Saab 900T 16S Convertible

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The Swedish-built Saab 900 was produced from 1978 until 1998 in two distinct generations – the ‘Classic’ from 1978 to 1993 and the ‘new generation’ from 1994 to 1998.

The first generation was based on the classic Saab 99 chassis while the second was a totally different GM product based on the humble Vauxhall Vectra chassis – a distinction that is extremely important to Saab enthusiasts. Available in two- and four-door saloon versions and three- and five-door hatchback versions, from 1986 a convertible model was also available.

Power came from a range of mainly 2-litre engines, longitudinally mounted and set at a 45-degree angle with power delivered ‘backwards’ from the crank at the front of the car – most unusual, especially for a front-wheel drive car. The gearbox was bolted directly to the bottom of the engine with its own separate oil supply – again most unusual.

The suspension was also very quirky for a front-drive car with double-wishbones at the front and a beam-axle at the rear with a Panhard rod and effectively two Watts linkages. The result was an extremely safe and stable platform with excellent road manners for the more sporting driver.

As befits a fighter plane manufacturer, innovations continued inside the cockpit with fabulously supportive aircraft-style seats and a curved front-lit dash that placed all controls and gauges according to their frequency of use or importance. Beautifully engineered throughout, a 1989 Saab 900 Classic famously clocked up one million miles on its original engine before being donated to a museum in return for a brand new Saab 9-5 Aero.

This March 1990 Convertible has the 2-litre 16v turbo engine that produced 160bhp as standard but has been fitted with the factory ‘red box’ APC boost control system which ups the power to 185bhp and endows it with blistering acceleration (faster from 40-70mph in top gear than a Ferrari Testarossa or a Porsche 911 Turbo, according to Jeremy Clarkson).

It has had six owners to date, the last since 2003, and has covered around 144,600 miles with an excellent service history, being last serviced just a few miles ago. Described as “a very good and clean example”, it has full leather heated seats, cruise control, ABS, air con, and a power hood that works as it should. It also comes with an RAC engineer’s report from when it was purchased in 2003 which gave it a clean bill of health at that date. MOTd until late November, this classic drop-top road rocket is ready to drive away today.

AMENDMENT - this is a standard model with 175 BHP, not 185 BHP as previously stated.