Per Gillbrand was 26 when he helped design one of the most durable engines ever built at Volvo. He then crossed to Saab, gave the world turbocharged passenger cars, and invented the APC system that every modern knock-management strategy descends from. This is the full arc of a career that shaped two automotive legends.
A final-year 1998 Saab 9000 CSE 2.3t has appeared at Bilweb Auctions with an unusually authentic backstory. Ordered new by a Saab chassis engineer who deliberately avoided luxury options, this understated example reveals how insiders actually specified their own cars. With just 143,000 km, single-family ownership, and the durable B234E turbo engine, it offers a rare look at what a “standard” Saab flagship meant to the people who engineered it.
The Dutch youngtimer market was thrown into chaos by a sudden tax proposal that threatened the viability of older business cars. Now a parliamentary motion may reverse the decision - a development welcomed by Saab specialist Dirk Koppen, who helped bring the issue into the spotlight.
A dark grey Classic Saab 900 hatchback, slammed on period OZ Racing split-rims and wearing the full Carlsson aerodynamic kit from A-Zperformance - built in Hungary by Devil Tuning and a circle of collaborators who each contributed a piece of the finished car.
J&K Saabwerx, a small specialist operation based in Henderson, Nevada, has developed a remote locking kit designed specifically for Classic Saab 900 models. It integrates directly with the factory central locking system, requires no permanent modifications, and ships complete with two switchblade key fobs. The first public installation was documented by Bruce from the BWORX YouTube channel.
In 2017, Hsiao Hsiang - administrator of Taiwan's SAAB 9000 SQUADRON - discovered an abandoned 1990 Saab 9000 2.0 185HP manual in Nantou. What followed was a years-long, worldwide search for original parts and a full restoration by SAC Taiwan that brought back what may be the last surviving example of its kind on the island.
A 1994 Saab 900 Turbo Convertible in Talladega Red is live on Bring a Trailer with no reserve, currently sitting at $5,200 with the auction closing shortly. One of the last Classic 900s built, this Kansas-based car has spent most of its life in Colorado, carries original paint with no rust, a recently replaced soft top, and an interior that holds up well against its age. The automatic transaxle will limit the ceiling, but at current bidding it is priced well below where comparable examples have been closing.
In 2021, a Dutch father and son rolled a repaired 2005 Saab 9-3 Sport Estate into Beek Auto Racing's dyno cell. The car had front-end collision damage, a freshly replaced dashboard, and 240,000 km on the clock. The Hirsch tune on its 2.8 V6 was rated at 275 hp. The SuperFlow system measured 291 hp and 482 Nm - 82 Nm above the published torque spec. This is what that result tells us about the engine, the tune, and what these cars are still capable of.
One year ago, a new Saab-specialized workshop opened in Stallbacka, Trollhättan, inside the former Saab industrial area. Factory THN brings more than 40 years of Saab technical experience back to the same ground where the cars were once developed.
SaabPartners in Meppel complete a six-month reconstruction of a Sky Blue Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible, installing a new engine, new automatic gearbox, renewed interior and Griffin-era detailing, with official Hirsch tuning planned as the final step.
