Bella Italia - a dreamlike Saab 9000 Aero
Italy, the land of legendary car brands. But also the land of strange laws. In the past, vehicles with a displacement of more than 2 liters could not be tax deductible. This led to special models that were only available for this beautiful country. Some of them were dreamlike seductions.
Bella Italia - filigree works of art
Alfa Romeo - the mother of fabulous engines - composed a work of art with a displacement of just 2 liters, a turbocharger and 6 cylinders that could be enjoyed in several models. Sports car icon Ferrari even domesticated an incredible 8 cylinders in the 2 liter class. The result was a high-revving composition that powered the Ferrari 208.
And the Swedes?
Italy has always been important to Saab. The classic 900 traditionally sold well beyond the burner. A circumstance that was mainly due to the committed importer. It almost goes without saying that the 9000 also scored points with its Italian genes.
The 9000 with a 2.3 liter engine was waived for Italy and the V6 was not even offered. The numbers would have been too small. Instead, they came up with something special for customers beyond the burner. A 9000 Aero - with a displacement of just 2 liters. 185 hp was sufficient for the Saab lightweight. There was a speed limit across the country. What counted was the acceleration from medium speeds. And that was always a Saab domain.
Bella Italia - Made by Sweden
The Swedish Italy Aero provided data that could impress in the 90s: The B204L engine delivered 263 Nm of torque at just 2.100 revolutions. That was enough for a top speed of over 230 km / h.
One of these special vehicles is available in Turin Sales. A 9000 Aero from 1995, in an extremely harmonious color scheme. Nero / Nero looks good on every aero, the special seats and the interior of the sporty Saab appear in very good condition.
No wonder, because according to the seller, the Swede had only 25 owners in 3 years.
They always seem to have treated the car well. If the statements are correct, then the 9000 still has the first paint. Only the bumpers and the front hood were repainted. That speaks in favor of a garage car that did not have to deal with UV radiation.
Bella Italia for everyday life
The attraction of the special meets the few kilometers that should be verifiable. 89.000, vehicles with such low mileage have to be looked for with a magnifying glass. The price for the Italy Aero is fair.
€ 7.650 is not speculative, but should even be too cheap, his description is correct.
The black Italian could still give pleasure today. Like the first espresso in the morning, a beauty that brings joy on the daily commute to work.
Which delights with high-quality materials and their design, and which does not already know where the journey should go before starting the journey.
Because the way is the goal and life is probably too short to spend with a moving computer that thinks it has to determine the way.
With images from Tomini
Ciao, vengo dal Regno Unito, perdona Google Translate! Sto cercando di aggiornare il mio B204E a un B204L: hai menzionato una velocità massima di oltre 230 km / h, ma conosci il speed 0-100 km / h?
thank you
@ 'Ebasil (long overdue association made several times)
I have to say no for myself. I mentioned Hergé several times in general, but I had a specific association with Saab for the first time today.
The fact that Tom & Blog are already exploring the topic almost seems like Asterix on a magic potion, catches me completely unexpectedly and knocks me out
the socks.
Volvaab - Hergé's car drawings
As a child I was also very fascinated by the very detailed drawn cars in the dictatorship “Bordurien” (or was it “Syldavien” after all?), All of which were adorned with the dictator's mustache on the radiator and rear (above the license plate) (like otherwise everything in this Balkan state). That looked very coherent and you have to come up with such a wonderfully crazy idea first! 🙂
Tom - Tintin in (?) / And Saab
Fantastic, that would be the ultimate combination !!! I am the second tortured by the tension !! Hopefully we will be redeemed very soon! 🙂
How nice that Volvaab and yours truly had made this - long overdue - combination several times through all the free association in the comments. 😉
@ Tom,
I'm always excited to see what's coming.
Also on torture ...
Now (Hergé & Saab) I'm sitting on the electric chair and watching the wrong film. You are truly a torturer too ...
Brilliant ! ! !
