A 2011 Saab 9-3 Convertible Independence Edition No.06 has changed hands in France after appearing with Paris specialist dealer Mecanicus. The car was offered with approximately 55,000 kilometers, a 220-hp 2.0 Turbo BioPower engine, six-speed Sentronic automatic transmission and French provenance from new. Mecanicus now marks it VENDUE, with €57,900 shown as the final advertised price. The actual transaction figure has not been disclosed.
The same No.06 was also distributed through Car & Classic, where the listing identifies Mecanicus as the dealer and gives its Paris address at 70 Avenue Jean Moulin. Car & Classic dates the listing to June 24, 2026. Its structured vehicle data incorrectly describes the Saab as a “Hybrid” with “0cc,” but the sales copy itself correctly identifies the 220-hp BioPower specification.
For this particular Independence Edition, the current sale is only one part of the record. No.06 has a documented French history extending back to the beginning of 2012, surfaced on the French market in 2018, and belongs to a production run whose final total is still regularly reported incorrectly.
No.06 Is One of the French BioPower Cars
According to Mecanicus, the car is French from new, first registered in 2011 and finished in Amber Orange Metallic with a light leather interior. Under the hood is Saab’s direct-injection 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder producing 220 hp, paired here with the six-speed Sentronic automatic. Mecanicus specifically identifies the engine as BioPower.
That distinction matters because Independence Edition cars were not mechanically identical across all markets. Saab’s February 2011 launch material specified three possible engines: the 180-hp 1.9-liter two-stage turbo diesel, the 220-hp 2.0-liter direct-injection gasoline turbo, and a 220-hp BioPower version capable of operating on gasoline, E85 or any mixture of the two. Six-speed manual and automatic transmissions were available depending on market. The surviving Saab press release also confirms that the model was based on the top-of-the-line Griffin Aero specification. Read the original Saab Independence Edition press material preserved by SaabWorld
For the US market, Saab Cars North America subsequently presented the Independence Day Convertible with the 220-hp BioPower engine, again specifying its ability to run on gasoline or E85 and offering manual or automatic six-speed transmissions. Saab Cars North America’s 2011 New York Auto Show announcement
France received a particularly small planned allocation. Contemporary French reporting stated that only 15 cars were intended for the French market. The quoted price was €51,500 for the 220-hp gasoline/BioPower version and €52,500 for the TTiD. Auto Plus on the French Independence Edition allocation and 2011 pricing
That makes No.06’s continued presence in France particularly relevant. This is not a later import whose history has to be reconstructed across several countries. The dealer’s documentation places the car in the French Saab network almost immediately after registration.
The Mecanicus Photos Confirm More Than the Sales Description
The dealer photography provides several useful checks against the written listing. The instrument cluster shows 54,810 km. Mecanicus records the latest maintenance at 54,771 km in May 2026, meaning the car had traveled only 39 kilometers between that service entry and the photographed odometer reading.
Its Amber Orange Metallic finish remains one of the easiest ways to recognize the series, although photographs can make the paint look considerably redder or more copper-colored depending on the lighting. Saab’s own launch material calls it Amber Orange Metallic and states that the limited-edition number was etched into the rear side windows.
The special 18-inch five-spoke wheels with satin chrome and black treatment are present, as is the Griffin front-end treatment used on Saab’s final update of the 9-3. SaabPlanet covered that model update separately in April 2011, when the refreshed 9-3 Griffin and Griffin Aero range brought revised exterior details together with the new 163- and 220-hp direct-injection gasoline engines. SaabPlanet’s contemporary report on the 2011 Saab 9-3 Griffin range
Inside No.06, the light leather upholstery is complemented by the edition-specific carbon-fiber-look leather finish across the instrument panel and related trim surfaces. The instrument photograph clearly shows the distinctive turbo boost gauge, while the rear view confirms the BioPower badge. Saab’s specification also included orange-trimmed sports leather, an Independence-specific welcome message, orange stitching on the sports steering wheel and grey piping on the carpets. These were not dealer-installed accessories; they were part of the original Independence Edition package.
Mecanicus additionally lists the Aero sport chassis, adaptive Bi-Xenon headlights, rear parking sensors, electrically folding and auto-dimming mirrors, cruise control, automatic rollover protection, plus the six-speed Sentronic transmission with steering-wheel shifting. The dealer also highlights “Première peinture,” indicating original paint.
Ten Recorded Service Entries Since 2012
The service history is one of the stronger aspects of this No.06.
