After the success of the Viggen ‘by the numbers’ piece I thought it’d be fun to dig up another model of interest from the database and spill it’s global distribution beans here on the website.
The Saab 900 Convertible is an icon on its own, but the icon-within-the-icon is the Monte Carlo Yellow version of the car. It’s the most fun-looking color in the palette, but it still takes a certain strength of character to buy and own this most attention-grabbing and distinctive color.
So how were they distributed around the world?
The #1 market by volume won’t be a surprise, but the #2 market might be. MCY convertibles were sold in quite a few markets, though many of them had small numbers only.
If you’ve got one of these iconic Saab convertibles, then yours is one of just 893 that were ever made over the life of the model. Look after it.
If you don’t have one of these iconic convertibles but would like one, now you know where most of them were sold – which is a good tip as to where you could look to buy one!
Notes:
MCY = Monte Carlo Yellow
MY(date) = Model Year
Japan had two importers for these cars. I’ve combined the numbers in the table below.
My understanding is that MCY Convertibles were sold with different engine outputs in some markets. Yours could be a LPT or a HOT engine depending on where it was sold. I haven’t delved into those numbers here.
We’ve been following Ryan and Caroline F across the United States for the last week. They made a dream purchase last weekend in California – a 1994 Saab 900 Convertible, the last of the line. The purchase presented a small challenge in that they live in Boston, in the north-east, whereas the car was down in the south-west.
They’re home in Boston now, and this is the final instalment from their trip. Thanks Ryan!
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Hi Swade,
What a trip…this has been something that we’ve only dreamed of in the past and it’s been an amazing adventure to say the least.
After the last national park stop, we began the drive through Kansas. The route turned from winding scenic mountain roads to the straight and flat variety. Here, there was less of the spectacular scenery (when compared to the first half of the trip, at least) and the star of the journey was the car. With the speed limit recently bumped up to 75 mph on Interstate 70 in Kansas, we got a chance to really open it up. Even with all the gear on board, the car seemed to love the open highway cruising speeds. Here, it was more about the journey than the destinations.
The stops in Great Bend, Kansas, St. Louis, Columbus, and Niagara Falls were all in hotels rather than camping (it was time for hot showers and real beds). In St. Louis, we learned that not all valet parking attendants know how to drive a stick, as we were picking up the car and the attendant’s way of parking it in front of us was by letting it stall out in first gear.
The highlight of this segment of the trip was a stop for lunch with fellow Saabers outside of Cleveland. We met up with Bam, who has a Turbo X and a modified Viggen (who thinks she also needs a SPG next?!) and were also joined by Ted Y. (Saabyurk from the comments section), who has a 9-3ss and four 96s at home.
We were moved by the fact that after reading about the trip on Inside Saab, Ted came out of his way to meet up with us, if only for 10 minutes, to say hello, wish us well on our journey, and to give us a present for the new-to-us car: a set of Saab Valve Stem Caps! This was an incredibly kind gesture and we thank him for that – the caps are on the car and look great! We wish him all the best and look forward to seeing his 96s in the future.
We got home yesterday and unloaded the car, and fully realized just how much gear we had accumulated in there. Full suitcases with clothes. Sleeping bags and tent/camping gear. Food, water, spare fluids for the car. Tools. A tonneau cover sitting on the back seat. Backpacks, camera gear, and more.
After unpacking, we took some time to relax and then met up with some friends for an informal welcome back/Saab meetup across the street from Charles River Saab. Here, we met up with Coggs in his Sonett, Luke D. Lewis in his OG 9-3, Abigail and Peter Coyle in one of their 9000 Aeros, Seth Wonkka (from CRS) and his girlfriend Karen in Seth’s new to him 900s (can’t wait to see what he does with this one…), Michi + Jaime Oe-Medieros, with daughter Sofia in their 9-3ss. And sure enough, another Saaber, Charlie B., saw the Saabs gathered together and decided to come say “hi” and join us for a bit. It was a warm welcome home, and we had a great time chatting about past trips, the open road, and in general, poking fun of Luke as he proceeded to jack up his car in the parking lot to ensure that his muffler wasn’t falling off again.
