I made my introductions here a few weeks ago: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3771
I have a1978 99 Turbo which had almost been completely restored by the former owner, and I got it on the road in mid-March after having finished of the few remaining tasks.
I have been driving the 99 Turbo almost every weekend for the last two months since it was completed and am having a complete blast - see attached pic.
There is something incredibly visceral about driving the 99 Turbo. I read an Internet poster's comment that each subsequent Saab became more refined, but with the refinement, some of the communication and emotion was lost - I feel this is a very appropriate statement.
Somehow the 99 Turbo is like a young girl that wants to party, where as the 900 and 9000 are more akin to upwardly mobile executives.
1. Comfort
I can't believe how comfortable this car is. The seats are great, the driving position is very comfortable, and you generally get the feeling that the car was designed for solidly built larger framed Scandinavians (I am not a small guy). Slipping into this car feels like putting on an old pair of jeans - I love it.
The sunroof is a thing of wonder - probably the best manual sun roof design ever. Take about two seconds to open with minimal effort. I would take Saab's manual sunroof over the electric design any time. It is details like this that make me love Saab....
2. Highway Cruising
Although the car is only a four speed, the gearing of the fourth gear is pretty high, and the car sits at about 3600 RPM at 140 KmH (which is about 85 MPH - a little above the speed limit here, but the speed I normally cruise at). What's amazing is that the car sits at the perfect revs for quickly spooling up the turbo if needed for passing. Pushing on the accelerator at this speed is an amazing experience for a 36 year old car - the throttle response is instantaneous, and the acceleration amazing. Honestly, I would be impressed with the highway acceleration if this were a new car. I can only imagine what a revolution this was when testers first go their hands on examples of the 99 turbo in 1977.
The engine drone/noise is a little tiring though. For the time, it was considered to be a relaxed highway cruiser (which is a little difficult to believe). I get a little tired if I have to drive more than two hours on the highway in this beast.
Highway stability is incredible as well. The car is very planted and reassuring at highway speeds.
2. Around Town
The only aspect of this car which makes it difficult to drive around town is the steering - it is low geared and extremely heavy. You need to experience it to understand! One interesting aspect of driving this car is that you have to turn the steering quite a bit even for little turns. This combined with the heavy steering makes life interesting when moving to a modern car. I am driving my wife's 2006 9-3 SC this weekend, and am jerking the car massively on the highway and around town. I am no longer used to the easy powered steering and high geared steering!
The clutch is also a little heavy, which is difficult given that I have a bum left knee, but one can get used to this as well.
3. The Back Roads
The back roads is where this car really shines! This car was really made to be man handled between 80 KMH and 120KMH. The beast just begs to be driven hard - like an eager young puppy seeking to please its owner.
I have decided to keep the suspension largely stock (other than the uprated springs from Abbot Racing). I know that the rear end would be more tidy if I put in a later axel and sway bar from a 900. Also, the car would go better with lower profile and wider tires. But for me this would miss the point. I want to keep the driving experience as period correct as possible. If I want the more easy handling of the 900, I will purchase one of these to experience it. What is fun for me in the 99 is learning to read the performance of the rear end (it has the tendency to snap - as if the central of gravity changes after the leaning of the rear goes past the certain point). Also, I love feeling the car move on those high profile tires - you can feel the weight of the car move past the center point of the tire, scrubbing the edges. This adds a lot of excitement to the drive.
The lack of self centering at low speeds is something which takes a lot of getting used to though!
4. The Gear Shift
I hated the gear shift when I purchased the car, but now I have grown to like it. I now realize that the gear box oil was cold when I tested the car in November. When the car is up to temp, it is pretty good to use. There is something very mechanical about it that is addictive - not like a BMW (where you can feel the gears) - I think it is more about feeling the linkage.
There is no real crunch when changing gears, but I can feel that the synchromesh is a little more worn on the second gear than the others. I am forcing myself to double de-clutch in order to lengthen the life of the gear box. Takes a little getting used to, but makes one feel more like a rally driver!
5. The Looks
I used to say that the 900 Turbo SPG was the best looking Saab ever built. Now I am firmly of the opinion that the 99 Turbo is the best looking. I love the short snubby nose, and the bulges on the hood give it a very muscular look. There is something very right about this car - like an angry bulldog ready to pounce. It was missing a lot of the plastic trim when I purchased it. I also put the Saab Turbo sticker on it. These all help to make the car look longer and more lean. I know SwedeSport has remanufactured these and has them available for sale - can only recommend these to 99 Turbo owners!
Driving around town, I often see people trying to take pictures of the car while driving - quite a driving hazzard! Parking the car in town, I often come back to my car with a crowd of three or four people admiring the car. It really is quite the looker, and a rare sight on the roads today.
6. As a Family Car
Oddly enough, my wife loves being a passenger in this car - the seats are very close to each other up front, and the feeling is intimate. The trunk is also huge which helps with family duties. Wish that spare was under the floor though as int he C900! My daughter loves driving in this car, although putting her in the back seat is a challenge.
7. That Turbo Spool
The sound of the turbo spooling on the first turbo engines is unlike anything else. The thing sounds like a rocket ship taking off under hard acceleration (there is this low resonance growl that is unlike anything I have ever heard from any car). Add the whirring sounds and the burble of the exhaust note, and you have a symphony of 70s Swedish performance to enjoy when driving. I find myself hastily rolling down the window if I know an underpass is coming up, or when going through a tunnel so that I can hear the exhaust better.
8. Brakes
Why do people feel the need to install later C900 or 9000 brakes on these? In my view, the brakes are strong with excellent feel. If anything, they require a stronger stomp as being a little under assisted, but otherwise they are great. And driving hard on the backroads, fade has never been an issue.
8. In Summary.....
These cars just beg to be driven hard. I have never driven a car before which felt so eager to please its owner. It is not effortless at all (the car can be a little difficult to drive sometimes) but hugely rewarding. I could not be happier with my 99 Turbo purchase, and it pains me to think that these cars are still dissapearing (as their value when restored is far from the cost of restoration). I doubt I will ever sell this car. In fact, this car has completely changed my views on cars generally. We will always have one newer car in the family as our main cruiser, but I realized that I enjoy much more the experience of driving a classic car than a new car. It has also taught me that perhaps we should sometimes spend a little less time making our cars better, and more time making it period correct (to preserve the classic driving experience). My 9000 will be the subject of upgrades and tuning - my 99 turbo (and if I ever by an SPG, my SPG) will be kept period correct to the extent possible.
If you have an opportunity to purchase a 99 Turbo and budget allows, do it! I can hardly think of a more rewarding experience obtained through a possession. I have attached a couple pictures of my car as it currently is. The 9000 in the background is my Aero before it went into restoration (should be finished next week - am very excited!). I also am in negotiations on the purchase of an SPG - will keep you posted if that purchase goes through.
Thanks for reading!
Ed
