body; this Saab fits that bill quite nicely. Unfortunately, this examples from pretty bad paint bake, most notably on the rearmost part of the vehicle. While the rest of the 900's brown paint looks great--especially for a Minnesota car, the rear quarters could definitely use some help. With the exception of this odd discrepancy, the rest of the car looks great!

The stock plain white wheels are no longer here, either (thank God!), and have been replaced with prettier rolling stock. Minilite-style wheels are the equivalent of American Racing Torq Thrust wheels for foreign cars (and some American cars), and shown here in bronze, they look fantastic. I've never seen this combination before, but it certainly looks the business.

Inside, the old Saab looks great as well; I can't remember exact details of it, but I remember it looks nice, especially for a 900; it seems that almost all of the older Saabs I see have terrible interiors--but it appears that this one bucks the trend.

I know this isn't a rare Saab, and it isn't in the best condition, but to me, it's still worthy of photos. I like this example, and I'm going to pay more attention to these cars from now on.