Aside from the passenger side window switch going out (which we attribute to me poking around at the switches, as it worked at the beginning of the trip) we didn’t have a single mechanical issue. No dead batteries, no overheating, no transmission issues, no fuel pumps dying….nothing. While I wouldn’t say that I was expecting anything to happen, when driving an old car, you absolutely have to be prepared for different scenarios of what could go wrong (it doesn’t hurt to lower expectations and over-deliver).
But when you go through 3,600 miles across the US, through some of the hottest temperatures this summer, with lots of steep elevation changes, and a few of the roughest roads out there…you can’t help but say “what a car!” You look back at the photos of the car in front of the Grand Canyon, Great Sand Dunes and the other amazing backdrops …. and you realize, this car took us there. And ALL of our gear. In comfort, with AC, stereo…… oh and it’s a convertible!?
The icing on the cake was that after crunching the numbers and pricing out how much it would have been to rent a convertible on a one way trip across the country, it was cheaper to buy the c900 – and at the end of the trip, you get to keep the car!
These pictures speak a thousand words. Here is a car, manufactured by Saab 17 years ago, from a 25+ year old design put in production and first sold in the year I was born. The conclusion of my trip today is a testament to the brand and the factory workers, and it goes without saying that we look forward to seeing what comes next from Trollhattan.
It’s been a once in a lifetime experience…thanks for coming along with us on this trip! We looking forward to continuing to meet other Saabers and we hope that others make use of the opportunities to get out and find their own road.
And some more pics……
Saab 900 Convertible stopping for a refreshment break in Kansas:
At lunch with some Cleveland Saabers:
Ryan and Ted Y:
Which one’s more spectacular? The Convertible or Niagara Falls? Fair question….
All the gear carried across the country, in a convertible, with no problems. Outstanding!
Another shot of the welcome party…..
And a special bonus, for those who think there are no Saab 9-5’s out in the wild. Spotted and photographed by Caroline.
Last week I shared a fantastic story from a couple of Saab fans, Ryan and Caroline F. Right now, they’re driving across the United States from LA to their home in Boston, in their new-to-them 1994 Saab 900 Convertible. I guess you could say they’re ticking off two dreams in the one trip: ownership of a classic Saab convertible and driving it from sea to shining sea.
I got an update from Ryan last night. They had a great time picking up the car in LA. Going on a trip like this in a car you’re unfamiliar with is a little daunting, so they had Walter Wong from Right Solution Inc – the most prominent independent Saab technician in California – go over the car with a fine-toothed comb.
Ryan in Right Solution’s racing Saab 9000 – the Saabrero. That’s Walter Wong on the right – a great guy who I had the pleasure of meeting back in 2008.
Here is Ryan’s update on the first half of the journey, and there’s a wonderful collection of photos below……
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I couldn’t imagine a better car in which to see these amazing views through the country. We’ve gone through a lot of miles, through open or winding roads, and the entire way this car puts a smile on your face. Having the top down just makes you feel so connected with the landscape and lets you soak in the views surrounding you. The car’s been running smooth all the way and having the ability to put the top down also makes unloading/loading at camp sites even easier!
We certainly got a lot of looks in traffic on the way out of LA, and I’m sure the Massachusetts license plates also drummed up some curiosity as we saw people peering over as they passed by.
Our first stop was in Zion National Park and we ended up in a campsite immediately next to a 9-3 Sportcombi. Caroline and I ran into one of the campers from the group and then met the other two shortly afterwards. Christine, Katie and Lindsay are three friends who are driving around the country for a month! Their chariot is a Saab 9-3 Sportcombi (a parental loaner) outfitted with a Thule roof box for extra carrying capacity. It sounded like they’re having quite the trip and have been making a large loop around the country’s National Parks and are now making their way back to New Jersey. And, of course, they’re enjoying the Saab! They were also quite the troopers to wake up at the crack of dawn for the photo op before we both went our separate ways.
We’re looking forward to hitting the road again tomorrow: off to St. Louis, Columbus and Niagara Falls over the next few days before finally arriving back in Boston on Saturday. We look forward to seeing other Saabs on the road- we’ve seen a lot of friendly waves from other Saabers along the way – keep an eye out for the Massachusetts license plates headed east! We already have a lunch stop planned to meet a fellow Turbo X owner around the Cleveland area on the 22nd 🙂
Thanks to all in the community for all the kind words in the comments. We couldn’t have shared this trip without the resources made available by Swade and the encouragement of the rest of the Saab community, so the least I can do in return is provide these pretty pictures, right?
