Our Saab mechanics love some good old fashioned DIY.
Though the Saab 900 had a very successful convertible option with nearly 50,000 sold over the course of its run—the Saab 900 sold just over 900,000 total units—the bigger executive Saab 9000 convertible never actually materialized. They made just one prototype of the fabled convertible 9000 which is now on display at the Uusikaupunki Car Museum in Finland.
But to some skilled Saab lovers, that kind of tantalizing prototype is taken as a challenge. That’s how Swedish car enthusiast Björn Frykholm custom built his own convertible Saab 9000, after deciding that building his own Saab 900 Turbo convertible just wasn’t enough.
A Retrofitted Saab 900 Convertible With a Golden Throne
In the 1980’s Frykholm started his Saab convertible journey with a Saab 900 Turbo. This “award winning” retrofit of a car was a candy apple red and included some truly ostentatious custom gold suede seats. Since he knew what went into safely taking the roof off of a Saab, he decided he would do it to more of them, ultimately finishing his project with his convertible Saab 9000 as a 50th birthday present to himself.
What Makes a Custom Saab 9000 Convertible So Special?
Turning a Saab with a roof into one with a convertible top takes a lot more effort than just a buzzsaw and some elbow grease. Frykholm make some pretty important modifications, influding extra reinforcement, welding the back doors shut and extending the front doors, and a custom interior. The convertible top was modified from one that was on a Ford Escort. This Saab 9000 is as patched together as Frankenstein’s monster, but you would never guess. The car looks beautiful, with every aspect of it still matching the 80’s Saab styling.
As a 50th birthday gift, it’s pretty darn impressive. And its giving the car mechanics at our auto repair shop some interesting ideas for their spare time.