GAMBLING WITH A

CONVERTIBLE,
GAMBOLLING WITH A
CONVERTIBLE
wo YtARS o\GO. Saa~Sca n ia of A m c:ric~ w:ts four car..S~

nlo o ror.tl llush. hs Turbo model-the one(; and future

900-oiTert.-d an intercooler. four \'l'thes P'=l' cyliHicr.

1wh' overhead camsnnd Dosch lH~J etro n i c fuel inji."CIIon. Noe

a bnd bcuina h.and. and last spring. $;lab drew tht Ace or
I ftJII't\: It irnpOI'ttd the eon' eniblc \'Crsion.
Turning t he 3-door. 4passc.ngcr hunthb:ttl.ed hatch~d.
900 Turbo mto an open-air tourcr was a funccionn.l and :m
~t)letic Jilmblc S:u.b could noltal:c tighlty. The 900\ lll)hns
\II)~ poltn.LSng people:') opinions lon& b<fOfe the camerublc~

camt- out. R&:T staff impl'CSSions on thiS nl<l<kl \\ere MIX~ .

The s.pht In opm.ons found "JlUr\l)'. spo"-ln!, and oo.. nncht
appcahnJ on one Side of lhc .wbjech'c bcuin~ linn llh
"'AV~l>oud. unUJualand rather unpk;Jsant .. on the Olher
10 RQ.\0& TRIIO..

And t htre was s till a third group for whom the convertible's
IOOkl were nothing short of a knockout. A number of st"ITcrs
returned from dri\es with sclf~l\ll~flcd r\!porb of t urned
ta.ads. high signs tlnd Other emphatic gestures or uppro,al.
Saab insiSI$ th.at the cnr w:tS buill 4~ :a tOtH iow'' from t he
(X)U<)m up, not :1 top-chopped aftcrthouglll. 1'1W~ planning is
cv1dcnced by t he stmctural reinforc:tmtn t ~ mtc-g111tcd mto the
body or the ~ron the ~Stmbly lint. Tht:-..c rcinfort<'.mt'.nts
mdude tranS\"C:C'SI! Sh..d beam,. under and bt'hmd the pa~nS"r
lab. double BpiJIJrs 3nd extra suppmh atahc ""ind~tueld ptl
LlrS and surrounds. The door$ are S"ured w1th C'(tf2 rroteclion

beams and .saeel membe-rs arc added to the door~otll}.

'the addtd wctdat of tbae intcn'l31 fon.hcattOn.l I ) offici
fanl) well by th; absence of th~ hardtop The 900 Tutbo ~

hatchback "--eisJas in ac 28lS lb fhc t-"Clfl\~rtblt modtl is JU~t

45 lb hea\iet ou 2920.
The top i1self \\;:lS d('seg:n~d :111d cnginccr.:d in thC' U.S by
AmcrJO'n Sunroof Co ofSoutht;u~. M1<:h1g;an.lt is CO\'I!rtd in
heavy Cambria doth 3nd incorpomtc) tl g ),I)S f\!l.\f windt'>w wtth
[In d ectnc heat~r.
Th~ roof-r:ljsing 11nd lowtrinq rnccha1lism is an eltro--

hydr:;ulically opemted Jesson '" "mplici1y. A sun worshipper

need only set the parl.;ing bml c (a~o:tlcty design). unc.lo lhe left
and rit;ht windshield he3der l:ttchc.and pu~h the " Roof.. button on the ctmer console. l h:u'" rt lhe top of the.S.Uh-gla~

"'"d<w. :and ;~.11-"A'illthcn fvi..J neatlytnto the space behind the

rear x.au.. Slip on lhc .Htchc.\n
buioines:s.

..ohd~IJC

boot. and )Uu'rc

10

And ...,,,h the top<.to-.n. th:ll buwnC'\~ 11 bound 10~ Nu~ttf)

pfe3!1-U~- Wind and ,.-,nd nob< an: m1mmal and e.1ist onl) to
add to thl!' ft)mg exhil:t.mtQn o( turhlu~n touring. Th~!: he3ted

leather se:us and lowtr h ~tcrdutb lca\e ''o t'(Cuses for put
tirlg the top up before mdnig,ht
When the top it up. un 10~u.Ser will qUickly d1SC0\cr that the
900 ~rurbo Conven ible W!b l'e doncd c!lpcti:lly for to p-<Jown
u~c Left and right three-quancr \'h1bilhy :.u<: )(!verely limiteJ
by the roof design. But there ure ul~oCl~u: topup qu:tl1ticll that
f.k:scr ve to~ appreci.ntcd,lil.e thcqunlityofthc .se.:tfing:tnd the
abscnc~t of the noisy boom1ng of buOCa.ng v.1od.
Manyof1he bc:st qualtte) (,_-the"~ 900Turbo a~ prc.k'ncd '" thecotwcnibk It~' thc~rM fire' under its hood a)
the hardheaded \'tfSN>n-, l O..htn. mhnc-4 with 160 bhp 31
S~

rpm >nd 188 lb-fc or IO<qU< "'

