[VA] 1970 SAAB 96 V4 'Baja'

[nordwulf]

VIN: 96573114
Mileage: 97,020 miles

Factory Rally Homologation Competition Car
In California from ~1977-2011 - Absolutely Rust-Free

Buy-it-Now on eBay for $14,995: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/170749893261



Purchased new in Chicago, this rare and unusual SAAB 96 V4 was ordered as a competition car (documented in the service book beneath). It made its way west soon thereafter and arrived at its most recent long-term owner's shop in Berkeley, CA in 1977 in need of repair. As he recalls it, the car was not picked up and became his. It was thereafter used sparingly and after his retirement entered his collection of unusual cars.

Please note that the car's CA blue plates and registration history in CA remain with the car and will convey to any new owner.

Over the years, the car received numerous upgrades and enhancements, to include early mag wheels, the European front grille, lenses and mirrors, the original Sport & Rally front air dam, Cibie Iode fog lamps and much more.

The car has had one repaint in the original SAAB competition orange. To the best of our knowledge, the car has never been another color. While it is known that SAAB exported 300 'Baja' cars to the US in 1971, no other 1970 models are known to have been part of that, let alone to exist. Per a lengthy examination by noted SAAB rally car builder and preparer Garth Ankeny in Portland, OR, this car's bodyshell has all the traits - and many more - of the SAAB works rally cars. In short, there were numerous joints that received extra seam-welding as well as other additional reinforcements that made these bodies competition-ready.



It is unknown, but also unlikely, that this car was ever actively competed with. There is no evidence of it ever having been hit or repaired.

You will notice the rare original Abarth exhaust peeking out from under the rear fender - these were available from the aftermarket back in the day. The car sports an unusual (not MSS) Y-extractor header and exhaust system that ties into this muffler, it is not at all loud and complements the 2bbl Weber tuning kit.

This car found me about a year and a half ago. Its long-time owner contacted me via e-mail in 2010 trying to find out more about it. He sent me a large collection of photos to look at and we came to a conclusion about what it was. He then tried to sell it during the course of 2010 - all the while, it was on my mind. I finally contacted him, offered to buy it and have it trailered down to Paul Perry's Swedish Auto Factory in Santa Clara this past spring. I told Paul that I'd be coming in for Monterey and that I'd like to drive the car around without running into trouble. Paul and his guys replaced the tires, brake hoses, water hoses, all fluids: oil, transmission, coolant, brakes, freed up a sticking front caliper and did a lot more than I cannot recall. Suffice to say that it was a fun week tooling around Monterey in the 96 - it got more looks in town and over at the SAAB/Spyker tent than many of the high-dollar exotics and Full Classics.



A friend of mine contacted me and offered to buy the car if I'd leave it in California. Our deal was predicated on the survival of Saab as a company after 60 days, as he owns a number of dealers and intended to keep the car as a promotional piece. We waited out the 60 days and with no progress, I shipped it home to Virginia. A good thing, as during the time it sat at Paul's shop, the brakes started to go out. The master cylinder leaked as did the rear cylinders. These have now been fixed, as well as a number of other things I took issue with.

This is not a restored car - it is a very nice original with one repaint and some upholstery work. It is also a very rare car, possibly one of one. I know of only one other surviving 1971 96 V4 Baja, also here in Virginia and in the hands of its original owner who used to use it to tow-dolly new 99s home from the Port back in the day!

According to SAAB rally car expert Garth Ankeny, turning the average SAAB 96 into this car with the intent of creating a solid rally car is a five-figure proposition. He very nearly bought this car from me himself and would have if I did not have the preceding deal in place. Further, I did not have the time to continue leaving the car in California before he was again able to buy it for another client. There were no hard feelings. If you require 3rd party verification that this is what it is from him, he'd be happy to run over all this car's points with you, let me know and I'll put you in touch with one another.

If you're simply looking for a good solid 96 to enjoy, this is a great example. The prior owner fitted this car with a Sonett ring and pinion transaxle that gives this car much lower RPMs at highway speeds than a standard 96. It handles beautifully with the uprated springs and Koni shocks. Just about all the accessory parts on this car are rare and generally no longer available. If you want a very good 96 with all the right stuff, this is one to consider.



who am I?

I'm Chip Lamb, owner of West of Sweden SAAB in Virginia. We have been providing component restoration parts and services to the vintage SAAB community for almost 15 years. We supported restorations by GM Heritage when they redid a number of vintage SAABs for that collection when nobody else could. At the end of all of that, we placed the majority of those cars with new homes when GM and Saab parted ways, some of which had or later passed through my shop as well.

I like finding unusual cars like this, enjoying them and then finding them long-term homes. This is my intent here. I try to only deal in the best and most-unusual cars when it comes to ones I get involved with and this has checked all the boxes. Did you ever think about building a SAAB rally car but didn't know where to start? This could be it. Likewise, are you tired of seeing the same old tired 96es on the market? This isn't one of those.