When we think of the term “hot hatch” and from sometime in the 1980s, it’s inevitable we automatically assume it’s a Volkswagen GTI or a Dodge Omni GLH. But, truth be told, Saab got the party started many years earlier with its initial run of turbocharged hatchbacks and sedans which were quintessentially Swedish in design and execution and came with an extra dash of speed. If you wanted the hottest of the hot, you’d find a car like this one – a 1990 Saab 900 Turbo SPG, listed here on eBay with bids to $2,550 and the reserve unmet.
The Saab 900 is one of the cooler 80s/90s rides you can still buy for reasonable money. With the Aero-style wheels, front and rear spoilers, side skirts and wheel arch extensions, the SPG kit gave the 900 a serious shot in the arm styling-wise. But unlike a GM special edition with its fancy stickers and dash plaque, the rest of the chassis also got upgrades, including stiffer springs, shorter shocks, and beefy sway bars. Finally, performance got a bump as well, up to 175 horsepower in a 1990 SPG like this one.
Among the Saab faithful, an SPG is a valuable car in both parts form and as a mint-condition runner. This one falls somewhere in between: it’s not rusty, so it doesn’t make sense to part it out, but it’s also not exactly in pristine condition. The interior has the typical Saab faults, including a cracked dash and splits in the seats. The seller notes the gearbox also has the infamous second gear grind, and usually it’s just easier to find a good replacement transmission to swap in. There’s also a small oil leak from the distributor seal, and finding a Turbo-specific distributor in good condition is getting increasingly hard to track down.
The paint, which is referred to as Talladega Red, should come back with a proper buffing (I’m honestly a little curious why the seller hasn’t already attempted this.) It’s hard to assess these days where Saab 900 values are at: I sold a fairly decent 900 Turbo SE convertible in desirable Monte Carlo Yellow a few years back for a fair price, but it seems like that was a pandemic-era bump. These days, driver examples like this seem to rarely eclipse $10,000, and you can buy a more road-ready car for $15,000 or so. Still, if you have access to a good spare parts supply, this is an SPG worth saving.
Leave A Comment