A Saab 900 with a Toppola always looks slightly improbable in photographs. The proportions suggest that somebody has placed a small boat cabin on the roof of a hatchback. This particular combination, however, has spent the last few years proving that the idea still works exactly as intended.
A 1984 Saab 900 GL with a detachable Toppola camper is currently being offered in Sweden through Auctionet. Registered as EZF271, the blue three-door has been used with its camper for holiday trips around Sweden and comes with an unusually complete package: the Toppola, its lifting equipment, awning and, importantly, the Saab’s original tailgate for converting the car back to normal use.
At the time of writing, bidding has reached €3,541, enough to meet the reserve, while the auction house has placed its estimate at €4,426–€5,311. The sale is scheduled to close on October 4, 2026 at 15:26 CEST.
View the Saab 900 GL Toppola auction on Auctionet
A Camper That Doesn’t Permanently Turn the Saab Into a Camper
The essential cleverness of the Toppola was not simply that Saab owners could sleep in it. Plenty of cars have been converted into campers. Toppola approached the problem differently: the Saab itself did not require a permanent body conversion.
The large tailgate of the Saab’s Combi Coupé body was removed and the camper was attached through the resulting rear opening, with its sleeping compartment extending forward above the roof. Remove the Toppola, reinstall the original hatch and the car could return to normal service.
That makes the accessories accompanying EZF271 especially important. The auction includes a lifting device with winch/hoist for mounting and removing the Toppola, as well as the original Saab tailgate. A future owner is therefore buying the system rather than merely a 900 with an enormous fiberglass body already attached to it.
The Saab has also been adapted where it matters mechanically. According to the listing, the rear axle is fitted with stiffer caravan springs and Toppola rear shock absorbers to accommodate the additional load.
The complete combination stands approximately 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) high. Yet viewed from above or in profile, one of the advantages of the concept becomes obvious: the camper adds considerable usable volume without making the Saab appreciably longer or wider.
This Toppola Has Actually Been Camping
There is a useful distinction between a rare accessory preserved because it is rare and one that continues doing the job for which it was designed. This car belongs firmly in the second category.
The current owner acquired the Saab in 2016 and added the Toppola approximately three years ago. Since then, two people have used the combination for holidays around Sweden, including trips to Gotland, Fårö and Dalarna. Between seasons, both the Saab and camper have reportedly been stored indoors in dry conditions.
The camper provides two dedicated sleeping berths, while folding the Saab’s rear seat backrest can create another two sleeping positions or simply provide additional usable space. Equipment includes a two-burner spirit stove, sink, storage compartments, roof hatch and interior lighting. An awning is included as well.
There has also been a useful modern addition: a 12-volt solar panel is mounted on the roof, giving the otherwise very 1980s Swedish camping arrangement a degree of off-grid electrical independence.
One small observation in the Auctionet condition report is worth noting on any camper of this age. During inspection, no abnormal or musty odor was detected inside the Toppola. That does not replace a detailed inspection for moisture, of course, but it is more useful information than simply describing the interior as being in good condition.
See Inside This Saab 900 Toppola
The auction photographs explain the exterior dimensions well, but they cannot really show why the Toppola packaging works. A new video from Marcus & Manuela’s Saab Channel, published on September 25, takes a closer look at this actual Saab 900 GL and its camper.
The interior footage is particularly useful. Instead of simply reading a list of beds, stove, sink and storage compartments, we can see how those elements fit into the available space and how the camper communicates with the 900 below. The apparent bulk above the Saab makes considerably more sense once viewed from inside.
Marcus & Manuela’s Saab Channel takes us inside the actual 1984 Saab 900 GL Toppola currently being auctioned in Sweden.
Why a 1984 Toppola Is Particularly Interesting
The date on this combination is significant. Toppola originated in Sweden in the early 1980s from an idea by Finnish-born Arvo Pullola, who devised a camper shell that could exploit the unusually large rear opening of Saab’s hatchback models. The concept developed rapidly, and Saab itself became involved in improving and promoting it.
We have already covered that story in detail, from the earliest Saab 99 installations through the Classic 900, 9000 and later versions, in our complete history of the Saab Toppola camper. For this particular auction car, however, one date matters more than the complete chronology: 1984.
That model year brought substantial development to the camper. Historical Toppola material records changes to the body and interior, including revised windows, new textiles and improved cabinetry. Saab wanted the interior furniture and kitchenette executed in wood, while the Wallas cooking/heating system available at the time pushed the concept toward genuine four-season use.
Saab was sufficiently committed to the project to produce promotional material in Swedish, English, French and German, together with a multilingual 16-page owner’s manual. Toppola was not being treated merely as a cottage-industry curiosity; for a brief period Saab was attempting to position it as a serious accessory.
