Posts Tagged ‘swedish’

Made by Trolls – 1970 Saab 95

February 11, 2010

So at this point, you might think I’m quite the Saab nut, having featured a 95, a couple of pre-GM 900s, and a 99 turbo. However, I’ve never owned one, so much as had friends and family who did; so maybe I’m a Saab nut by proxy. As someone who appreciates creative engineering solutions, sometimes to questions nobody asked (Question: How few cylinders *can* you use to power a 7-seat station wagon? Answer: 3.), you can’t help but admire these cars. If you aren’t convinced, here’s a video extolling the wonders of the 1961 Saab 95, complete with pre-ironic music and a family purchased in flat packs at IKEA:

Today’s feature car is a slightly later model, built in 1970. It benefits from the larger Ford Taunus-sourced V4, although the later interior has less of that mid-century modern cool to it. It also still has the 3rd row seat , something that was dropped in 1976 (not relevant to the US market, as it was no longer for sale here). It’s listed in Gig Harbor, WA for the reasonable price of $2500.

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Geely-licious! 1972 Volvo 145E

February 5, 2010

There’s been quite a bit of talk about Volvo lately, what with the sale of the company to Geely wrapping up, and in my little world, a recent feature of a 142S on BringATrailer.com. So I thought I’d try to find an interesting Volvo built in the times when things were simple. When Geely was just a glint in Li Shufu’s eye, and when Volvo was a purely Swedish company. When selling 3 versions of the same brick-shaped car (and a mildly sporting coupe/shooting brake) was considered sufficient to run a business.

So here it is, the 1966 Teknikens Värld car of the year, the fuel injected Volvo 140-series wagon, or 145E. My fantasy has always been that one of these might be fun to drive, or maybe to flog on a dirt road in the mountains. Like many older Volvos, it’s well-used, but underneath it appears to be a well-loved car that’s had some cleaning up already done to it. You can find this Volvo in North Portland, OR for $1500.

1972 Volvo 145 front

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Bargain Buy – 1978 Saab 99 Turbo

January 8, 2010

See below the link for an update to this post.

So while I normally totally disregard investment value of a car (obviously!), I do sometimes wish I could get something back out of the cars that are harder to work on. Apparently, some things are harder to do on a 99, although a clutch job is one of the easiest automotive repairs ever. As an early example of a turbocharged production car, you get some level of exclusivity, collectibility, and miserable turbo lag until BANG you’re off. Just hope the roads aren’t wet or you’ll be off into a bush if you don’t have a firm grip on the wheel. That said, I remember having a lot of fun in my parents’ ’86 9000 turbo, which had lag up until about 3000rpm.

Anyway, on to the subject of this post. It’s a well-used looking car on which the 6th digit has rolled over on its odometer twice. However, Saabs can usually handle it, and it appears to be a fairly complete car with TURBO badges, original trim, Inca wheels, and 6 mudflaps. It’s missing the cool turbo graphics, but with silk-screening technology (I think that’s what you use to repro stickers) what it is today, these can probably be remade, if someone hasn’t already done it. Find it at the Swedish Auto Factory under Cars for Sale for $2000 in Santa Clara, CA.

1978 Saab 99 turbo

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