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Motorweek looks back at 1983 Saab 900S

These days, Saab is a zombie marque. Technically, the brand is still shambling around under the ownership of National Electric Vehicle Sweden, and there are continued promises of an electric version of the 9-3. However, we all suspect that the company is never really coming back, at least not as the quirky Swedish brand of the past. That's what makes watching this latest Retro Review of John Davis and the Motorweek crew driving a non-turbo 1983 Saab 900S so special. This is a great chance to see Saab still alive and kicking. While not one of the more famous turbocharged examples, the naturally aspirated 900S is still a quintessential Saab in every other way. The reviewers definitely aren't sold on the looks though, and there are plenty of jokes at its expense. Although, only paying attention to the polarizing exterior styling makes missing the good handling and immense interior utility easy. Sadly, without the aid of forced induction, the 900 offers very lackadaisical acceleration. According to this clip, the sprint to 60 miles per hour is more of jog in a leisurely 12.2 seconds. At the brand's best, Saab provided the motoring world with an alternative. If you didn't want just another boxy sedan, the brand offered something like nothing else on the road. Plus, drivers found a well-tuned turbocharged engine that provided good performance for the day. It's a company worth remembering, despite the current state of things.

Want one of the last Saab 9-3s ever built? Here's your chance

National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) purchased the assets of bankrupt Swedish automaker Saab in 2012. The next year, NEVS restarted production of the 9-3 sedan that lasted until 2014. In December 2013, the company pulled a silver 9-3 Aero Turbo from its pool of customer cars, intended for crash testing. The crash test never happened, and that silver sedan hung out at the factory for six years. Autocar writes that NEVS wants to find that Saab a good home, and will put it up for auction later this year. The model has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 217 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, shifted through a six-speed manual transmission. Other than the fact it's spent six years holed up in a Swedish factory, the condition is brand new - there are only 3.1 miles on the odometer. It's hard to predict what such a time capsule might go for. NEVS only built 420 units before ceasing production, so the 2013 9-3 Aero Turbo has rarity on its side. This isn't the only such Saab to roll out of the crypt recently, though. In 2017, a 2014 9-3 Aero popped up in the Netherlands with only 211 miles on the odo. In 2018, a 2011 diesel 9-3 SportCombi wagon with 56 miles on the odo broke through the space-time continuum in Italy. NEVS will put its 9-3 on display in Trollhattan this weekend during the annual Saab Car Museum Festival.

Last Saab 9-3 built nets nearly $48,000 at auction

It was among the last Saabs to roll off the production line in Trollhattan, Sweden, is virtually new, and now it has a new owner. The Saab 9-3 Aero Turbo4 we told you about a month ago has sold in an auction for the equivalent of $47,789. As with anything related to the remnants of the legendary Swedish automotive brand, the backstory on this one is a little complicated, starting with the model year. Saab originally ground production to a halt in 2011. This model came about after National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) acquired the brand out of bankruptcy, and was part of a run of 420 models built starting in late 2013 before NEVS lost the rights to use the Saab name and griffin logo. It was originally set aside for crash testing, but never actually used for that purpose, and mostly sat idle inside the plant, in case NEVS restarted production of combustion vehicles. The 41 miles on the odometer came from running the car on a test track near the Trollhattan plant for photography and video purposes. It features a 2.0-liter turbo-four engine that makes 217 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It has a two-tone interior with cream leather seats and a dashboard and center console that looks like what you might expect to result from Saab's parts-sharing arrangement under the ownership of bankruptcy-era General Motors. Nowadays, NEVS has financial backing from Chinese investors and is making electric vehicles based on the 9-3 platform and body, just without any Saab badging. It continues to operate the Trollhattan plant and another in Tianjin, China, and it reportedly plans a new plant in Shanghai. NEVS also has partnered with Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg in a venture to develop new EVs. The 9-3 buyer’s name is Claus Spaangaard. HeÂ’s a Danish car collector and car-repair shop owner who says he already owns two Saab cars. Proceeds from the auction will fund research into sustainable mobility in Sweden, NEVS says.