Saab 9-3 Carlsson | Spotted
A rally homage in name more than anything else, but a rare classic Saab nonetheless
There’s a long-standing tradition for special edition road cars to wear the names of famous rally drivers. It continues to this day with the GR Yaris Rovanpera and Ogier, while it’s impossible to mention a Lancer Evo without Tommi Makinen - or a Subaru Impreza without Colin. His car was the Series McRae, with Richard Burns’ initials, of course, found on the RB5 and RB320.
Those are the best known, but don’t forget there were the Citroën Loeb Editions (actually, maybe do forget those), the Carlos Sainz Celicas, and the Paddy Hopkirk Mini. Though it tends to be track drivers that lend their name to special editions, the rally icons do get their 15 minutes of fame as well. This Saab is another one.
No, really. The 9-3 Aero Carlsson was launched in 2010, marking 50 years since Saab’s first rally win. Appropriately enough, it was on the RAC, with Erik Carlsson driving a Saab 96. Therefore, 96 9-3s were given a little spruce-up to mark the occasion. Given the predicament Saab found themselves in by 2010, it was hardly an extensive overhaul by the standards of the motorsport special genre, but it makes for a nice little collectors’ piece 15 years on.
They were V6 Aeros, basically, with 280hp from the 2.8 turbo V6 and all-wheel drive. Marking a Carlsson out from standard were the rear spoiler and badge, plus 19-inch wheels and some titanium exhausts. Only the very dedicated would know it was any different, in keeping with Swedish tradition for subtlety. By all accounts, the drive was very familiar from the earlier Turbo X, which is to say a bit outclassed by the standard of the day because the 9-3 was pretty old by then, but rapid and assured enough.
This one’s an auto - a manual is a real find - with just under 100,000 miles. There’s not a wealth of info in the ad, which is a shame, though it’s hardly like the classifieds are littered with rare Saabs from the end of the company’s life. Celebrate the fact! The interior in particular looks really good, and all the Carlsson exterior bits are present and correct. The 9-3 always seemed to suit this facelift better than similar treatment on the 9-5 did.
Having notched up 88,000 miles by the time of an MOT in October 2020, the Carlsson has lived a quieter life since; by last year’s MOT it was sat at 93k, and now the tally is 96,000 with a fresh ticket required. So there’s your first negotiating point. The price itself is £11,990, probably since this is a rare version of what’s becoming a very rare Saab. Most 9-3s left now are diesels, most of the petrol ones are convertibles, and the V6 is very seldom seen indeed. This might not be a pre-GM classic, but there are still a good few quirks of the Saab brand in the 9-3 Carlsson - see the Night Panel switch and the ignition barrel by the gear lever, for example. Never mind that there are Audi S4s and BMW 335is with more power for similar money - imagine how good it might look in a Saab Carlsson collection alongside a 900.
SPECIFICATION | SAAB 9-3 CARLSSON
Engine: 2,792cc V6, turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 280@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 295
MPG: 25
CO2: 269g/km
Recorded mileage: 96,000
First registered: 2010
Price new: £26,495
Yours for: £11,990
Absolute turd, do these late really rubbish GM Saabs have any following outside of the "I buy all my cars for £1k" sheddists and skint panic buyers?
Absolute turd, do these late really rubbish GM Saabs have any following outside of the "I buy all my cars for £1k" sheddists and skint panic buyers?
Met Eric as a kid as dad was good friends with him and his wife Pat Moss for many years through work. A very self deprecating man I remember.
As for this car, far too pricey of course and these don't have the same torque shuffling rear diff as the Turbo X. Add to that the already mentioned dreadful auto and it's a hard no.
Still look pretty good though imho.
You can get a Turbo X cheaper, and due to the option of a manual, the TX is the better car IMO (I've had manual and auto Turbo Xs in the past, I'd never get an auto again).
I believe that the Carlssons were noticeably cheaper than the TX when new, which was surprising considering the similar spec. Maybe they realised that they simply wouldn't sell.
Absolute turd, do these late really rubbish GM Saabs have any following outside of the "I buy all my cars for £1k" sheddists and skint panic buyers?
Had both, well an Aero 2.0, I know its rare but they werent really much cop.
Absolute turd, do these late really rubbish GM Saabs have any following outside of the "I buy all my cars for £1k" sheddists and skint panic buyers?
Had both, well an Aero 2.0, I know its rare but they werent really much cop.
I love proper SAABs, my brother has a 1972 96 that I enjoy using and the 99 and 900 were among the best cars of their era. The 9000 was a really decent exec too. One of my favourite car companies and I am really sad they died, but I also believe they died in 1994 when the 900 NG made it crystal clear what the future of the company looked like.
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