Mecanicus publishes ten maintenance entries:
- January 2012 – 2,229 km – SAAB Salon de Provence
- January 2015 – 15,275 km – Saab specialist
- April 2016 – 17,694 km
- July 2017 – 20,941 km
- July 2018 – 27,265 km
- May 2020 – 34,528 km
- June 2021 – 41,037 km
- September 2022 – 43,023 km
- October 2024 – 49,345 km
- May 2026 – 54,771 km
The first record is particularly useful because it places No.06 at SAAB Salon de Provence with only 2,229 km. That supports the dealer’s statement that this is an original French-market car rather than a later continental import.
The sequence also shows that the car was used rather than simply stored from new. Mileage increased gradually over fourteen years, while specialist servicing continued despite Saab Automobile disappearing as a manufacturer.
No.06 Was Already Advertised in France in 2018
There is an earlier public trace of exactly this numbered car. The specialist limited-production registry How Many Made’s Saab 9-3 Independence Edition register contains a February 23, 2018 entry recording No.6 for sale in France with 23,500 km and a €49,900 asking price. Eight years later, Mecanicus photographed the same numbered car at 54,810 km.
That gives us an unusually useful comparison:
2018: 23,500 km, €49,900 asking
2026: approximately 55,000 km, €57,900 final displayed asking price
No single car can establish a market value for the Independence Edition, particularly with only a few dozen completed. Condition, drivetrain, provenance and national registration history all affect pricing. Still, No.06 has now accumulated enough public history to become a useful reference point.
It also exposes one reason Independence Edition research can become confusing. How Many Made has spent years documenting individual cars and now states a total of 38 worldwide, while older owner reports on the same page show how the figure of 37 became established before No.38 was positively documented.
Saab Originally Planned 366 Independence Editions
Today’s dealer description calls this car No.06/38, but the Independence Edition was not conceived as a 38-car production run. Saab presented the car at its Trollhättan assembly plant on February 23, 2011, exactly one year after leaving General Motors ownership. The plan was to produce 366 numbered examples: one for every day of Saab’s first year of independence, plus one for the beginning of the second year.
SaabPlanet had already reported the planned special edition on February 21, 2011, when the proposed 366-car run and 220-hp BioPower drivetrain were emerging ahead of the official presentation. That contemporary article remains useful because it captures what Saab intended before the company’s financial position deteriorated. SaabPlanet’s February 2011 Independence Edition report
The production specification was substantial enough to make the Independence Edition identifiable without relying solely on its paint color. Saab listed the special wheels, orange-trimmed beige leather, carbon-look leather surfaces, unique turbo gauge, driver welcome message and individual numbering on the side glass.
The timing also coincided with 25 years since sales of the first Saab Convertible began. Crucially, none of this was conceived as a farewell package. In February 2011, Saab was presenting the Independence Edition as part of its second year outside GM while introducing the Griffin update and preparing other new products.
Why the Total Is 38, Not 37
Anyone researching these cars eventually encounters both 37 and 38 as alleged final totals. The stronger contemporary evidence supports 38 completed Independence Editions.
When KVD Kvarndammen announced its November 2012 auction of cars from the Saab Automobile AB bankruptcy estate, it specifically addressed this model. KVD stated that the intention had been to produce 366 cars, but production stopped because of the bankruptcy, leaving only 38 examples worldwide. KVD’s 2012 announcement for the Saab bankruptcy-estate auction
That source carries particular weight because KVD was handling actual vehicles from the Saab bankruptcy estate, rather than reconstructing the production total years later from owner reports. The confusion nevertheless survived. A good example can still be seen in Bilweb’s 2024 documentation for Independence Edition No.02. The listing title identifies the car as “2/37,” yet the description directly below states that the Independence Edition was built in 38 units. Bilweb Auctions listing for Independence Edition No.02
The owner registry provides another useful piece of the puzzle. How Many Made now documents the existence of No.38, describing it as a 2.0T BioPower car delivered new in France and showing period evidence of the numbered car. The safest formulation is therefore straightforward: Saab intended to build 366 Independence Editions. Only 38 were ultimately completed.
The Mecanicus description “No.06/38” is best understood as identifying No.06 within the known completed population. It does not mean Saab originally designed a 38-car limited run.
The Production Crisis Created the Rarity
Only weeks after Saab presented the Independence Edition, its increasingly serious liquidity problems began interrupting supplier payments and production.
The 2011 crisis eventually progressed from temporary production stoppages to attempted financial restructuring. SaabPlanet’s contemporary coverage from September 2011 recorded Saab’s court-approved reorganization and noted that production had already been stopped several times because the company was struggling to pay suppliers and employees. SaabPlanet’s September 2011 report on Saab’s reorganization
The rescue attempts ultimately failed. Saab Automobile filed for bankruptcy on December 19, 2011, a development SaabPlanet reported the following day. SaabPlanet’s original bankruptcy report from December 2011
That sequence created the Independence Edition’s rarity almost accidentally.
