Barn Finds reader Ian C. spotted this huge stash of vintage Saab cars on craigslist, consisting largely of Saab 96 cars (or 95s and 94s, depending on the year) and a Sonnet coupe. There also looks to be an early 92 in this group shot with the smaller rear glass, giving a potential Saab fanatic a treasure trove of spare parts and project cars to choose from. Find the collection of 10 cars here on craigslist with the seller asking $9,500 for everything. Thanks go to Ian C for the tip!
I’ve never quite understood listing a collection like this with one price – how many times does someone show up to buy the entire thing? Just the logistics alone would scare most buyers away. I’m willing to bet most sellers like this wouldn’t turn down a serious offer for one or two vehicles, particularly those that have a following. Although the Sonnet isn’t on every collector’s radar, those quirky looks are hard to resist.
Among the legions of 95s and 96s, the seller includes a photo of a rare model known as a Monte Carlo 850. This was essentially a sport package model, equipped with a four-speed manual, front disc brakes, and a two-stroke giving off 52 b.h.p. I’m sure more than one Saab enthusiast would like some of the unique trim and mechanical bits off this “Saab Sport” model.
The seller says all told, he has 10 vintage Saabs vehicles for sale. With a $9,500 ask, that’s less than $1K per car and I have to imagine there’s that much here in parts value alone. However, these cars are for a niche market – a very small niche market, that likely isn’t inclined to plop down $10K for the hassle of running your own parts business. Hopefully, enough interest emerges in individual vehicles so the seller can sell off the collection and not let it rot any further.
“Everyone needs a hobby”.
A guy living in a little northwestern Nevada town had a full 3/4 acre of Corvairs, a minimum of 2 of every model made-Greenbrier vans & pickups, Spyder turbos, sequential years. When he died the back gate was opened and the car haulers came for months taking his fairly well preserved treasures away.
A similar hoard, but in Lebanon Tennessee, was liquidated in the same fashion back in 2015-16. Corvairs of every shape and size covering around 15 acres. Lots of diamonds in the rough, and just plain rough parts cars. I’ve also attended an auction in KY that included 50+ ‘Vairs sold to one bidder @ $5 apiece in 1996. The logistics are staggering but no more work than a standard week for a towing and recovery vehicle during snow season.
When I was in high school, these were the cars that the cool kids drove.
In Sweden, in the 80’s, these where stacked 5 high on just about all wrecker yards in the country. Sweden is cleaned out for good old cars, only new junk on finance. On one owns anything anyone, thanks to fractional banking.
Don’t kid yourself. There are still a lot of these as they were made through 1980 all over Sweden parked in barns. If you don’t believe me, just go on FB and join the Saab Groups.
I am not really a Saab person, but the model 92 sure did catch my eye. I would consider buying it to put on a VW chassis with a nicely built drivetrain. (that ought to get me shot! HAHA)
That would be a 93 you see in the pics. 92’s were not imported to the US. Unit body design would prove difficult to put on a VW pan.
I agree with you that it is a 93. I am not familiar with these and admit I am out of my area of expertise.
As far as the difficulty of the body swap, I have built tube chassis cars before so I see no problem with the swap for me personally. Changing the wheelbase of a Type1 chassis is quite easy as well.
Ooo, strokers!
That’s good value if you’ve the space.
It is not a Saab 92, it is a Saab 93F. The first Saab with front-hinged doors, debut in October 1959. It was only produced until mid-1960, so it’s unusual as well.
This is because the 93-F was replaced with the 96 also with the bull nose until 65 when they went to the final design with the longer nose to get the radiator in the front of the engine and in anticipation they would be moving to a four cycle engine.
The Monte Carlo alone is worth a substantial percentage of the tab. The Sonett as well. Saad to see these left to deteriorate. If only I had the space! GLWTA!
I remember years ago our local paper had an article about a man that joined the front half of Saab to the back half of a VW. He then had 4wd? It was a quirky thing that he used to drive in parades and such. I know that it both engines but I think he only used one at time.
Kurt Vonnegut was a Saab salesman before he was a writer. Sorta fits, given his way of thinking.
LMAO!!! Didn’t know that Kurt but yes it REALLY fits.
Wonder what kind of car sales would’ve best suited Hunter S Thompson?
Halftrack,
How about as a Muntz Jet or Tatra salesman?
It fits!
The Muntz Jet was ahead of its time to many respects, bucked the established existing automotive system and was marketed by none other than “Madman” Earl Muntz!
A clever analogy, Bill. Hats off to you!
If you have read HST, you know that he always placed himself in some sort of red full-size convertible, American made. Remember Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Just for giggles, lets just say for arguments sake, a 66-69 Rambler Ambassador convertible in red. The Car Talk guys liked these as well.
