Photo Credit: Saab History

The 1997 Saab 9000 CS is the first Saab we have had in the family purchased this past June from a private sale in which that owner was fortunately the first and only owner.

This model marks a completion of ownership of all 9000 body styles starting with and an 89 9000 CC, as well as an 89 9000 CD, while the body styles were all different, they were similiar in that they were all 5-speed models complete with turbochargers.

I would like to cover this review by highlighting the areas in terms of significant Saab brand pillars below:

The Durability:

This past weekend I embarked with my wife on a journey through the white mountains of Northern New Hampshire with the 9000 CS that currently has over 227,000 miles on the odometer. It was certainly still up to the challenge as you will read further.

The Performance:

The strong, yet slightly tired 2.3 liter turbocharged engine complete with Direct Ignition provided the just enough power for the hill climbing I needed and expected. The suspension system along with truly directional snow tires on steel wheels, provided the agility to make it around the sharp bends on the highway in the icy and snowy conditions without worrying about ruining summer alloy wheels or creating unnecessary vibrations to the suspension bits that all-seasons tires are notorious for.

The Versatility:

In an effort to reduce fuel consumption while adding more security to our belongings, I removed the ski rack from factory drilled holes, thule fairing and ski adapter in favor of inside storage this time around. The skis & snowboard were placed in the trunk through the 40/60 split seats that went perfectly flat, although not as smoothly and well designed as my 1989 9000CC (no need to remove headrest combined with a steel bracket hold on end of seat on this model). This 9000 also has the plastic trunk mat accessory with the 4″ lip surrounds which helped considerably given the mud, snow and ice mixture that our boots, and additional luggage had etc (the current accessories or 3rd party mats are not up to the challenge). This vehicle’s production year marked the beginning of the end of the incredible accessories such as this that the 9000 came with, so hopefully in the future Saab will decide to return to producing these items, now considered rare. The rubber floor mats that I also located, also sadly now rare, continued to provide at a minimum, stellar coverage of snow and ice for both the passenger and driver as we freqently found ourselves in and out of the car to clear off snow, ice and other debris during our travels.

The Safety:

The safety cage and dual airbags on this late-model Saab 9000 made us feel considerably safe, but just knowing about the two miraculous crashes on the bridge in Maine and with the moose in Vermont with a similiar model Saab 9000 CS, made us feel that much safer in this particular model. The heated seats, mirrors, headlight, windshield and rear wiper wash systems ensured that the driver was alert while also having optimum visibility at virtually all times. The integrated cornering fog lights are much less of a maintenance item than the previous 9000’s I have owned and seem to be more durable as a result of the design. In addition, the rear fog light unavailable in 9000 CC and 9000 CD models only available in the 9000 CS models, made me feel more responsible as I provided even more visibility to drivers in the rear of the vehicle.

The Accessibility:

Everything from the HVAC system to the Audio system, and all other critical systems were immediately accessible to me, ensured that my driving experience was safe, secure even in the extreme snow and ice conditions that I encountered.

The Experience:

The experience driving the Saab 9000 CS qualified and quantified the Saab difference systematically through all of the brand pillars and continues to capture the feeling of what makes me a devoted Saab owner and enthusiast.

 
I could not believe what I happened to come across the other day. I found an extremely rare Saab 9000 version of the original 1985 “Nothing On Earth Comes Close” Saab advertising campaign in the United Kingtom.
 
This campaign was filmed by Tony Scott, the same film director that produced “Top Gun.” It is rumored that this campaign is how he got his start filming movies about jets.
 
If you have not already seen it, there is also 900 version of this film as a 1 minute 47 second promo as well, which is much longer and and equally inspiring!

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile

The Saab 9000 CS body style was introduced as a 1993 model year, ending the 9000 CC body style. The 9000 CS body style also was adapted to the 9000 CD in 1995 as well.

The 9000 CS was notable as it had a lower profile nose, complete with a more aerodynamic stance, with integrated fog lights on the front, while it had the largest carrying ability ever with over 55 cubic feet.

The final Saab 9000 - No. 503 087 - rolled out of the factory on 6 May 1998 for delivery to the Saab Car Museum.

This model for Saab came equipped with the following specifications:

Read more »

The Saab 9000 CD (Classic Design) was first introduced as four-door sedan/saloon model in Nice in 1988.