@ Ebasil - Hergé etc.
Wine red is right. Incidentally, it is also overall wonderful how Hergé handles automobiles in the “Bienlein case” but also in other Tintin adventures.
He must have had a strong weakness for automobility. For the brand image, the characteristics of individual models, idiosyncrasies and clichés of drivers and vehicles and manufacturers.
As is so often the case, Haddock suffers. He himself does not manage to close a convertible top before the rain has stopped, his (tubular) tires burst in the sun, his teeth chatter in the Aurelia, burning butts from a diplomatic Benz are flicked on his bare hand and Mühlenhof Castle is damaged by the tail fins of an American road cruiser whose driver cannot control the oversized car.
All in all, US cars do not do well at Hergé, cause damage, are overtaken by the Lancia or have an accident including the villain just before they would have been overtaken ...
Schulze & Schultze almost fly through the textile roof of a 2CV, which deflects very far at the rear and very far at the front.
You could go on like this forever. The bottom line for me is that Hergé's comics in traffic (buses, trucks, locomotives, motorcycles, watercraft and airplanes also play key roles alongside automobiles) have a very strong and so far neither adequately recognized nor adequately analyzed component.
Anyway, what readers of this blog and fans of Hergé would have liked to see most would be an adventure by Tintin, in which - even if it was on the (road) edge - a Saab would also have appeared ...
The way I assess the draftsman & author, he would certainly have immortalized the 900 and / or 9K in his work if they had fallen into his life and creative phase.
@Volvaab Driver Tim & Struppi, I have a little surprise in this regard. There are Saab (xy) + Tintin + Struppi in the package. I'm not sure if you can publish this on the blog and have to reassure myself first. Stay tuned 😉
a really nice 9000, the only thing I would maybe change would be the orange blinkers in front, I would rather have the white ones.
Doesn't a German-speaking reader, with the help of an Italian Saabblog reader, want to bring this outside of Italy, whereby I also treat every Italian to this beautiful car and then turn it into another exciting story like the Gentleman project?
Volvaab - Hergé, Haddock, the breakneck driver and the wonderful Lancia!
Wonderful, thanks for this research! 🙂 It was the same…. And yes, I immediately see these scenes from the “Fall Bienlein” in a wine-red (? I have to look again) beautiful Lancia Aurelia in front of me !! Great!! Incidentally, the fast-paced driver with a similarly streamlined silhouette sits behind the wheel of the Lancia, which it has from the outside. Well drawn, you almost fly through the curves ...
@ GP362 & Tim Weber,
That's right, between the 2.3 Turbo and the 2.3 Ecopower there was nothing to my knowledge, and until at least 1995 there was only the vacuum cleaner 2.3 and 2.0.
At the end there was a 2.0 turbo as an ecopower with 150 hp, I think.
@hans,
I'm jealous of your Italians. If I had one of these, I would buy Italian delicatessen weekly. Know an excellent market with parking in front of the door. There in the classic Lancia, that would have been something ...
@TimWeber
The B204L did not exist in Germany, the 2,3L low-pressure turbo with 170PS and 260Nm was offered. The performance is a bit below the B204L, but too close and is probably more economical. I find a 9000CS with the lively B204L very attractive. As already mentioned, I know this engine from the 900 II - great!
Wasn't there the B204L with 185PS in Germany in the 9k? I have it in the 9-3 I and I also know that it was in the 900II or comes from it. Great engine, mine has run 320tkm and runs wonderfully.
I also took the risk three years ago and blindly imported a 9000 Aero from the Milan region. The car looks exactly the same, except for the indicator glasses in front. But it is the good B234R. The previous owner had died and left the car to the local police. They only used the car for a short time and then gave it back to the previous owner's dealer. At least that's the story of the dealer. The slight scratches from the magnetic blue light on the roof and the documents make the story seem plausible overall.
The car has now run almost 100.000km and looks accordingly good. The paint is completely original and the only rust so far was under the tailgate lock.