.J()OO (R&:T. J>n""l)

1985). The ~ell-balanced S.wb turbc.l b ~hll :ad)'.., hffl calh.od

~cr. The
upon to ddivc.r 3. ~mooth. nOt,h."h ""hoosh
brnl.-cs. too. perform impre,~hcl ). d~playm,g J>O""'cr. smouth
prog.r<:~10n and Gl.)y O\Ollul:\11011, rhc C:lf also has th..: 1987
rron tenli trc:umcnl that the nther iJOOs ~I R; gcttilg; a nc"
chrome grille. 11ush headlr:unp'- nnd intcgmtcd bum p~
Some nearty umvell..-1lly hi~\td Sl'ab qualities arc ~rri t.xl
O\cr too. howc\cr.li"kc the no tchy 'luO:er. A rhl th..:n th~rc, the

or

31

RO\I)k lit A<'"

<brion full) cltclf\ll"' AM FM radic.x:3:;~

pt:t.yc:r "ich 3 7h3.nd equlh7t."f o~n1plrf1CT 1th till) but
ton_), unreadabl-e lighu :and un1magJR;1bh: ~ll ulg. options
8111 IllS the ride and handlin1 lhf)C.'Ch ul J c.u th3t scpat:"ttc:
the m~n from the buoyant. c:~fl!-"Callr in <:()nw rtibles. We
found that the: &J=tb httd it$ .~>h areOft."()W ftc~. bul wc:'vte.xperi
cru.:ed much worse and the O\'cmll 'tru(:lllrc of the carwa$ \'Cf)'
liOhd. Motoring quickly tlrotJHl (.'(>rnef\, we found thi.~ topdo"" n S""<XIt 10 be COIUJ)Jr.lhle I() the rt.!lt of the 900 fa.nilyllf'Or1) fun.
You "'9nfla kno" ""hat re.~lly ~\1 tC) u.,~ The ~r~ twit< :md
11S al.t.ml S}~ttm. (The price Jlfllrmed u~ and thl'" aJ.um "'b
pnocc:lcu.) First. the price~ At a brntht:aLmt S27.115. the con-
\n'llbk 'tffbSioppng heart.\ (Of the'"" Rlfli ra*!4m,Ob tt.c!'ll as lht
r.adtO-~n ~"~u

~11c

natu ones.

rhc abrm te$et .~rr autom.:llk..all) and h.ld :1 ICkcoond

dd3} C'l1n,bmg into the car Md ,;<tung ahc ~I!) rnao the- sgm
1100 Within 1he :~lloued I 0 M.'(Ofld' (t'M:fln: ch~ blaring ltt~ns)
qu1dly becon<'.) a bad Sittii'C of 8t'tllllu C'/t~t.A.. And if yot piJ}'
)'Our c:.uds :all wrong. ym 1.-an gee nuo n ' ltu.tlio n wh.:~ you
nt:cd the ignition key to untcx:l the trunk when at the same
time it hcl~ 10 1'1< in tle ignition to kl.~P the tr-unk :'llarnl from
song off.
Dul you can

:~lwnp

di..arm 1t1c

nl.~rm,

ond. for some.

.Sl7.11' 1na) not be su<:h' Nd price'" pa~ for :.li the head
room '" abc universe.
And ""btl~ the f3ltop Sal~ .ue \trll a r.ai"C' and '-'-irring ~~

on ARK11Ciln ro.l<b.. dri\tri an talc full C'E',...'an~ oflhh

head rovrn "htlc gtltin$ the .. thum~ ur"' ftllln Alb: dri\Ct)
and pl;~}''"! Stump the Pump Jud.l.')\
What arc the Olkb<>f')l)Ur '''"""' dt.tlcr gcttm! unc~ In 1986.
the) we~ I to 350. S"'"-den "asn't tt"ad) hi h\:t Ih.: farm yet .!>0
S.wb, ''Din) Trick) Ocpartmcnt"' :.tH unly one <:C'Ipy ~o>f tht>
900 rurbo Con\'Cttible o each of"' J50 U.S. \!c.'lltrs. nus
" l' lclc::bcrappea.rs to ha\f\! bctn clli.'4.:ti\lC, S:.,1b' ~ l:trget import
11umhd for' the 1987 c:on\crtiblc ha' hlf)J'M.'d 2000 unib and
Q2
coruinut."s to dimb :~ a bJimy 1.111 .1pproachC).