Long before Hirsch Performance became synonymous with the Saab 9-3 Turbo X or the late-model 9-5 NG Aero, the Swiss outfit was already putting its name on cars at the turn of the millennium. The badge wasn’t an aftermarket sticker back then – it was a factory-blessed designation, and the cars wearing it were rare even when new. David Joost Kamermans, the Netherlands-based collector and Saab parts specialist behind Welmans Automobielen, has just listed a 2005 Saab 9-5 SportCombi that traces directly back to that early Hirsch era – a car the company once called the “Troll.”
Kamermans has built a reputation among readers of this site for surfacing exactly this kind of car: documented, mechanically sorted, and carrying a story worth telling rather than just a price tag. This Troll fits that pattern. It was ordered new as a 2.3-liter Vector, built on the detuned B235R Aero engine making a standard 220 horsepower, and sent to Hirsch for a comprehensive workover before it ever reached its first owner.
Table of Contents
What “Troll” Meant at Hirsch
Hirsch’s relationship with Saab goes back further than most enthusiasts realize. The company started life as a Saab dealership in 1967, and over the following decades built an in-house team with deep experience tuning Saab’s turbocharged engines. That experience was formalized in 2002, when Hirsch earned status as Saab’s official factory performance partner – a period that produced some of the most thoroughly developed Hirsch packages the brand ever offered, the 9-5 “Troll” and “Troll R” among them.
The name has mostly faded from memory next to later, more widely documented Hirsch builds, but the engineering behind it was substantial. On this particular 9-5, Hirsch’s work went well past a software flash.
The Build: From 220 HP Vector to 280 HP Troll
Starting from the factory 220 hp B235R Aero engine, Hirsch’s changes to this car included:
- Engine tuning raised to 280 horsepower
- Hirsch Performance springs and dampers
- 18-inch six-spoke Hirsch alloy wheels
- A distinctive dual exhaust with one large and one small outlet
- A Hirsch rear spoiler, visually different from Saab’s own factory piece
- Upgraded sport seats, similar in shape to the Viggen’s but with a longer seat base
The interior received its own treatment, front and rear:
- Black leather upholstery with white stitching
- Contrasting light-colored seat and backrest inserts, perforated for seat ventilation
- Re-trimmed door panels with matching leather inserts
Beyond the Hirsch-specific changes, the car carries a long list of factory and period-correct options:
- Carbon-finish dashboard trim, without the cracking or discoloration often seen on these panels
- Heated seats front and rear
- Xenon headlights
- The “shark mouth” front bumper – widely regarded as the strongest-looking 9-5 Aero front end of the MY03–05 run
- Five-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel paddle shifters
- Double-DIN Bluetooth head unit
- Michelin all-season tires in like-new condition
From a Swiss Service Book to a Dutch Workshop
The car was originally sold and registered in Switzerland, and its full service history is documented in the original booklet from new. It currently shows 233,000 km on the odometer. After Kamermans brought it to the Netherlands, the car went through a cosmetic refresh and a full mechanical inspection at Saab Apeldoorn, a name regular readers will recognize from other Dutch Saab coverage. From there, the engine software was further updated and refined by DionHPT, the Saab tuning specialist Kamermans has worked with on previous projects, including his 9-5 NG Aero XWD.
The result, according to Kamermans, is a 9-5 Estate that drives with noticeably more comfort and performance than a stock car while staying true to the original Hirsch-era intent – a refined, factory-adjacent upgrade rather than a hot-rodded reinterpretation.
Kamermans has described his broader approach as seeking out well-preserved, noteworthy Saabs and improving them where it makes sense, before passing them on to the next owner. This Troll is presented as one example of that process reaching its end point – ready, in his words, for the next enthusiast.
Why This One Stands Out
Hirsch-tuned 9-5s from the early-to-mid 2000s are not common on the used market, and surviving examples with full Swiss service documentation are rarer still. The combination here – the dual-outlet exhaust, the six-spoke Hirsch wheels, the Viggen-style ventilated seats, and the shark-mouth Aero front end – places this car at the more developed end of what Hirsch offered during its early years as Saab’s factory tuning partner. For 9-5 SportCombi collectors specifically tracking Hirsch-era cars, it’s a configuration worth knowing about.
Listing Details
- Model year: 2005
- Odometer: 233,000 km
- Country of origin: Switzerland
- Location: Bilthoven
- Asking price: €16,950
Interested readers can reach out to David Joost Kamermans through Facebook for further details or to arrange a viewing.
