SAAB 99 TURBO, 1979

On 13th October 1979, three days before this SAAB Turbo was first registered, Blondie released their ‘Eat To The Beat’ album, and it seemed every radio station was playing ‘Atomic’. If this was the mood music in Europe, in Scandinavia the Swedes must have been on top of the world - Bjorn Borg had won the Wimbledon and French tennis titles, ending the year as the world’s Number 1, ABBA had released their ‘Voulez-Vous’ album, famously outstripping even Volvo in sales figures, and SAAB (the Svenska Aeroplan AB) was building its astonishing Viggen fighter. Even today, Youtube film demonstrating this remarkable aeroplane’s ability to land on a Swedish A-road, turn around and take off, all within a couple of minutes, still impresses, even in our cynical age. But SAAB had also not long since introduced one of the motoring world’s hottest properties, its Turbo. Not ‘99 Turbo’ at this stage, of course, just ‘SAAB Turbo’ and it seemed every motoring magazine was extolling the virtues of this revolutionary motor car. The proving evidence had come in the February of that year, when Stig Blomqvist had taken the SAAB Turbo to victory in, appropriately, the Swedish Rally; but what it really emphasised was how the practicality of turbocharging in road cars had hitherto been lacking. The Porsche Turbo was considered exotica at the time and BMW’s brave but flawed 2002 Turbo was many things, practical not being one of them.

Just 750 of SAAB’s seminal 3-door Turbo (no other versions were available) reached the UK’s right hand drive shores, with the cars beginning to arrive early in 1978. Just 18 months later, in late 1979, a final batch of five were imported by SAAB UK. DWB 710V was one of those five and was bought new by my father, in whose name and ownership the car remains to this day. One little known fact surrounding these 750 cars is that the last few enjoyed a marginally wider rear track, to accommodate Pirelli’s recently introduced low profile P6, in 195/60 form, which had become standard wear for the SAAB Turbo, replacing the previously specified Pirelli CN36 (these late cars can also be identified by slightly flatter and broader door glass brightwork, detail differences to the rear fog lamps and one or two other details (door trim panels differing in detail etc - but I digress!))

First registered on 16 October 1979, DWB 710V was supplied via SAAB main dealer SV Oakey in Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire and their dealership sticker remains in the rear window. Whilst I have just inferred that the SAAB Turbo was the first practical application of turbocharging in ‘everyday motoring’, at the time it was nevertheless something of a specialist motor car and required careful and specialised maintenance. Thus, not every SAAB dealer was authorised to supply and service the Turbo and those dealers which were, underwent rigorous training. To say that this example enjoyed detailed and regular maintenance would be something of an understatement, as the accompanying history file, complete in all respects back to Day 1, testifies. For the most part, servicing was carried out by the supplying dealer, SV Oakey, but there were one or two interim services - who can forget the SAAB dealer in Geneva carrying out a service mid-way through a family holiday because that was what the mileage dictated?

DWB 710V is finished in the only colour available in the UK - Black BK01 (aka Jet Black) - with trim in the only available colour - red/burgundy. Going someway towards justifying the higher price bracket which the car occupied was a fairly hefty clutch of equipment included as standard; front and rear headrests, front Bosch driving lights and rear fog lamps, steel sliding sunroof, headlamp wipers and washers, heated seats, front air dam, rear boot spoiler, tinted glass, Blaupunkt stereo system, and a set of the most extraordinary alloy wheels ever created, before or since, designed to symbolise the rotors of a turbocharger, something also reflected in the model’s unique badging. But it was the technology involved which really drove the retail price; and for that price, one had bought not just one of the most striking cars on the planet, but one that comfortably out-accelerated the Ferrari 308 in the important mid-range, as advertising at the time was quick to point out. Not that SAAB needed to advertise this particular ware - I believe I am correct in saying that only one advert ever appeared for the car in the UK, with two simple words - “Jet Black”. Further elaboration was superfluous and all 750 cars found immediate buyers, one being Philip Oakey of The Human League, his own car featuring in the video for their single “Don’t You Want Me” as late as November 1981, complete with gun in the glove pocket.

In addition to the generous standard specification, this car was fitted with the following options: SAAB headlamp grilles to protect the glass lenses, additional VDO gauges for oil pressure and oil temperature in a binnacle in the centre console and the SAAB floor mats. All remain with the car today.

DWB 710V was retired in the early 1990s and that is when it was last on the road. It was carefully stored in an aeroplane hangar whilst being regularly maintained and kept mobile. During 2015, the decision was taken to treat the SAAB to a fresh coat of paint, the original just starting to show its age. As a teenager when the car was new, I was regularly struck by the number of people who would stop and comment on the superb quality of the original paintwork and with this in mind, the repaint could be no quick cosmetic blow over. The car was therefore entrusted to what is perhaps this country’s foremost Ferrari refinishing specialist.

Whilst this particular car had never shown any signs of corrosion (always being garaged and additional Ziebart from new no doubt helping in this regard), this model’s reputation for corrosion prompted a strip of the exterior panels to bare metal, just to be sure. As expected, this happily revealed no corrosion and I am obviously able to tell you that it has never suffered the ravages of any welder’s blow torch - surely all but unique in the 99 Turbo world? The decision was also taken not to touch every other area of the bodywork, so, as an example, the engine bay paintwork remains completely original to this day, untouched and hardly any different from the day it left the Factory.

At the same time, the ‘chrome’ trim around the front and rear screens was replaced, the originals having gone cloudy, likewise the front and rear bumper ‘chromes’. The alloy wheels were refinished and fitted with new Continental tyres of the correct size, original P6s being unobtainable. And for the exterior, that’s about it.

Inside, the original headlining was dropping and so this was replaced with some of the extremely rare original SAAB material. Otherwise, the interior is wholly original.

As part of this refresh, every element of the mechanics was checked and recommissioned and all of the work carried out has been carefully documented. Whilst it is not practicable to go into this in depth here, by way of demonstration of the detailed nature of this work, the fuel system alone had the following carried out: fuel tank removed and ultrasonically cleaned, all fuel lines cleaned, new Bosch fuel pump, new Bosch fuel accumulator, new Bosch fuel filter, rebuilt Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection distributor/metering unit, new Bosch fuel injectors and seals, new Bosch warm-up regulator, checked and tested auxiliary air valve, thermo time switch and cold start injector.

The clutch was replaced with a correct Sachs unit and all hydraulics renewed (slave cylinder, pipes, master cylinder).

The cylinder head gasket was replaced as a precaution and the head itself was given a precautionary overhaul at the same time.

But the list of works goes on and is comprehensive, to say the least.

Notwithstanding the fresh coat of paint, this remains a highly original yet immaculate example, even down to its original SAAB logo’d number plates. With a relatively low mileage of just 69,500 miles, with all original books, tools, spare wheel with its original Pirelli tyre and specific wheel nuts, and complete history file, and with one owner from new provenance, this is surely one of what can at the most be a handful of what might be considered ‘reference’ examples remaining worldwide of this landmark car. Does it get any better?

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PRICE: £ SOLD

enquiries@grahamturner.org

07968 094741

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The car is presently UK registered. It is supplied with a UK registration document and will be sold with 12 months MoT.