The 9000 CD took on the facelifted body style of the 1991 9000 CC, however it was without a hatchback. 1992 marked a final “griffin edition” of the 9000 CD. A year later, the model was upgraded to a higher trim level known as the CDE. The CDE model had a CS body style facelift in 1995 where it continued until 1997.

Much like the first 9000 CC’s, three Saab 9000 CD’s took to talladega speedway in 1990 as well.

This model for SAAB came equipped with the following specifications:

Read more »

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile

The Saab 9000 was unveiled at the Kolmarden Zoo and game park 24 May 1984, one hour South of Nykoping, Sweden, Saab’s former head office. The 9000 CC was co-developed by Saab-Scania’s Car Division as well as Lancia, Fiat & Alfa-Romeo following the Saab 600.

This model was designed by the Italian, Giorgetto Giugiaro as well as Swedish designer Björn Envall. The 9000 had over 2 million miles of testing and development devoted towards it and was built in both Trollhättan, Sweden as well as Uusikaupunk, Finland

As a tribute to the endurance that this car had, there were numerous tests conducted such as the Talladega “Long Run” in 1986. In 1990, the 9000 also won the guinness book of world records in for distance traveled.

The Saab 9000 began design all the way back in 1974, but was first produced in 1985 and lasted until 1992, until a new CS body style was built. However, some years after the 9000 CC was produced, a 9000 CD showed up in 1988 and was produced until 1997, later to be alongside the CS.

This model for SAAB came equipped with the following specifications:

Read more »

Photo Credit: Randolph Herald

In 2003, a Vermont couple survived a crash with a moose thanks to their Saab 9000 CS. According to the Randolph Herald.

We know the Saab 9000 is structurally rigid and a remarkable crash test performer, but this the first I have heard about its strengths during moose encounters. I wonder how they learned about this safety measure in the A-pillar of the Saab, perhaps from watching this film some years earlier?

It is great to hear that yet again, Saabs safety saves lives and makes me and my wife feel a little better knowing that our 9000 CS is also prepared to sacrifice itself to save us in the event of an accident.

I encourage you to read this story below:

Carl and Ann Brandon of Randolph Center credit their 9000 Saab and its moose-proof construction with saving their lives.

A Sunday night collision with a moose on I-89 in Royalton sent the Saab on a brief but harrowing high-speed trip: Carl steering blind across all four lanes of the interstate with his broken windshield covered with moose parts.

In the end, the Saab was totaled, but the Brandons climbed out of it with only a few scrapes and cuts.

Car-moose collisions are often fatal for both the animal and humans, as moose, much taller than deer, will fall onto the windshield and roof, splintering glass and crushing in the metal. There was a fatal crash on the Interstate several years ago, not far from where the Brandons encountered their moose this week.

Saabs, according to Brandon, “are the only car in the world actually tested for moose impact.”

Manufactured in Sweden where there are plenty of moose, Saabs feature heavy-gauge corner posts “designed so the moose will go over, rather than flatten, the car,” Carl explained.

Moose, darker than deer and with little “eye shine” to alert drivers that an animal is in the road, are also notoriously hard to spot.

To Read The rest of this incredible story, please visit the Randolph Herald.

Photo Credit: Saab-Scania

In 1990, the Saab 9000i made the Guiness Book of World Records with the fastest travelled in the shortest amount of time from Skagen in Northern Denmark to Gilbralter, Spain and back again.

The trip of 7230 km in 63 hours and 17 minutes was quite impressive, as if the 1986 Saab 9000 debut at Talladega titled the “Long Run” was not enough to show how much these cars could really endure!

This is definitely one for the record books for Saab’s history here on Saabhistory.com

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile

In 1992, Saab Automobile manufactured a limited edition Saab 9000 CD Turbo called the “Griffin Edition”.

This model was limited to 400 for the United States as illustrated by the dash plaque showing what number out of the total production you owned.

This model not only completed the Saab 9000 CD range that began in 1988 and ended in 1992. This model, also completed the 9000 CC body style that began in 1985, continued until 1990, including facelifts to the range in 1991 and 1992.

Here are details that made this model unique in comparison to the other models at the time.

