Saab 900 Turbo convertible

A couple of years ago, I took a trip to Amsterdam with a group of mates. Four days were well spent taking in the local culture, which typically meant walking from one bar to the next, sampling said watering hole’s wares. It was great.

The only trouble was, I returned to the UK with a bit of an itch. Fortunately, not that sort of itch. But while we were meandering through the narrow, cobbled streets of the Dutch capital in the autumnal sunshine, I came across a car that I’ve had a hankering for ever since.

I can’t quite explain why I’ve become infatuated with this particular model. I’d like to say it was the picturesque setting, but it was more likely a case of beer goggles. Anyway, the car I now pine after, and would put my money towards if I had any, is a Saab 900 Turbo convertible. One from around 1993 or 1994. You know, with the square headlights.

Now, I’ve never had the opportunity to drive a Saab 900 Turbo convertible – or any Saab, for that matter – so I’ve no idea whether I’d actually enjoy the experience. Given the fact that a proper roof is very much absent, I’d imagine it would be a fairly wallowy, rather slow old thing.

This, then, is an attraction based purely on appearance rather than substance, which is probably a bit risky. After all, if you found yourself out for dinner with your celebrity crush and discovered they had the table manners of a baboon, you’d be inclined to scarper fairly briskly.

But that ability to capture your imagination and infatuation based on image alone is an intrinsic part of what defines or creates a car’s character. Of course, if money was no object, I’d likely buy a Jaguar XJ220 or a Mclaren F1, but in the real world, the Saab looks pretty good to me.