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Comment by gnatman | Hacker News Reader

how about a 2-door 900 turbo revival?

Rare moment on HN where I can share that I had a 9-3 Viggen. Such a wonderful car, wish I didn’t need to sell at the time.

Namesake of the previous generation SAAB aircraft.

https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_37_Viggen

And I'm just going to link the obligatory link to the video of a Viggen landing, reversing, turning around and taking off again, because that's just how cool the Viggen was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBE41A9VT3Q

From stationary to airborne in 8 seconds.

Same airbase, 10 years later (i.e. a week ago).

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XbTL2kBnN7Q

The reason it can do this is because of the dispersed road airbase system where you are expected to manage with very few resources.

And this is all SAAB military aircraft in one shot https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uel1N2F6jo0

Incredible to see this in modern years still performing so well.

The only Saab story I see is one of innovation and dreaming. Ugh, I miss my 9-3 so much. I still get a kick out of seeing Saabs on the road to this day. Lots of respect to the owners, who I’m sure many continue to live with theirs as they adore it.

With the bare minimum of modern electronics. The dream.

Frankly, I'd prefer the 70s remake.

I'd be happier with a 9-3t (small t not large T) redo.

But nooo, SAAB sold their auto division to GM in 2005.

Saab 9-2x and 9-7 were the most reliable Saabs and that was thanks to GM.

It was quite the Saab story.

isn't a 9-2x a rebadged Subaru Impreza?

Exactly that’s the joke! Guess what the 9-7x was a rebadge of!

looked like an amorphous GM low effort SUV shared platform with SAAB bumpers and emblem, i thought, but i am not sure. Blazer?

Yep!

Wasn't the 9-2x just a rebadged Subaru Impreza?

Exactly and it was a great car. Loved it.

GM was a 50% owner when they spun it off of the aerospace company as an independent company in 1989.

The full sale over to GM happened in 2005.

my goodness how i miss mine!

I would be willing to try a Saab 4dr EV...

Or just bring the 9-3 Turbo back!

No 9-anything, only 900 and 9000.

My 9-3t stock could dust many modified Mustangs in a drag race.

I never saw a 900 do that.

But your 9-3t started as a 900 NG with a little facelift. My point is to go to original branding and engineering, not whatever GM was trying to do we 9-whatever.

My 9-3t was the year SAAB sold entirely to GM but SAAB was still doing all the builds. So, no, no GM anything in it. Not a single American part (which made getting OEM replacements a pain in 2020.)

I'm super confused. All 9-3s came from 900NG, which was made during 50/50 ownership on GM-platform (Opel Vectra). SAAB had a habit of throwing away half of the platform and doing things themselves (see 9-2X). Go check your coolant expansion tank cap, it will literally have GM logo molded on it. Maybe your mechanic (or you) didn't realize you can look up parts by their GM number instead of SAAB's.

Sure there weren't "American parts", but there are a fuck ton of GM parts. Opel had been a wholly owned GM subsidiary since 1931.

Also why are you calling it 9-3t? There was never 9-3t and all 9-3s sold in the US had turbo.

I technically still have a 9-3T in the garage.. with the engine sitting next to it...

And I have the 9-3T in driveway as daily driver :)

I'm in the "what could 1 more turbo hurt" stage ;)

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