In principle, I can only recommend this, even if an acute maintenance emergency has cost a lot of money. But such a carefully used and rust-free car simply could not be found here.
For seriously interested people, the transport cost € 1.100….
@Volvaab Driver, Lancia Aurelia, a wonderful vehicle! Just look at the prices that are asked and paid for good coupes.
I own three Lancia, Appia Lusso, Fulvia Berlina and Delta HF 1st series. I can assure you that they are vehicles that all have a certain something, just like Saab. And despite all prophecies of doom, the Italians were also able to build reliable cars. Fulvia Berlina, for example, has been with me for 10 years and doesn't give me any problems. Runs wonderfully with its small 1300 cc V4 engine. That would have been something for the Saab 96, but that's another story!
Have a nice Sunday everyone and stay healthy!
@ Ebasil (Herge),
finally, finally and on the 4th attempt (we already had the topic), I got researched on the fast car, which, to the chagrin of Haddock and several other marginal figures, was given such a wonderful monument ...
It's a Lancia Aurelia B 20 GT.
In fact, the Aurelia was full of innovations, technical premieres and is considered the starting block for Lancia's successes in rallying.
At the time, Lancia itself enjoyed the reputation of a manufacturer where engineers were in charge and could develop freely.
A similar moment is this 9K, which will hopefully find a worthy buyer despite Corona and while I console myself with cars in comics and their ingenious depiction.
@ Tom,
that is interesting. Many thanks.
Was 1984 the last year in which this rule actually existed?
Volvaab - fine Italian cars and no speed limits ...
... and there we are once again with the authoritative literary quote "I'll show you that Italian cars and drivers are the best in the world!" ... and the finding that the clattering sound wasn't the valves, but the clattering teeth of Captain Haddock in the back seat!
In this sense, nice weekend! 🙂
Turbo state - Italian characteristics
My own comment was very suspicious to me. Was it half-knowledge and also wrong and over-interpreted? Looks like it …
The subject did not let me go. The result was that Maserati presented the Maserati 2,0 Biturbo to the public in 420 under the influence of legislation (a doubling of VAT for cars with more than 1981 cubic capacity). The development time was 3 years ...
So the tax was initiated sometime before 1978, presumably in connection with the oil crisis.
The fact that other Italian manufacturers were building relatively small and fine engines long before that has nothing to do with legislation. There was much more of an unwritten rule to proceed with almost precision mechanics and craftsmanship, to get the maximum out of 2,5 to 4,2 liters rather than simply building larger engines.
Even before the oil crisis, Italian automobile construction differs noticeably from its contemporary Stuttgarters, Nobel Brits and the USA.
And it was exciting. After the increased VAT came into effect, Turbos had a clear advantage and Saab benefited. Volvo did not have a 2,0 on the shelf and followed suit with slightly weaker engines specially modified for Italy. The Italians took the crown themselves. Biturbo. Up to 100 hp more than one or the other Swede. And that in cars that were sometimes less than 1.200 kg. Turbo state, even bi-turbo ...
However, I did not find any indications of speed limits depending on the engine size. Except for small motorcycles, which immediately makes sense to me.
I have vivid memories of overloaded and small motorcycles that fluttered wildly in the wind with bare-helmeted pilots and half-naked graces.
On the other hand, I can neither remember nor research a speed limit for cars depending on the engine size. And if there ever had been one, it would certainly not have been for 2,0 in a Ferrari, Maserati, Saab or Volvo ...
Either way, an exciting chapter in automotive engineering and I would really love to have this 9K! ! !
