Ownership Verified: The Saabanana (1991 SAAB 900 Turbo Cabrio MC no. 93)

gt1750

Techno Addict
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Messages
1,638
Location
Neu-Ulm, DE
Car(s)
'91 Saab 900 Turbo Cabrio, '18 Ford Smacks
So I might finally make a thread for this thing, eh? Bought in May after searching for a classic that would serve both as a source of joy as well as an investment. The search took a year and in the beginning I was looking mostly at Alfa Romeos (105-series Berlina, Giulia and Spider, good Bertone coupes were above my budget) Later I also considered modern classics, such as Jaguar XJR, XKR and Maserati Quattroporte V, but my dear wife was strongly opposed to those and suggested looking at classic Saabs, namely the 900 Cabrio, or the Alfas.

In April, more cabrios and spiders started popping up in the classifieds and I was getting ready to check some in person when this one popped up - relatively low mileage, full turbo and in Monte Carlo yellow. I responded within an hour the ad was posted and made an appointment to see the car on the same day. Good thing I reacted this fast - there was a lot of interest, including the dealership that did the modifications (Heuschmid) and a renowned Saab mechanic. The reason was simple - this is number 93 of 300 original Monte Carlos and the usual asking price for those is double of what the seller, dealing with the estate of a deceased Saab collector, asked for this one. There was zero point in haggling, I signed the deal the same day and the seller delivered the Saab to us the next week with a fresh service and historic TÜV.

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It's a 1991 Saab 900 Cabrio with the 160 HP turbocharged 2-liter, first registered in February 1992. It has a lowered suspension, sports exhaust and an uprated intercooler from Heuschmid, the Saab specialists in Allgäu. It comes equipped with ABS, assisted steering, A/C and cruise control (both still work!) There's also a towing hook which I'm never going to use and a crappy sounding early 00s stereo with no USB or DAB, that might eventually get replaced. The car is well preserved, but there are signs of light accident damage and some overspray in the engine bay. It has never seen winter and I plan to keep it that way.

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Overall, I love this car :wub: It's very quirky, has a ton of charisma and turns heads. It's also a lot more fun to drive than I expected, especially with the roof down. I'll add the proof later, even though some FG members have seen and driven the Saab already.
 

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Also a few photos from this year’s Ringmeet:

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We enjoyed this year’s Ringmeet, but on a wine shopping trip before leaving a disaster happened:

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The key broke in the boot lock and the two spares were 450 km away! ADAC showed up quickly, but after getting the lock and the rest of the key out, there was nothing else they could do for us. After posting in the Telegram group, @Galantti showed up and drove us around places where I asked to repair the key (no luck), to the campsite and back to the car. Kinda desperate, considering options ranging from staying in a hotel and waiting for an express delivery of the spare keys to borrowing @loose_unit ‘s Luigi and driving home then back again, we went again to a nearby workshop, where the owner overheard our discussion with his wife and offered to weld the key. In an hour, he showed up with a key in one piece that actually worked and started the car!

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We then had a late lunch with Joe and his lovely daughter and managed to set off on the way home, just 5 hours later than planned. What a day!
 
That's gorgeous! I'm very jealous.
 
I was about to jokingly complain about the lack of proof picture and having not even seen the car outside of photos, when I got to the Ringmeet photos and realized, I have literally sat in the car :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
Hot damn, this is a helluva find!
 
I was about to jokingly complain about the lack of proof picture and having not even seen the car outside of photos, when I got to the Ringmeet photos and realized, I have literally sat in the car :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
It’s your Sometimers!
 
Nice find! Can't wait to see what you end up doing with it :) Flip-out screens are janky as balls, but it might be a nice way to get yourself CarPlay or Android Auto and really modernize your infotainment experience.
 
Was watching a bit of Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up this morning before work, he was in Sweden selling a Saab 96 and was at a club event. Someone happened to have their own Saabanana and there's even a screenshot of it online.

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I can't see a Turbo badge so there's no chance of it being the same car, I wonder how many Saabananas were sold.
 
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