RE: SOTW: Saab 9000 Carlsson

[markreilly]

nicked this pic from the classifieds,seriously sexy car with the lowered suspension mods from Abbott

[pSyCoSiS]

I've always had a soft spot for these Carlsson saloons - I think they look so cool, in a retro way.

Those 3-spoke alloys really suit the car.

They are very well-built (similar to Volvo I suppose, but a bit more quirky).

They are quick and reliable (from what I have heard on here, and from people who have had them).

If that red one doesn't need much, I reckon it would be a good car for under a grand. Very different, and I'm sure it could put a lot of modern cars to shame.

Well done SOTW - an interesting one!

[Sivraj]

My only dealing with the 9000 was driving a normal turbo a short distance,
It looked bland with its metallic gold paint and cloth trim but when I opened it up I just remember thinking that something this big really should not go that fast.
A real sleeper !!
The body kits look terrible even on the 900!!

[jamespink]

These Saabs are stonking motors, I have had leggy 2 litre and a 2.3 litre turbos, faster than they look, incredibly solid and unbreakable...

[MrLou]

cbcbcb said:

I didn't expect to see my own car on SOTW! I bought the black one last week. It's having some work done at the moment, hopefully MOT'd next week...

So, do you think it will go up in value?

[aeropilot]

pSyCoSiS said:

They are very well-built (similar to Volvo I suppose, but a bit more quirky).

Actually there's nothing remotely 'quirky' about the 9000..... as it was a joint Saab-Fiat(Lancia-Alfa) project and as such has none of the so-called quirky features oft mentioned in respect of Saab's.

They were indeed well screwed together though.

[900T-R]

MrLou said:

cbcbcb said:

I didn't expect to see my own car on SOTW! I bought the black one last week. It's having some work done at the moment, hopefully MOT'd next week...

So, do you think it will go up in value?

Well, at £595 it surely can't go down much...

[MrLou]

900T-R said:

MrLou said:

cbcbcb said:

I didn't expect to see my own car on SOTW! I bought the black one last week. It's having some work done at the moment, hopefully MOT'd next week...

So, do you think it will go up in value?

Well, at £595 it surely can't go down much...

I should explain my post; in the ad, the seller said 'It can only go up' I thought this was a bit optimistic.

[joz8968]

Rockatansky said:

This is the only example of 3 spoked wheels being acceptable on a car.

+ an unmolested XR2i Turbo lol

Edited by joz8968 on Friday 13th August 13:30

[900T-R]

MrLou said:

900T-R said:

MrLou said:

cbcbcb said:

I didn't expect to see my own car on SOTW! I bought the black one last week. It's having some work done at the moment, hopefully MOT'd next week...

So, do you think it will go up in value?

Well, at £595 it surely can't go down much...

I should explain my post; in the ad, the seller said 'It can only go up' I thought this was a bit optimistic.

I know, just stating the bleedingly obvious.

[DR10]

joz8968 said:

Rockatansky said:

This is the only example of 3 spoked wheels being acceptable on a car.

+ an unmolested XR2i Turbo lol

Edited by joz8968 on Friday 13th August 13:30

RS Turbo

[markreilly]

Actually there's nothing remotely 'quirky' about the 9000..... as it was a joint Saab-Fiat(Lancia-Alfa) project and as such has none of the so-called quirky features oft mentioned in respect of Saab's.

If memory serves me correct it was called the Euro chassis.there was the Saab 9000,Lancia Thema and Fiat Croma all built on the same chassis,very similiar cars to look at yet so different

[JaseB]

Used one of these on a 500 quid charity JoGLE run, cost a whole 350 quid, very fast and baggy if I remember correctly, enormous fun, known as the pink baboon as Carlsson got misread once or twice...

Sadly now gone to meet it's maker!

[joz8968]

DR10 said:

joz8968 said:

Rockatansky said:

This is the only example of 3 spoked wheels being acceptable on a car.

+ an unmolested XR2i Turbo lol

Edited by joz8968 on Friday 13th August 13:30

RS Turbo

That's it! I KNEW it wasn't "..i" but had a complete brain block lol.

[900T-R]

markreilly said:

If memory serves me correct it was called the Euro chassis.there was the Saab 9000,Lancia Thema and Fiat Croma all built on the same chassis,very similiar cars to look at yet so different

Tipo 4 indeed... only thing is Saab and the Italians went their separate ways quite early in the development cycle to the point that the count of interchangeable parts is zero... Saab needed to account for future US safety regulations, and had their own philosophy on suspension development (especially regarding consistent grip levels and on-limit behaviour on low-friction surfaces; Saab always sets their chassis up driving on ice initially, gradually working towards dry tarmac) which saw the 9000 employ a dead-beam rear axle with Watts linkage and Panhard rod as per previous models where Alfa/Lancia/Fiat went for semi-trailing arms IIRC.

Edited by 900T-R on Friday 13th August 14:04

[Big Lebowski]

J4CKO said:

Prefer the later version with the different front end.

My only dealings with these was one afternoon in the early nineties, went round to the in laws and a white one was parked there, went in and it belonged to a visitor who I recognised, it was Geoffrey Hughes the actor, aka Eddie Yates of Coronation Street back in the day and latterly Onslow off keeping up appearances, very nice chap, very intelligent and good taste in cars, quite bizarre discussing motors with Onslow as in my head he drove a Cortina, not a posh (then) Saab

Does he wear a cravat with his vest in real life?

[Furyblade_Lee]

My wife once had use of a 2.3 Turbo 9000 from work, genuinly a fast car in the mid range one you got it moving. Currently a mate is also putting the same 2.3 turbo in a Caterham-7-a-like, will probobly have the power to weight of a Veyron once mildly tuned!!!

[markreilly]

Comfort doesn't come much better than these electric bucket armchairs !

[infradig]

aeropilot said:

pSyCoSiS said:

They are very well-built (similar to Volvo I suppose, but a bit more quirky).

Actually there's nothing remotely 'quirky' about the 9000..... as it was a joint Saab-Fiat(Lancia-Alfa) project and as such has none of the so-called quirky features oft mentioned in respect of Saab's.

They were indeed well screwed together though.

Don't know whether it was a quirk or fault,but a C reg 9000 Turbo I used to drive quite regularly in 1986 had a passenger brake pedal! If you pushed hard with your foot almost up behind the dash it fully applied the brakes,great fun when a passenger did it as you were trying to pull away at the lights but potentially scary if inadvertantly done ! The car belonged to one of my bosses and it was soundly thrashed by everyone in the company as it was comically fast mid-range,it seemed quicker than the MD's 911.

[E39Ed]

Had one about 10 years ago, abbott tuned, awesome acceleration, nearly threw me into the right hand hedge first time i opened her up getting past an artic on a country A-road, but once you got used to it and braced yourself I dont think anything short of Skyline would better it in the overtake. 0-60 was pretty average due to lack of front end grip. Very high maintenance though, head gasket, clutch cylinders, ignition packs etc all a bit shonky... Still, plenty of bang for the bucks.. and very tunable, if you dont believe me just head for Maningtree!