A solid Saab 9-5 sedan, seen in China’s capital Beijing in 2015. The Swedish sled was in a fine shape, albeit very dusty and in need of some love. It was painted in white and fitted with the original super cool 3-spoke alloys. License plate is an oldie, and has likely been with the car since it was first registered for the road.
The Saab 9-5 was an executive car, available in sedan and wagon forms. The first generation (YS3E) was produced from 1997 until 2010 with facelifts in 2002 and 2006. Our white car is an original pre-facelift example.
The 9-5 was born during GM’s ownership of Saab so there was lots of platform sharing going on. The 9-5 is based on the front-wheel drive GM2900 platform, which also underpinned cars like the Opel Vectra, the Opel Calibra, the Saturn L-Series, and the 9-5’s little sister, the Saab 9-3. The 9-5 was available with various engines, including a 2.0 turbo, a 2.3 turbo, and a 3.0 V6.
SE was a trim level, in most cases and countries mated the 3.0 V6, which had an output of 200 hp and 310 Nm. The engine was mated to a 4-speed automatic.
Official sales in China of the Saab 9-5 started only in 2004, with the first-facelift model. Before 2004 there were no official sales of the Saab 9-5 but some cars arrived via the gray market or diplomatic channels. It is therefore a very rare car on Chinese roads.
The interior was in a remarkable good shape for its age, with luxurious beige leather and a bit of wood trim. Naturally, the key hole is located on the center tunnel. Handbrake lever is unusually short.
Fading ‘elf’ sticker refers to French engine-oil maker ELF. These stickers are very common on cars from France, so perhaps that is where this Saab resided before it moved to China.
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