@Volvaab
Autostrada speed limit, status 1984:
Up to 599 cc 90 km / h
Up to 900 cc 110 km / h
Up to 1300 cc 130 km / h
1300 plus X Tempo 140
@ Tom
yes, that would definitely be a great action - I like northern Italy - and if we bring another 9000er with us…. 🙂
That was a big surprise, as I imported exactly the same car in Cayenne red, with wooden fittings and wooden leather steering wheel, from Italy. 2,0 16 Turbo CSE, 185 PS, 1996. What puzzles me is that the car on offer only has 185 PS and has the Aero emblem on the trunk. Aero only starts with me from 220 hp. A real aero is also offered in Autoscout.CH with 225 hp for CHF 33.500. It was rebuilt and 60.000 CHF were invested. I'm curious about the continuation of the Spanish gentleman and hope for a happy ending soon.
To tear your hair! ! !
Beautiful. Will-have-reflex triggered.
But the story of the gentleman and Corona is very daunting against the current background of ever new highs. It's not told until an arrival in D ...
@ Ebasil,
the - as far as I know, historical - Italian regulation can of course be questioned,
but she had her good. Back then, when they were introduced (long before the 9K), very fine engines were created for relatively small, light and active Italian cars that look like works of art today.
Environmental protection was not a declared aim of this measure.
It was probably more about a luxury tax for the rich who wanted bigger cars and engines and whose wealth was partly based on tax evasion. When buying a car, you could easily ask them to pay for it - or could have if Ferrari, Maserati & Co had not built a fiscally attractive national alternative for this clientele.
At the same time, the regulation resulted in a certain protectionism for their own auto industry, at least at times, because manufacturers of other nations are increasingly relying on cubic capacity for athletes and luxury cars.
Incidentally and marginally, the environment may also have benefited from it, since smaller and lighter cars with a filigree engine have generally consumed less than the international and comparatively crude competition with the same mileage.
I am grateful for the Italian special way. Without this, the history of automobile construction would be one chapter poorer. Or this beautiful 9K.
A dream - and completely mean to present this one! How do you get back to Turin right now and without any problems?
Something else to learn - even my 9-3X imported from Greece, which we were able to read about yesterday in detail, is only a four-seater according to the German registration. I have no idea whether the XWDler produced for the German market was approved for five people, maybe Tom (or the web) knows more about it 🙂
The restriction to four seats is also consistent in principle, because sitting in the back in the middle is only reasonable for short distances and for small people, you don't sit there really relaxed.
This special 9000 is a real eye-catcher, and a bargain too. Some wishes simply have to remain unfulfilled ...
Without a doubt a great 9000!
However, I have a question mark about the blinker VR and the spare wheel recess ?! You have to see in person - and that brings us back to the C problem. No Barcelona, no Italy 🙁
I've had an eye on the Italian 9000s for a long time, which unfortunately doesn't exist in Germany. In fact, since I got the 900 II with the B204L. It's really fun, an old-school turbo.
An alternative would be to upgrade a 2,0t with this control unit and APC, because the engine is the same. But even that is only available in Italy ...
@ GP362 Yes, the questions arise. I think the turn signal moved into position due to dismantling / mounting when painting. At least that would be an explanation. The spare wheel recess is strange. Could be the photographic arts - or whatever. A short trip to Turin would be great - I would be there and would be happy - times would be better.
You never stop learning! Why does this 9000 only have four seats? But they look very luxurious and like a “state car” for a highly relaxed trip for a group of four. Great leather!
I don't think the idea of setting an upper limit on company cars - co-financed by all taxpayers - so that, as in this country, the luxury cars of a few have to be paid for by others. Not a bad idea for environmental reasons either. However, the displacement is likely to have been the wrong approach in this respect. Better to set a limit on price, consumption, pollutant emissions or at least on horsepower? Does Italy now have similar regulations?
Have a nice weekend with all Saab friends!
@Ebasli The Eros only have 4 sporty seat hollows. You hate them - or love them. They are definitely eye-catchers.
There were similar regulations in Italy on the motorways - speed limit according to engine size. Those who had more were allowed to drive faster. It was a long time ago, I think the rule was there until the 80s or 90s. Today everything is different, Italy today according to consumption and horsepower. In addition, the fuel is quite high,