Click the photos to enlarge…..
Our Saab friends at Zion National Park (Christine, Katie and Lindsay)
Leaving Zion National Park
By the Grand Canyon
Caroline + Saab at the Grand Canyon
Ryan + Saab at the Grand Canyon
Before entering Monument Valley
After a storm in Monument Valley (the first time on the trip with the top up, we stopped after the storm to put it back down and saw that behind us)
View from on top of Mesa Verde
Leaving Mesa Verde
Entering the Great Sand Dunes
After setting up the tent at the Great Sand Dunes, tallest sand dunes in North America
This is the sort of stuff that makes all the hours of writing worthwhile for a Saabnut like me. Today, I’m employed by Saab to write about their affairs and help connect with you, their customers. For six years, however, I did it in my own free time and it’s meeting people like Ryan and getting to share their stories that makes it all so fascinating and worthwhile.
This is the passion that inspires the Saab community, whether it be long-term owners or new Saabers alike.
Ryan credits me with some of the inspiration for his purchase, which is very kind of him. It’s people like Ryan and his wife, Caroline, however, who inspire me. Whether you’re purchasing your dream convertible from yesteryear or a brand new 9-4x or 9-5, your stories are always worth the telling.
I’d like to thank Ryan for sharing his story. This was received by email yesterday (Thursday)……
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Hi Swade,
We (my wife Caroline and myself) are really enjoying reading Inside Saab! Great work and what a dream come true to land a job with Saab!
As I’m sitting on a plane en route to LA from Boston, I just wanted to share with you the reason I’m on this flight in the first place (your work with TrollhattanSaab and SaabsUnited…and now Inside Saab are all major contributing factors for this little vacation).
Over the winter in Boston, as we started to wish for warmer days we decided to begin a search for a classic 900 convertible. After seeing pictures upon pictures online during the snow days, I started talking about the idea to Pierre, Peter Maitland and Seth at Charles River Saab. Their advice was to expand the search outside of New England, to lands where rust is a lesser known issue. So, after a few months of searching into the spring, Caroline had the suggestion to make a bigger trip out of it- “let’s get something out West and spend a week camping and driving it back to Boston.”
I got to search and used the google chrome/craigslist extension that was featured on SaabsUnited to dig through many cities at once, targeting everywhere west of Colorado. I finally came across a 1994 900 S owned by a lady from Switzerland who lives in the Hollywood area. 133,000 miles, manual transmission, black.
After explaining our idea to her over the phone, she thought it sounded like an exciting trip and we began working out the details of getting this done. First thing on the list was to have a Saab mechanic look at the car – enter Walter Wong & Drew Price over at Right Solution in LA. The shop went through the car and give me their inspection report over the phone. Everything checked out, and next thing I knew I was sending the Massachusetts license plates out to LA to finish the transfer of ownership and prepare for a trip back!
Walter has been working on the car over the past few weeks to prep it for the long journey through the desert, from brake pads to thermostats/cooling fan switches. Talk about dedication here- I received a call from Walter around 10pm Boston time (7pm LA time) on the Friday before July 4th weekend. Walter was just calling to chat about a few options/recommendation for the alternator work and to talk me through what he was doing that day. I don’t know anyone else who would have stayed a minute after 5pm to continue work on a holiday weekend. Needless to say, we’re excited to meet him in person today.
Our route takes us from LA into Costa Mesa, on to Zion Nation Park via Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Mesa Verde, Durango, the Great Sand Dunes, Kansas, St. Louis, Columbus, Niagara Falls, and finally home to Boston. After we had planned our trip, we were excited to see the coverage of the Rand McNally Best of the Road journey – perhaps we might run into them in LA today!
We plan to take plenty of photos, and will upload a few onto facebook/google+ along the way.
Here’s a rough map of our route:
We’re looking forward to having this back in Boston and at the upcoming Swedish Car Day, among other events. Coggs gave me a “Black Saabs Rule, So Long Jackass” – Jerry Seinfeld sticker to end up somewhere on/in the car.
