For collectors with a penchant for the unusual but usable, here’s a wonderful candidate on eBay – a 1990 Saab 900 SPG hatchback, bid to $19,400, reserve not met. The car is located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and bears an uncanny resemblance to a car Mike Stephens covered for Barn Finds in June. Listed then with a buy-it-now of $30k, we can hope the seller is more reasonable so this car can find a new garage. Saab’s story was always one of iconoclastic cars that represented a checkerboard of hits and misses: the Super Sport never raced; the Sonett was only modestly successful as a sports car; the 96 was a bona fide winner on rally courses the world over; the 900 was a worthy family car. The 900 SPG – Special Performance Group – is an under-the-radar collectible still at an earthly price. Over the course of production from 1985 to 1991, only about 7600 SPGs were made; 1990 accounted for 771 of those.
Bearing no special badges, and suffering the equivalent of abandonment by Saab itself who never touted the car, the turbocharged SPG shamed its ordinary brethren with a zero to sixty time of 8.4 seconds thanks to its two-liter, DOHC, sixteen-valve slant four. Despite equipping cars with turbos starting in the late 1970s, Saab’s SPG still required concentrated effort applied to its five-speed gearbox to maintain the revs so the turbo would work properly. The odometer reads just over 73,000 miles, and the car’s AutoCheck report supports that as original mileage – though we all know AutoCheck is not perfect. The seller has replaced the water pump, clutch line, battery, release bearings and starter. The steering rack and clutch slave cylinder were rebuilt. The valve cover is new, and it rides on new tires.
The interior shows modest damage to one door panel and the driver’s seat, and the dash is probably cracked under that cover. The ignition switch is located on the console between the seats and can be problematic. The cargo area is in fair condition with minor discoloration.
SPGs were originally offered only in black with a grey leather interior; other features included special three spoke wheels, stiffer suspension, and “ground effects” lower body panels. In 1990 the color palette broadened to include Talladega Red, among other colors. This car has new paint and fresh badges, and – we are assured – no rust. The seller installed those louvers on the hatchback – they are not cheap, if you can find a set at all. A wind deflector for the sunroof is included in the sale. This example is not comparable to the SPG that hit a high water mark at $57k, but if the mileage can be documented, the paintwork is decent quality, the dash isn’t horrible, and the underside is clean, it could reach a price in the low $20k region.
I’m just absolutely stunned at the change in the market of Saabs and Volvos. 10 years ago, someone would have offered you a plate of pot brownies and some used parts for this. Now it’s at 20k. Amazing. I should have held onto my 1996 Volvo 850R wagon!
Is this the star of “Drive My Car” by Haruki Murakami?
Here’s a distinctive car that you can afford, drive to work, and show. It stands out from the Japanese blob cars. Despite the factory shutdown, parts and support are available in the U.S. through the strong owners’ club.
SPGs have been appreciating in price for years. They are the uber Saab for the folks that don’t want to take on a two stroke Saab. After the SPG, the Classic 900 convertibles and C900 three door Turbos are the cars that everyone wants.
I have 11 Saabs ranging from a 1977 99GL to a 2002 9.3 (including an ’88 SPG, a ’90 Turbo ‘vert and 2 Turbo coupes) and I’ve never had any issues with the ignition switch between the seats. As long as you don’t dump a cup of coffee, a full bottle of Dr. Pepper or crumble a brownie down there between the seats (and there are no cup holders in a C900) you should have no issues. You should vacuum the area when you vacuum the rest of the car to keep the dust out of the switch.
These cars are tough, well built and a ton of fun to drive, whether it be a back road or a highway…….
Do you have pics of your 11 Saabs for I too am a Saab collector and it all started in 1980 when my father drove in with a new 1980 900T 3-door in a unique green exterior and interior. By the late ’80s to early 90s we had 7 C900s in our family, 1 each.
I commented about this SPG when it was first seen a while back. If this car was taken to the Lancaster dealer for service there is a good possibility I worked on this car. Small world!
I also have a red ’90 SPG that used to live in Lancaster, seems like it was a hotbed for hot Saabs!
Yea, Henry Mearig Saab was a strong dealer. What gave us a leg up was we offered service loaners and pick up and delivery for service work before Lexus offered that kind of service. They kept me busy as a tech and later I would become the Service Manager.
Mark–
I’m not a member, so I can’t post photos, but yes, I have photos of all 11 in the fleet.
Funny, my brother’s best friend’s father had a ’79 900 GLi in Spring Green, which was actually chartreuse…….you could see the car coming in the dark with no lights on…it practically glowed. The car saved Dave’s sister’s life when she was broadsided by a drunk in a pickup truck.
Amazing cars. It sucks that GM mismangagement and the Swedes disinterest killed the marque.