Exterior:

Eucalyptus Green Exterior

Interior:

Burled walnut fascia

Taupe leather & suede combination seats

Portable Celullar telephone

Engine: 200 horsepower Turbocharged engine

Pricetag : $40,000 USD

This past weekend, after an intense collaborative with friends on eliminating all remaining electrical gremlins from the Saab 9000, I managed to visit Sweden, Maine this past weekend!

I thought this visit certainly qualified for a “Saab Sighting of the week” with more of a focus on the location over the Saab itself.

Next June, I will plan on visiting the official villages where Swedish Immigrants arrived from Sweden in Northern Maine, those being “New Sweden” & “Stockholm”, respectively for their Midsommar celebrations June 20th-22nd, 2009. Stay tuned!

As a follow-up to the previous writeup on the past and present Saab designers and their achievements, it was necessary to include a chronological up-to-date listing of Saab projects both production and concepts.

This listing includes each Saab project, year introduced along with each designer and/or engineer that contributed to the given project.

This list is a work-in-progress, so any additions and/or modifications that you see necessary below, please add your comments to ensure correctness and accuracy.

Photo Credits: Saab Automobile

Design Contributions by Model

SAAB Scandia 90 (1946-1958)

Bror Bjurströmer

SAAB 91 (1947-1966)

A.J. Andersson

SAAB 92001 (Prototype) (1946/1947)

Sixten Sason

Gunnar Ljungström

Read more »

Was it not 36 hours ago when I posted about the grave matter of sending perfectly good Saabs to the crusher or cars that suffered an unfortunate ownership at the hands of a negligent owner? Yesterday was one of the rare occasions that yielded a happy ending for both the seller and the buyer!

So I was working out in the cloudy, cold and rainy environs of my screened-in porch around lunchtime yesterday when the cell phone started buzzing away flashing “Ryan” on the screen. Well, sure enough it was Ryan and he told me about this guy who had just called his buddy’s shop looking to offload a 1997 9000 CS. By offload, I mean it in the worst possible way… the guy was on the verge of calling the junkyard to have a perfectly running and driving car sent to the crusher for the lack of a “proper buyer”.

Granted, the 9000 is a really nice car, but it’s not for everyone. I had one sitting on my front lawn for four months a few years ago before someone came and bought it on Christmas Eve. The parts can be a touch expensive and hard to find, and that naturally strikes it off the lists of many would-be buyers. This guy selling the car knew that; knowing that the hood was chipped, headlight was cracked and it sat for a year, Ryan and I went to save it from a fate worse than sitting in a driveway for all eternity waiting for a buyer.

When we arrived, the 9000 was purring in the driveway as the clouds started to break. The car was beautiful - black paint in need of a little TLC, sand beige leather interior, manual tranny, 220k miles (hardly broken in!) and nothing of any major significance wrong with it. It didn’t take long to walk around the thing and think up a quick offer. Offer accepted, Ryan called for the trusty AAA Plus tow back to the central part of the state so his mechanic could start fixing it up for road use.

The 9000 is safely in the hands of a trusted Saab mechanic at this time, getting ready for Ryan’s fiancée to drive it as a daily driver.

The rare ASC-built 1989/1990 SAAB 9000 2 Door Concept Car is for sale by a private party.

I believe the ultimate owner of this vehicle should be either the Saab Car Museum in Trollhättan, Sweden or the Saab USA Heritage Collection in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

For those who don’t know, ASC or “American Sunroof Company”, worked with Bob Sinclair to create the first Saab Convertible back in 1983.

If you are interested in buying this car, please inquire within by sending an e-mail directly to info (at) saabhistory.com or contact me directly.

Here are the details from the owner:

Rare opportinuty to own a concept car. This vehicle was shown at multiple auto shows around the world in 1989 & 1990. This is the only one of its kind. No expense was spared in creating this vehicle.

This custom built coupe retains all of the premium amenities and high performance features of the standard four door Saab CD (Turbo). Accomplishing this body redesign required relocation of the ‘B’ pillars, new doors and interior trim panels, fabrication of new side glass, and construction of new side moldings and ‘C’ pillar trim details.

Other modifications include suspension being lowered two inches, 16 inch ROH wheels P225/50 series tires, fabrication of front air dam with integral driving lamps, lower body appliques, a rear valance panel with integral exhuast tip and a rear deck lid spoiler. The vehicle is finished in Black Cherry monochromatic paint with a tan leather interior.

Please contact Saab History if you are serious about purchasing this vehicle and for more details.