classic saab 99 turbo

Our Saab Is Live

Our 1980 Saab 99 Turbo is live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website. After being refurbished by our team of classic car technicians, it

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Finishing Touches

Classic car technician John has been putting the finishing touches to our 1980 Saab 99 Turbo. Before things were completed, John needed to replace the

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Our Saab Is Live

Our 1980 Saab 99 Turbo is live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.

After being refurbished by our team of classic car technicians, it retains a lot of its original features and has been refinished in its signature deep black paintwork. The interior is in excellent condition and the lucky winner of this classic Saab will be the owner of one of the first true turbocharged performance cars.

Tickets are available now from the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.

Finishing Touches

Classic car technician John has been putting the finishing touches to our 1980 Saab 99 Turbo. Before things were completed, John needed to replace the faulty fan. The initial plan was to use a fan we already had in the workshop, so John duplicated the bracket that was initially used on the old fan. However, even after modifying the slam plate, it became apparent that a slimline fan would be needed to fit the space for the fan in the Saab.

Once the new slimline fan arrived, John fitted it and reinstalled the radiator. Everything was put back together and the coolant was filled.

While on a test drive, John noticed that something wasn’t quite right with the vehicle. Upon investigation, he found split or perished vac hoses that needed to be replaced. After stripping and replacing all the hoses, John found that the vac accumulator was leaking. This was sealed up and refitted before our Saab got back on the road for another road test.

Finally, the body mouldings were put on the car bringing this restoration to an end. The future for our 1980 Saab 99 Turbo is still being decided but, whatever happens, it is leaving the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in fantastic shape!

Panel Work – Retrimming the Boot Panels of the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo

The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have given the boot trim panels of the classic 1980 Saab 99 Turbo a new lease of life with a full recovering in glossy black.

Brian carefully stripped back the old coverings on the boot panels to assess the panels underneath. Once the trim team could inspect the panels for any damage but all were in good order underneath their covers.

Using the pieces as templates, the trim shop made new perfect fitting covers for the car which will then be put into storage for when the restoration project is complete.

Retrimmed – Retrimming the C Pillar Caps on the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo

The interior trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars have been working through several pieces from the interior of the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo in for restoration.

The original C Pillar caps had split, cracked and began to degrade so the trim team stripped the pieces back to the foam. Using the original coverings as templates, the trim team could make new coverings for the caps. The foam itself was also cleaned up before the new material was glued on and fitted to the pieces.

Remove and Inspect – Removing Interior Pieces from the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo

The Bridge Classic Cars trim shop have been working on stripping parts of the interior on the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo for restoration.

Along with the paint and body team assessing the exterior of the car to come up with a plan for the body and panels, our trim shop have been removing and assessing pieces from the interior of the classic Saab. Each piece is individually inspected for condition and any marks or tears. The main piece which needed attention of the interior, which is in relatively good condition, is the headliner.

The team pulled the headliner from the car which will be taken up to the trim shop, stripped and recovered.

Getting to the Bottom – Stripping the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo

As part of the assessment on the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo in with Bridge Classic Cars, our technicians wanted to know just how far the rest had set into the classic Saab.

The process began with our friends at Car, Glass and Trim pulling out the front, rear and side window of the car for our technicians to assess all the window channels for any corrosion. Then, the team began removing the body panels to inspect behind them.

After that, the team had a much better idea of the level of metalwork and bodywork needed to bring this classic Saab back to the best condition possible. As you can see, the rust runs deeper than first anticipated but it’s no problem for our restoration teams who will begin the process of getting this iconic early turbo car back to its best.