SAAB Convertible celebrates its 20th Anniversary

The original Saab 900 Turbo Convertible first went on sale in the United States in 1986, pioneering practical 'four-season, four-seater' soft-top driving. The Saab 900 Convertible became an instant design classic and world-wide hit. The first limited production run of 400 vehicles sold out immediately, triggering a two-year waiting list when it went into global production the next year. The success has continued with the 9-3 Convertible - Australia's best selling premium four-seater Convertible. More than 250,000 Saab Convertibles have been sold around the world and over 10,000 in Australia. The 9-3 Convertible also became the first four-seater soft-top to achieve a maximum five-star Euro NCAP crash test safety rating in 2004, giving Saab five-star safety across its entire range.

Saab Australia Director, Parveen Batish, says the 9-3 Convertible has stayed true to its origins - with Swedish functionality, design and luxury features as standard. "The Saab Convertible has become an icon all over the world," Mr Batish said. "Saab has set the benchmark for four-seater convertibles since the brand launched its first soft-top two decades ago. "The 9-3 Convertible is a style, performance and value leader in the premium segment and the limited edition 20th Anniversary model is arguably the best equipped, luxury four-seater convertible in the Australian market today." The entry model Saab 9-3 Linear convertible is powered by a turbocharged 2.0 litre engine delivering 110 kW and a powerful 240 Nm of torque.

A raft of safety equipment, including Electronic Stability Program, driver and passenger front and side airbags, Saab Active Head Restraints to help prevent whiplash injury and DynaCage pop-up roll bars are standard across all Saab Convertible models. The safety leader also gets top marks for luxury with heated leather seats, dual zone climate control, one-touch fully automatic roof with remote opening and cruise control as standard. In addition to these standard features, the new 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Convertible also boasts: a new Anniversary colour - metallic Electric Blue - (or Jet Black), five-speed automatic transmission, 17-inch alloy wheels, Saab park Assist, six-disc in-dash CD player, body coloured roof-tonneau cover and door handles.

RRP for the 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Saab 9-3 Convertible is $68,400.\\ Saab Convertible timeline

Saab Convertible Prototype:
As early as 1981, then president of Saab-Scania USA, Robert J 'Bob' Sinclair, saw an opportunity in the market for Saab to offer a high performance soft-top. Mainstream US car makers had ceased convertible production by the mid 70s and the design and shape of the 900 lent itself to an open-air conversion. With as little as US$30,000, and only a few months to complete the project, Bob Sinclair's US team worked with the American Sunroof Company (ASC) to convert the Saab 900 Sedan as a prototype for Saab Sweden. At the same time Swedish conversion specialist Leif Mellberg of Nyköping was also working on a prototype softtop. The jury met in Pasadena California to consider the two prototypes. With an automatic roof operation of as little as 30 seconds and requiring only two hooks to fasten the roof to the frame of the windscreen, the US built ASC Saab Convertible was easily the winner. Only a few weeks later the Saab 900 Turbo Convertible was shipped to the Frankfurt International Motor Show to make its debut in September 1983.

Saab 900 Turbo Convertible:
In April 1984, Saab announced it would build the Saab 900 Turbo Convertible in Uusikaupunki in Finland, and it went on sale in the United States in January 1986. Saab originally intended to produce only a limited number over the next three years. However, the enormous success changed these plans very quickly. The first limited production run of 400 vehicles sold out immediately, triggering at least a two-year waiting list when it went into global production the next year. A classic design, the popularity of the early Saab convertibles continues and they can be found in feature films and TV shows such as: As Good As It Gets, Sideways, High Fidelity, Reality Bites, Top Gun and Seinfeld. Together with subsequent 9-3 Convertible models, Saab has sold more than 250,000 Convertibles around the world and over 10,000 in Australia.