A lot fo these are mainly going to useful for parts. Would be nice if an industrialist would buy these and come out with all new steel bodies you could buy and build. Too bad the guy on CL doesn’t put together a better presentation with a detailed list of what he has here because he would possibly get his asking price.
This is something a Saab club (for this model) could purchase collectively. Cheap as chips. And my God, that little black coupe is “to die for”. What I could do with that.
I had a low mileage SAAB 850GT Monte Carlo, the version with the disc brakes, larger engine, and rare oil injection [at the base of the carb] that made it unnecessary to pre-mix oil & gas in the fuel tank.
I enjoyed challenging young guys with their “go fast” Chevys, Fords, & Mopars to a race up a local rural 2-lane VERY CURVY road for over 5 miles. After 2 to 3 miles the other drivers could not even see the SAAB, much less catch up to it.
Sadly, that car burned in a huge fire in 1996, along with many other vintage vehicles. It was always a blast to drive on winding and curving roads.
Wow. Great deal
I am not a Saab fan and it would take two car haulers but this seems like an exceptional offer.
Jerry Seinfeld had a great episode of Comedians in Cars Drinking Coffee where he tooled around Portland in a two cycle Saab. They really do sound like a corn popper! Made me want one!
Wow, you propably couldn´t find a stash of Saabs like that here in Sweden anymore but as said, there are still enough well kept ones and junkyard cars too to fill the demand among fans – not as many as before due to demographics – after all, these were cars built for a time and market where durability and economy were major selling points and making do and improving on with what you could afford was made part of the charm. Also, front wheel drive was not common even on european cars back then so they were a bit special in that way too, but nowadays, well… no.
Still, now and then i stumble upon heavily reworked little Saabs like these on car shows, usually built with serious ingenuity and extreme workmanship to high standards. For example one sweet 50´s style top-chopped kustom with stretched rear fenders resembling a three-quarter scale ´49 Mercury based on a 93F like that grey one, and a road racer styled black 96 running an injected and turbocharged Ford Cologne V6 (2.9L i as i remember it, the same engine family as the ´90s 4.0L SOHC found in basic Mustangs, Rangers and Explorers). Another serious conversion seen in the magazines is a 92, which actually where built with transversally mounted engines (2 cylinders) so in a way it was a shoe-in to exchange the machinery for that of a Saab 9000. Hardly easy but doable. All original on the outside, a perfect sleeper.
And then there are the not that uncommon “hillbilly” hot rod conversions with again the venerable Cologne V6:s – practically a total bolt-in if the engine at hand is one of lesser performance as the original transmission is quite sturdy and can easily be upgraded to take some 130 PS (about the same in HP SAE Net) in rallye conditions. That´s about the safe limit for the V4, preferably the 1.7L found in other cars, and where Saab drew the line. Some more to churn out if you´re adventurous with things starting to self-destruct around 155-160 PS – or at least that´s what an old Saab shop owner/competion driver once told me, r.i.p..
I´ve seen a couple of these pocket rockets running the Cologne 2.6L at some 115 PS (think of Mustang II and the original Mercury Capri) and the owners/builders claimed that except for the clutch and radiation not that much had been changed. Then again, those had yet to be taken to inspection, hrrrm… Anyway, i was told they were a hoot to drive on gravel roads and not as hard to steer as excepted with the extra weight gain of the 2 more cylinders. I guess they were lumber jacks.
Fun fact: the Ford Taunus/Cologne engine in its original V4 was heavily reworked by Saab technicians befored adopted, sorting out a lot of overheating problems and such. Changes was carried over to the Cologne V6 which was developed in Germany, hence the name. The 1,5L V4 was kept in production some 6-8 years after Ford of Germany stopped using it just for purveying it to Saabs ageing 96/95 series ending in 1980 (the 1.7L remained for a year or so more as base engine in the german Granada line, possibly kept longer in production for Ford Power Products applications).
Good to know, should you decide to buy a Saab like those, is that some parts are interchangeable between these V4:s and V6:s and the Windsor V8 and the “Pinto” 2.0L straight four. Takes some part number knowledge, though.
…That idea about taking a Saab unibody and fit it on a VW Beetle platform… Not that far fetched after all, even though it would be a ton of work propably to fit it. The thought has crossed my mind as to the likenesses in overall shape between the Saab 92/93 body style and the Porsche 956/1600 coupe. Not that i would cut up one of those, but the common 96 could propably be turned in to a really nice shell for a roadster in the style of those german and austrian VW based jobs of the fifties like the Rometsch Cabriolet (Google it), aimed at the market of people wanting something more up-to-date than the Volkswagen Cabriolet but finding the Porsche too expensive.
Thanks Hasse. A lot of information there!