23 Saab 900 S Convertible

With few opportunities to drive his new convertible, Richard has concentrated on smaller undertakings 1996 SAAB 900 S

The recent glorious weather has been pretty much ideal for hood-back motoring. But with the world locked down due to coronavirus, my fresh al fresco Scandinavian acquisition has done very little other than gather dust outside my house.

Still, looking on the bright side, it has given me the opportunity carry out a few social distancing-friendly tasks. I’m quite good at social distancing – I’ve owned eight Austin Allegros, after all.

The first jobs I’d intended to get done were to sort out the dodgy hood cover motor and fit new quality tyres to the 16-inch Hammerhead alloys to replace the current 15-inch wheels. However, I couldn’t quite imagine explaining to any curious police patrols that, yes, my journey was completely vital because Saab 900s just don’t look right on anything but three-spokes. Honestly, officer.

So, instead, I tackled what I could at home. The previous owner had carried out an oil change, but had also included a few service items for me, such as spark plugs, new filters and a distributor cap. He’d also recommended Fabsil Universal Protector for the hood, and with the local birds now regarding the Saab’s fabric roof as a static target, I treated the soft-top to a thorough dose.

Inside, I made a list of things that needed sorting. There’s not much at

all, thankfully. The gearstick gaiter has a split in it, the steering wheel needs a new leather cover and the rear ashtray is missing. The cover can be resolved by an eventual trip to Halfords, when I can also upgrade the H4 headlamp bulbs and replace the dull interior bulbs with brighter LEDs. As for the ashtray, I found a brand new one on eBay for £6.95.

Speaking of interior lights, I discovered that part of the reason for the glovebox and rear courtesy lights not working is that the plastic lenses and securing mounts had partially melted on both. The glovebox one is beyond salvage, but some judicious tweaking and filing of the back seat light unit saved it. So I managed to do some good, at least.

Like his other cars, Richard’s new Saab has been pretty static for months now.

Cleaning the roof with Fabsil should keep it looking good for a while.

Richard plans on hiding tatty-wheel repairs with a leather cover.

Three-spoke wheels need new tyres and then re-fitting.

The Saab’s previous owner threw in some service items to keep Richard occupied.