1980 Saab 900 Turbo

[RadioFlyer]

SAAB DISNEYLAND!!!!

I had heard rumors about a guy in California with a field FULL of classic Saabs. Rumor had it that there were around 40 that he was parting out. Well one day, he finally surfaced with pictures on a Craigslist ad. Most were standard base-level classic 900s. But in studying the photos, it turned out that there were a couple of old SPGs and Airflow editions hiding in the bushes. Airflow editions were SPGs with a special body kit - European-market racing bumpers, wide fender flares, whale-tail spoilers and vent covers. I was already sleeping on the couch due to my uncontrolled Saab habit, so I was planning to pass on the opportunity.

Then a friend called from Florida. He wanted an Airflow kit and wouldn't take no for an answer. He had already booked us a hotel and a huge mini van. All I had to do was meet him there and we would present the dude with a wad of cash, pack the van full, drive 15 hours back to my place, and ship it all out from there. I was such a loser, I couldn't say no. I booked a first-class flight to sunny San Diego.



Sure enough, the guy had over 40 Saabs, plus a whole trailer full of shelved and itemized vintage stuff - the REALLY OLD stuff. He had run his property as a storage area and a guy came along about 10 years ago to rent. He brought 20 Saabs in. Then 20 more. Then eventually stopped paying rent and disappeared. The landowner now had taken possession of the cars and was parting them out. Had no idea what anything was worth. We gave him a huge wad of small bills and took all the best stuff. His email and voicemail were FULL with interested buyers, but we were apparently the only ones to show up with cash and a van.











So we packed the van with TWO full Airflow kits, another SPG kit, two whaletails, a set of rare twin tailpipes, and TONS of other super rare early accessories and hard to find spares. Then we headed back to Utah through Vegas. The trip was a raging success and one for the books. Here was my friend's Saab after restoring and installing the Airflow kit that I shipped to him in Florida:

[RadioFlyer]

JUNKYARD GOLD #2

The last trip left me satisfied for quite some time. I stayed out of trouble and won back my side of the bed. But I couldn't stop thinking about the high from that trip to San Diego. That spring, I snuck out of the house and made a round to the junkyards. I called ahead to one place and they said they had a '79 900 turbo. I didn't believe them, but figured it was worth a look. Turned out they were right! '79 was the first year of the 900, and they made them with tons of leftover rarities from the 99 - the predecessor to the 900 that made Saab famous for its rally wins. To find on here was like finding a chunk of gold in the sidewalk. This one was a turbo model and a 5-door which was only offered for two years.



The car must have been garaged its whole life. There was no rust, no damage, and it had just passed 100k miles. I went in to talk to the boss about negotiating to buy the whole car. The boss wasn't around, so I spoke with his assistant. He said he could sell me the car, but without the VIN (it already had a scrap title and couldn't ever be reregistered), and he would have to charge me for each car that had to be moved to get to it. I passed and decided instead to take all the parts. I made like 4 trips, and I think the guy felt so bad for me that he stopped charging me after about $100. I got tons of early parts made for just the '79 model year including the rare rear hatch with no inner tail lights, lobster-claw seatbelts, double-vent hood, periscope mirrors, white-stripe corners, 130MPH turbo speedo with 8k tach, front fender supports, carpets, seats, entire dash, and all the early paperwork including the original sales receipt, and loaded them all on my SPG. Most of these parts were restored and are still on my '80 today.

[RadioFlyer]

JUNKYARD GOLD #3

Later that summer, I decided to make a stop as we returned from swimming at the local reservoir. There was a house along the way with an old white Saab 900 Airflow outside that I had never seen move and an '85 SPG out back. Also stationary. I couldn't help myself and decided to stop and chat. The guy said the Airflow was an '88 and it still ran, he just never had time to drive it. When I asked about the '85, he said "You want it?" I stuttered for a minute and probably should have said "Yeah, about as much as I want a hole in my head", but I refrained and instead asked how much. He said "if you can haul it out, you can have it". I showed up the next day with a trailer and towed it home. FREE. The wiring harness was crumbled, rust had eaten away the rear floor, and mice had built a hotel in the exhaust. And then there were the yellow jackets... But it also had a set of original rear window louvers, fill SPG kit in great shape, and a custom 2.5" exhaust! I fully parted the car and bought two more driving ones with the proceeds.

The owner's '88 Airflow that caught my attention:



The '85 SPG loaded up:

[RadioFlyer]

JUNKYARD GOLD #4

Just when I thought I couldn't get any luckier, one more opportunity presented itself. This was a while later after finally thinning the herd and gaining back the esteem of my wife by buying her the car of HER dreams - a Nissan Xterra. Which lasted about 3 days before the it gave out due to a faulty fuel pump. Anyway, a friendly chap posted on a popular Saab forum that he had an SPG up for grabs... for FREE. I responded on the way over. Turns out this one was an '87 owned by the son of a local Euro mechanic. 15 years ago or so, he had fully tricked this thing out with all of the best and rarest Saab accessories - Momo wheels, SPG kit, American Racing rims, upgraded engine, car phone, and a ridiculous Alpine sound system with two amps and like 16 speakers. Then he busted the tranny, had it fully rebuilt, and never drove the car again. A local stared at it for 10 years parked before finally offering $500, to which the owner agreed, and the new owner took what he wanted - the Momo wheel, gauges, and wind deflectors. And posted the rest of the car for free. I snagged it, towed it home, and proceeded to part it out. In doing so, I found droves of rare parts hidden under the seats! Auxiliary gauge holder, wheel spacers, Saab accessory under-seat trash can, and many more. Many parts went to the '80 and many more were sold. The car departed as an empty shell.

[kevvy_dawg]

Epic.. These have never ever caught my eye until now, you should consider joining the wheel dealer crew

Sub'd

[AKToyotaluv]

omg, im like a little girl all giddy looking st every single photo.