1984 SAAB Classic 900 Turbo 16v

Classic car enthusiasts across the globe are starting to appreciate the 900’s charms. Yet, almost every car you see for sale is one of the later, face-lifted models; cars like this, with the early ‘flat front’ just aren’t available in anything like the same quantities, making this a real gem of a find.

Find? I hear you say. Well yes, this is a genuine barn garage find: the first owner, who kept the car for more than three decades, was an RAF pilot-turned-solicitor who went on to devote two days a week of his retirement to maintaining and restoring WWII fighter planes at Duxford. Yep, that’s right; this is essentially a one-owner-from-new car that just happens to have been owned by the quintessential Saab owner.

He clearly loved it too as he had it serviced every 5,000 miles-or-so until 1999, when he appears to have started using it only infrequently before finally laying it up for good in around 2004 as old age started to take its toll. He might not have been able to drive it as much as he’d have liked but he was damned if he was going to let such a faithful servant go without a fight.

So, there it sat, carefully stored, until the current owner bought the house, inheriting the car in the process. He too fell for its charms and he spent a four-figure sum recommissioning it before having a lot of fun running around in it for the past year and a thousand-odd miles.

It is therefore completely original and, as one of the first UK Saab 900 T16 Aero cars (it was first registered on the 7th September 1984), it has the 175bhp 16-valve engine and the hugely desirable Aero body kit and wheels, which means it’s both fast and rare. It’s also only had two owners from new and comes with an impeccable service history, which means you’re more likely to see a mermaid cleaning up unicorn poop than pass another on the road.

The coachwork is in very good original condition, with tight, even panel gaps and the traditional Saab vault-door solidity present and correct. The paintwork is still glossy and free of dents and serious scrapes. The black cladding is in good condition too, as are the very stylish boot and sunroof spoilers. The badging is all there and in great shape, as are the window and door seals.

The alloy wheels are in good order but, if you’re very picky, would benefit from being lightly refurbished to bring them up to the same high quality finish as the rest of the car. They are shod with good quality tyres that still show plenty of tread.

Obsessive Alert: there are a few tiny stone chips on the bonnet, and some of the screws holding the light clusters in are a bit rusty; there are a couple of small spots of rust; one inside the rear nearside window, one at the bottom of the driver’s door, and one inside the sunroof aperture. Oh, and the wheel well in the boot has a smattering of light surface corrosion. All have been left for the new owner to sort out as none are in the slightest bit serious and the vendor didn’t want to compromise the car’s originality by having the car resprayed when the new owner might well prefer the patina, or to make more localized repairs.

And if you’re wondering why the bonnet badge is missing, it’s not because the car has suffered any kind of accident damage; it’s simply because Saab didn’t fit one there until 1985…

The fabric seats are blue, which aficionados will tell you is very unusual as the majority were beige. They remain taut and supportive even now, and are free of rips, tears and any other damage and look to be in almost as-new condition. The door cards and roof lining are similarly superb, as are the matching blue carpets.

Everything works as it should, including the original Pioneer radio/cassette player and electric aerial, the central locking, cruise control and sunroof. The original toolkit is also still in place, complete with the (unused) plastic bag that Saab supplied to store the dirty punctured wheel and tyre in!

The 16-valve, four-cylinder two-litre petrol engine is in fine fettle; these things run like a Swiss watch if they’re serviced properly – and this car has most definitely been serviced properly.

The owner was careful to undertake some precautionary recommissioning work before starting and driving the car. This comprised new fluids and filters throughout, plus a new fuel pump, injectors and fuel regulator, spark plus a distributor cap, and an exhaust silencer. The front brakes were also stripped down and rebuilt. Interestingly, Offord Motor Company, the garage that carried out most of the work, remembered the car from working on it years before, pointing out that they supplied the car’s number plates, back in the day.

The engine was also recommissioned and the fuel tank drained and cleaned of debris. The offside headlight reflector was re-metaled, which has had the annoying side-effect of making the nearside one look a bit dull. So, that could be a nice easy, cheap job for the new owner to get stuck into.

The owner tells us that it goes very well, even at high speeds, where that aerodynamic shape means that three-figure touring speeds can be maintained for hours on end with little wind noise to spoil the ambience.

He also tells us that the brakes, gearbox and suspension are as good as you could wish for. The underbonnet area is clean and tidy and the underside looks to have been professionally undersealed and seems to be rock solid.

Apologies for the slight delay in launching this auction, we did not wish to start until a faulty clutch master cylinder had been fully fixed. An invoice to confirm will be forthcoming.

The service history book is wonderfully stamped up to 1999 and 94,000 miles, with a number of invoices and bills to confirm the work that was undertaken after that point. Unfortunately, the service book has suffered whilst ‘abandoned’ in the garage, but the owner has carefully peeled the relevant pages apart to show the remarkable history within. The online MOT history shows nothing of concern.

Please visit the documents section of the ‘Gallery’ where you will find a number of old invoices and other miscellaneous paperwork to support our claim that this car has an impressively comprehensive service history.

The car comes with a certificate from the Saab Owners’ Club valuing it at £15,000, which is certainly in the ball-park for a 900 of this quality – and as we’ve seen a 50% rise in values in the past year this might be one of your last opportunities to get into classic Saab ownership while it’s still affordable. And, don’t forget that this is one of the earlier, much sought after ‘flat-front’ cars with the factory fitted aero bodykit and alloy wheels. (Mermaids and unicorn poop, remember?)

So how much is it going to cost you to park this smorgasbord of Scandinavian style in your garage? We estimate that it is going to sell for between £10,000 and £13,000, although the reserve is, as ever, set at a lower point than this.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in St Ives, Cambridgeshire; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.