Twenty years ago, a black Saab 900 Turbo three-door was the hottest yuppie car on the planet. Doctors, lawyers, and investment chiefs saw the spacious and distinctive aerodynamic profile, a turbocharged and intercooled 16-valve four-cylinder engine, and quirky key-on-the-floor exclusivity as their ticket to the "me" generation. Saab, the traditional builder of sturdy and dependable front-wheel-drive Swedish cars, had broken away from its base and been discovered by the young, urban, beautiful people. U.S. sales of the 900 reached more than 38,000 in 1985, more than three times what they had been just five years earlier. The Saab 900 was available as a three-door, a five-door, and a two-door convertible, and came with several turbocharged and normally aspirated four-cylinder engines. Although a plain-jane Saab 900 from the '80s makes a reasonable all-around beater, it's the Saab 900 Turbo that gets an enthusiast's attention.
Engines Under PressureSaab was an early subscriber to the world of turbocharging. In the mid-1970s, the small Swedish company experimented with turbocharged rally cars based upon its successful Saab 99 model. In 1978, Saab produced a limited series of turbocharged Saab 99 vehicles to gain experience with the concept. By the time the Saab 900 Turbo was introduced in 1979, a 135-bhp turbocharged engine was in the line-up. This 2.0-liter B-series engine gave a useful 20-hp advantage over the normally aspirated fuel-injected motor. In 1981, the B-series engine was replaced with the H-series engine with a cam-driven distributor and belt-driven water pump. In 1982, Saab introduced its Automatic Performance Control (APC), an electronic system that used a knock sensor and adjusted turbocharger boost to allow different grades of gasoline to be used. Per Gillbrand, Saab's far-seeing engine chief, once explained that a small company like Saab couldn't afford to invest in frequent wholesale changes to its engines' architecture, but that it could work with advanced engine management systems to squeeze more performance out of its long-running designs.
The next big change came in 1985 with the introduction of the B202 160-bhp 16-valve turbocharged and intercooled four-cylinder engine. The United States saw the introduction of a "Special Performance Group" model (unofficially dubbed "SPG") with front and rear anti-roll bars, gas-filled shock absorbers, Pirelli V-rated tires, aerodynamic side-skirts, and distinctive three-spoke alloy wheels. Leather upholstery, foglights, and an electric sunroof were all part of this highly desirable package.
Fun In The SunIn 1986, the Saab 900 Convertible arrived. It had been the pet project of Saab U.S. President Bob Sinclair. The 900 Convertible was produced in the Valmet Plant in Uusikaupunki, Finland, and nearly all were fully equipped turbo models. With a power folding top, heated seats, sound system, and power windows and door locks, the 900 Convertible was quite a sensation.
The Last Few YearsIn 1988, Saab changed to a watercooled Garrett T3 turbocharger to help with durability. In 1990, the 900 SPG got a slightly smaller Mitsubishi TE-05 watercooled turbo that would spool up and produce boost more quickly, and in 1991, all 900 Turbo models got this upgrade. By 1993, the Saab 900 had been around for 14 years and more than 340,000 had been sold in the U.S. It's fair to say that although Saab's quirky nature had been established by its two-stroke and V4 models of the '50s and '60s, it was the Saab 900, particularly the 900 Turbo, that put the company on the map in this country. As the flagship of that line, Saab decided to give its 900 Turbo an appropriate send-off with a '93 commemorative model Saab 900 Turbo three-door in black with 185 bhp and a five-speed manual transmission. Only 325 were produced, and all featured wood dash panels and special alloy wheels. The '94 Saab 900 was an all-new car based upon the Opel Vectra.