Keep up the great work on Inside Saab and beyond, we’ll keep Saabin on and I can’t wait to purchase our next Saab (hopefully a brand new one this time, in any color as long as it’s black, to match the 9000, the TurboX and now the c900 cv).
Thanks,
Ryan
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And here’s a first image, received today, of Ryan and Caroline with their new 900 Convertible. We’ll catch up with them a bit more and track some of their journey from LA back home to Boston.
An addendum to recent stories about the genesis of the Saab Convertible. This came in from Ed Iawanicki, a former employee of Saab in the USA back when the convertible was launched.
….I had to pick the car up from a photography studio in LA and drive it to Carson on a Sunday morning – this car was supposed to be secret and here I am driving down the 5 in a one-of-a-kind 900 convertible in a VERY cool color (that was never used in production) with the top down because at that point it wasn’t too clear if I put the top up that it would go back down. I was 21 years old and never so paranoid about my driving as I was that morning. Steven Rossi used to refer to it as “my girl Pearl”. 26 years later and I remember it like yesterday.
Speaking of Saab wagons, ABC News reports that the Saab 9-3 SportCombi has been noted by the IIHS in the United States as being one of the 15 safest SUV’s on the market there.
Personally speaking, I’m a little surprised by the SUV classification for that car, but we’ll take it.
It’s an early 1970’s Saab 99 fitted with a 16V turbo engine and making somewhere around 300hp.
I was meant to be at Kinnekulle today, too, for a Saab Turbo Club of Sweden event, but a time mixup saw me miss it. The photo was sent to me this morning by Peter S, the owner of Saab tuner Speedparts (his brother owns this 99 and Peter has a matching one in the same spec, but in red).
It’s 900+ kilometers north of where I’m sitting right now, but I’m heading up close to Umeå to help a friend pick up his Saab 9-5 (a long, sad story involving some ice and a telegraph pole).
The photo was taken towards the end of summer, 2010, oustide the service department of their dealership. That particular day, they had at least one example of each model 900 and 9-3 Convertible in for service.
I guess the only dilemma for the service staff would have been which one to jump into first!
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Thanks to Joey at Just Saab in Dayton for the pics!
A few weeks ago, I published a story about the birth of the Saab Convertible. The man at the center of that story was Bob Sinclair, the former chief of Saab Automobile in the United States.
A friend in the US has since sent through some pictures of a launch event that was held when Saab released the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Saab Convertible in April, 2006. The launch started at El Encanto Hotel in Santa Barbara, moving into a drive prior to lunch at the Latetia winery, following some of the scenery used for the movie Sideways (which featured a Saab 900 Convertible).
Bob Sinclair was invited along to share his Convertible story at the event.
Dick Lague from Ignition3 – a Saab owner living in Malibu, California – was present at the event and took these photos, which make for a wonderful compliment to Bob’s Convertible story from a few days ago.
Dick’s also emailed me his recollections from the event and for Saab historians, it makes for some great reading. I’ve added his notes after the photos.
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Bob speaking to the press corps gathered for the event in ……. you can see the first Saab convertible prototype (in white) built by the American Sunroof Company on the screen. This is the car now housed at the Saab Museum in Trollhattan, Sweden.
This red Saab 900 Convertible was on show at the launch. It was one of the first Saab convertibles to come off the production line as a 1986 model.
A group of five Saab convertibles ready for their test drive….
“Uncle Bob” with one of the later iterations of Saab’s iconic convertible.
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Recollections from the launch of the 20th Anniversary Saab 9-3 Convertible
by Dick Lague.
I remember how excited Bob Sinclair was about being invited to be part of the Saab convertible 20th anniversary edition introduction in Santa Barbara. We spoke on the phone sometime in March 2006 and told me of how pleased he was to be able to reflect on 20 years of production of “his baby” – the Saab Convertible.
The succession of Saab USA presidents after Bob retired did not seem to understand or appreciate Bob’s contribution to Saab, but this took an about face when Jay Spenchian took the position. It was Jay who thought that Bob could make this 20th Anniversary Convertible introduction in early April 2006, a very special event.
I saw something strange on the roads around Trollhattan on Saturday.