A series designed around 366 cars was frozen at 38 completed examples. The result was not a deliberately manufactured “one of 38” collector strategy. The number reflects how abruptly Saab’s normal production system stopped functioning during 2011. That distinction matters because it also explains why individual Independence cars can have very different histories. Markets received different engines, some cars had already reached customers before production stopped, and other vehicles remained within the Saab organization until the bankruptcy-estate sales.
No.02 Set a Strong Benchmark at the 2024 Saab Festival
The most useful recent market reference is Independence Edition No.02, which appeared at the special Bilweb auction during the 2024 Saab Festival in Trollhättan. SaabPlanet previewed the car before the auction, documenting its TTiD automatic drivetrain, approximately 35,320 km and unusual ownership history. SaabPlanet’s preview of Independence Edition No.02 at the 2024 Saab Festival
The result was substantial: 650,000 SEK, with the reserve reached. Bilweb described the car as exceptionally well preserved despite its mileage. SaabPlanet subsequently covered that result as the standout price of the Festival auction. SaabPlanet’s report on the 650,000 SEK Independence Edition sale
That transaction established an important public benchmark, although No.02’s provenance and unusually strong presentation mean it should not simply be converted into a universal value for all 38 cars.
No.08 Shows Why Provenance Changes the Price
A second Independence Edition appeared with Bilweb later in 2024. No.08 was a TTiD automatic with a very different history. It began as a right-hand-drive UK car, originally sold by Alexanders Motor Group in Teesside, then moved to the Netherlands and was converted to left-hand drive before later reaching Sweden. Both the owner registry and Bilweb document that unusual path.
The Bilweb auction reached 380,000 SEK, substantially below the 650,000 SEK achieved by No.02. Bilweb Auctions listing for Independence Edition No.08
SaabPlanet also documented No.08 when it came to market, including its British origin, Dutch LHD conversion and subsequent Swedish ownership. SaabPlanet’s earlier report on Independence Edition No.08
Those two cars help explain why mileage alone is an inadequate way to value this series. No.06 carries a different set of strengths: original LHD configuration, French delivery from new, 220-hp BioPower specification, Sentronic automatic, original Amber Orange paint and a service history that begins at 2,229 km.
€57,900 Is Not Unprecedented for a Late Independence Convertible
There is also an interesting older SaabPlanet comparison. Back in 2016, a virtually unused Independence Edition Griffin Aero Convertible with only 21 km appeared for sale at €59,900. That car was No.20 and had also received Hirsch tuning to 260 hp. At the time, available production information led SaabPlanet to quote an outdated total of 36 cars. The later KVD documentation makes 38 the better-supported figure today. The 2016 SaabPlanet report on an almost-new Independence Edition for €59,900
That comparison is revealing. An asking price around €60,000 was already being tested for an extraordinary near-delivery-mile example ten years ago. Mecanicus has now placed a 55,000-km, well-documented No.06 in almost the same nominal price bracket. The difference is that the Independence Edition market now has additional public auction evidence behind it, including the 650,000 SEK result for No.02.
No.06 Now Has Another Documented Chapter
Independence Edition No.06 can now be followed through several distinct points in its life. It was registered in France in 2011, entered the Saab Salon de Provence service record at 2,229 km in January 2012, surfaced for sale in France in 2018 with 23,500 km, continued receiving Saab-specialist maintenance, then appeared with Mecanicus in 2026 at approximately 55,000 km. The Paris dealer now marks the car as sold.
Fifteen years earlier, No.06 was supposed to be only an early number in a production sequence stretching toward 366 cars. The financial collapse of Saab Automobile instead left it within a group of 38 completed Independence Editions.
For this particular example, rarity is only part of the attraction. Its significance is strengthened by something increasingly useful as the final Trollhättan-built cars move deeper into collector ownership: a numbered identity that can be followed through original market, servicing, previous advertisements and a modern specialist-dealer sale.
No.06 has now added another entry to that record.
Interesting car. Silly money if it sold for a number even close to that. My opinion only, of course. Congratulations to the lucky buyer.
Some allready sold at that prize range!
I appreciate knowing that. I have an ’07 Aero 6 speed convertible with 50k miles. I think I’ll export it.
There’s one nearby our place, TTiD.
Beautiful car 👌😎👍
They are crazy at mecanicus: more expensive than when it was a brand new release…, ah the speculation!