Saabs of Europe

This year, for a family vacation, I traveled to London, England and Paris, France. While my family had set goals to see a bunch of tourist attractions, I had other ambitions. I set out on the city streets to find as many unique cars as I could. 

In London, I ambitiously sought to find the elusive 99 Turbo 5-Door, that was only sold in the UK and no other markets. I didn't have any luck, suffice to say. However, I did find some fantastic Saabs that we otherwise wouldn't have gotten in the US. Let's have a look...

2010 9-3X Estate

Here's the first Saab I found, and we're already off to a good start. This was found in Paris. How's this for a niche model to find?  

I'm not sure if the 9-3X is more common in Europe, but I'm really excited to see one none the less. This looks like a really nice one too.

This 9-3X, which features some rims from a 9-3 Aero. They look really good, as I think the larger rims help fill out the wheel wells of these cars. 

1987 900 Turbo

Well this sent me over the edge. This 900 was found in London, in the Kensington neighborhood. If I could've found any Saab, I'm super lucky I got to find a classic 900. I'm even more luckier to have met the owner, and learned her perspective on what owning a classic Saab means to her. 

The owner has had this car since new, which is an incredible accomplishment by any means. She says the best part about owning a classic Saab is how robust it is, its promotion of a sustainable lifestyle, and that it was built by aircraft engineers. Tell me that's not a true Saab lover!

This 900 was otherwise remarkably clean, outside of some brake dust on the wheels. It has a few rarities installed on it we'll showcase below.

Headlight wipers as standard...

But also, this rear windshield wiper was never available on US cars. It's still a very rare accessory on most C900s. I wish Saab included these as a standard feature, it would be very helpful to have.

An uncommon badge. 

1999 9-5 Aero Estate

London definitely didn't disappoint! For our final Saab, we have a beautiful 9-5 wagon finished in Scarab Green. This color was only available on 9-5s from 1999 to 2001.

Aside from being an immaculate example, this 9-5 features Klingon rims and a 5 speed manual transmission. Scarab Green contrasts perfectly with the wheels, and the whole car looks fantastic. What an awesome Saab!