There was even a connection with the then-new Saab 9000. Peter and Matts Malmberg were involved during its development so that later Toppola installation would remain possible. Period accounts also describe Saab 900 Turbos fitted with Toppolas being used around the 9000’s 1984 introduction.
The cooperation between Saab and the small company behind Toppola did not last much beyond that period, and production would subsequently continue independently and intermittently. Estimates put total Toppola production at only around 300 units, including later versions and applications.
For the complete chronology, production changes and the various Saab applications, our earlier Toppola history goes much deeper. What matters to EZF271 is that its 1984 date places the car directly in the period when the relationship between Saab and Toppola was at its most developed.
No Turbo Required
The Saab carrying all of this equipment is refreshingly ordinary.
EZF271 is a Swedish-market 1984 Saab 900 GL, with a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine listed at 101 hp and a five-speed manual gearbox. Its VIN is AL35C3E7013154, and Auctionet records an odometer reading of 22,544. The listing does not establish whether that figure represents the car’s complete accumulated mileage, so it should not be interpreted as verified total mileage without further documentation.
For a Toppola, the absence of a Turbo badge is hardly a disadvantage. The entire idea was based on extending the usefulness of an existing Saab rather than creating a special high-performance derivative. A GL that spent its holidays carrying a camper around Sweden is arguably closer to the original purpose than a carefully preserved Turbo combination that rarely leaves a collection.
The car remains registered, and its most recent approved inspection is listed as August 19, 2025. The seller says it has been serviced continuously. Work reported in the auction description includes replacement of the left-front wheel bearing, cabin fan, silencer, fuel pump and pulley with rubber bushings. The headliner has been renewed, the front seats refurbished and the battery is approximately two years old.
It also wears new tires with only about 100 km of use.
A Used 900, Not an Auction-Room Restoration
The photographs do not present EZF271 as a freshly restored Classic 900, and neither does Auctionet’s condition report.
There are older paint touch-ups, some door dings on the right-hand door and evidence that a minor dent to the right front fender has previously been repaired. Minor rust is noted on the left side near the trim; this has been partly repaired and is described as appearing to have stopped.
Auctionet also warns that the car has seen relatively limited use and may therefore require a technical review and servicing before being returned to regular use. For a 42-year-old car carrying an equally unusual camping installation, that is a more sensible starting point than assuming that a valid inspection and a running engine remove the need for mechanical scrutiny.
At the same time, the visible wear provides useful context. This does not appear to be a Toppola recently mounted on a Saab to manufacture an auction story. The car and camper have travelled together and been used for their intended purpose.
What Exactly Is the Buyer Getting?
That question is more important here than it would be with an ordinary Saab 900 auction.
The buyer receives the running 900 GL, the Toppola, its awning, the roof-mounted solar installation and, crucially, the equipment required to lift the camper from the car. The original Saab tailgate is included too.
That completeness considerably broadens what can be done with the combination. The next owner could continue using it exactly as shown, remove the Toppola between trips, or return the 900 to its conventional hatchback configuration while storing the camper separately.
There is also a practical consideration for prospective international buyers: this is not something that can simply be collected on a normal car transporter without checking dimensions. With the Toppola fitted, the stated overall height is 250 cm, while the separate camper and lifting equipment create their own logistical requirements if transported independently.
The Auction Has Already Cleared Its Reserve
Bidding had reached €3,541 when we checked the sale, taking it beyond the seller’s reserve. Auctionet’s estimate is €4,426–€5,311, leaving plenty of room for the final days to determine how bidders value the unusual combination.
The buyer must also account for Auctionet’s commission, listed for motorcycles and cars at 12.5 percent plus SEK 80. The vehicle is located in the Molkom area of Värmland and must be collected there rather than at the auction house itself.
Follow the bidding and view the complete Auctionet listing
Where the bidding finishes will be interesting because conventional Classic 900 valuation criteria only take us so far here. Engine specification, mileage, paint condition and trim level can be compared with other 900s, but the Toppola changes the equation completely. Its condition, completeness, lifting equipment and compatibility with the car have their own value, and surviving combinations appear on the market infrequently enough that there is no simple price guide to consult.
There is also something pleasingly coherent about this particular example. The naturally aspirated GL is not pretending to be a show car, the Toppola has acquired a solar panel rather than being preserved as an untouched museum object, and the current owners have taken the combination to places such as Gotland and Fårö instead of merely displaying it at Saab meetings.
Forty-two years after this 900 was built, its strangest accessory is still doing exactly what its designers intended: arrive as a Saab, provide somewhere for two people to cook and sleep, and drive home again when the holiday is over.
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