I was on my way to Vanersborg and coming towards me on the other side of the road was a new-look (i.e. post-2008) Saab 9-3 Convertible in Lime Yellow.
Lime Yellow was one of the prominent launch colors for the new generation 9-3 convertible (based on the 9-3 Sport Sedan) when it was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March, 2003.
Here it is (in pre-2008 body styling)….. click to enlarge.
The curious thing about the car that I saw was that Lime Yellow was discontinued prior to the new, 2008 Saab 9-3 front end. The owner of this car had either put a new front-end on his pre-2008 car, or he’s taken a 2008-or-later car and had it repainted in Lime Yellow. Either way, it shows a rather extraordinary commitment to what is seen by some as being a divisive color.
Personally, I’m a big Lime Yellow fan. I think it looks great on the convertible and stands out in a world of silver/black/grey cars. But I know that others feel differently.
How differently? Let’s find out.
Would you do the same as this owner had done and go to so much trouble to have the newer face on your convertible with the Lime Yellow color? I guess it all comes down to whether you think Lime Yellow is hot or not…….
[poll id=”5″]
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This week, I’ll look to continue our series on the Saab Convertible, which was sidelined a bit due to corporate news responsibilities regarding production and our deal with Pang Da. There are still plenty of convertible stories to tell.
And if I see this Lime Yellow 2008 model on the road again, I’ll try and get a photo.
I’m going to start this week’s Saabosphere with a link from this very same website. I’ll do that because it’s important for those who didn’t all the commotion on Friday to know that Saab has indeed re-started production after a 6-week layover.
I can further confirm that today, Monday, we were back making cars again, with 145 built when I walked past the production line just after lunchtime (we built just 100 or so last Friday on the first day back).
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Franca Devonport from The Telegrgaph, in England, has an excellent article covering the value of the Mille Miglia, which Saab competed in a few weeks ago for the second consecutive year.
The article examines the value to companies who take part in the event, the way it can link a company’s past to its present and how companies can use the event to make a prolonged statement about themselves and their vehicles.
“The Saab is a strong character,” says Peter Bäckström, manager of the Saab Museum, and Fägerhag’s co-driver. “It simply cannot be mainstream and Saab drivers simply cannot be categorised, apart from as individuals. Participating in events like the Mille Miglia encapsulates what Saab is all about.”
Well, that’s one drawcard, along with the Italian food 🙂
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We’ve been covering the Saab Convertible’s25th Anniversary here on Inside Saab (more to come soon) and if you do the math, that will tell you that the first Saab Convertibles were sold to the public as 1985 vehicles.
Those of you in England might want to mark down the dates for MotorExpo in your calendar.
The 2011 event at Canary Wharf will once again include Saab as an exhibitor.
Motorexpo is open daily between 10.00am and 6.00pm from Monday 6 to Saturday 11 June, and between 11.00am and 5.00pm on Sunday 12 June. Entry is free.
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This story is not online (yet), but Jerry Seinfeld is coming to Sweden to do a few shows. In a publicity article in Goteborg’s Posten, Jerry lists three of his favourite things about Sweden:
Lasse Hallstrom – “I love him. I loved ‘My Life as a Dog’. ‘Gilbert Grape’ was also good. It was he who did it? “
Erik Carlsson – “That is a ‘60s reference. He was rally driver for Saab. He drove a Saab 96, no wait, it was actually a Saab 92”.
Saab – “I love Saab. In my TV show, I drove a Saab.”
With reference to #2, it was both (as well as a few others), though he’s more known for the 96. It seems like Jerry’s Saab knowledge might run more than show-deep. But then he is a car guy, reported to own a fleet of Porsches.
Today, in our continuing celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Saab Convertible, we’re going to take a closer look at the car that didn’t get selected – the convertible concept built by Leif Mellberg, a coachbuilder from Nyköping.
The ASC convertible was built using a 2-door Saab 900 coupe as a basis. The Mellberg Convertible – whether by request from Saab or by choice is unknown to me – was based on a 3-door Combi Coupe.
That’s the Mellberg convertible on the right, with the ASC concept on the left.
And the Mellberg concept from the rear 3/4 view…..
A side profile. Have you noticed anything funny about the Mellberg concept yet? (hint: go back and take a look at photo #1, and then at this one again)
