1987 Saab 900: A Saab on Vacation

This year, my family and I took a vacation to Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. We decided to revisit an area full of old family memories and endless hours spent in the mountains and wilderness. When I was younger, my family, my cousin, and my grandparents would all gather in the Valley for Memorial Day Weekend, and do various activities including hiking, day trips, and celebrating my grandmother's birthday with an annual and horribly inaccurate version of a "French Canadian Happy Birthday." 

Not having been up there as a family since 2018, it was a nostalgic and fulfilling experience to say the least. We revisited old locations and traveled to points of interests we used to frequent during those original Memorial Day weekend trips. Along the way, I photographed some old cars. Some that I remembered from my childhood, and some new surprises. I hope you enjoy this selection of vehicles from one of the most beautiful states. 

I noticed out of the corner of my eye the distinct shape of the Saab 900. I urged my parents to turn around so I could properly photograph it, as I knew this would be a Swedish car opportunity I could not pass up. Afterall, how many 900 Combi Coupes do I have the pleasure of seeing on a regular basis? Notably, one of my goals this vacation was to photograph a Swedish classic in New Hampshire, as the northern states (Vermont, NH, and Maine) are a large haven for old Saabs and Volvos. 

Sure enough, we circled back and parked in the vacant lot where this Saab was resting. No private lot signs were in sight, so I figured it was fair game to properly photograph this Swedish classic in its natural habitat of northern New England. From first glance, this arctic white Saab appeared to be completely stock and unmodified from the day it left the Trollhättan, Sweden assembly plant, to the day I saw it residing in this lot in Laconia, New Hampshire. 

Although the Turbo models are preferably the more desirable versions of the 900 to see, I preferred this bone-stock, base model 900. It fit the northern setting like it was meant to be here. Since it was a base model, I could imagine this car plowing through the snow in the winter, or cruising the Kancamagus Highway in the summer. I wished I could've been the one in the driver's seat, but I know I'll be there at another point in my life. 

Upon closer inspection, this 900 appeared to be a very early post-facelift model, likely from 1987 or '88. These cars differed slightly from the 1989 to '93 models with a few noteworthy visual distinctions. '87 to '88 900s still retain the chrome trim around the windows and door handles, and do not have the black trim surrounding the rear license plate section between the tail lights. This was a design carry over from the original '79 to '86 900 models as Saab was transiting the design from the pre-facelift models to the later post-facelift models. These intermediate 900s also feature these unique chrome wheel covers as seen on this example.