Saab 900

The Saab 900 is a compact executive car produced by Swedish manufacturer Saab from 1978 to 1998.

Designer Björn Envall developed the exterior styling from the earlier Saab 99 platform. Production spanned two generations: the Classic generation manufactured from 1978 to 1993, and the New Generation built from 1994 to 1998. Available body styles included two-door and four-door sedans, three-door and five-door hatchbacks, and a two-door convertible. The Classic generation placed its four-cylinder engine longitudinally at a 45-degree slant, with the transmission mounted directly underneath. A curved, wrap-around windshield gave the cabin aircraft-inspired visibility, and the ignition key cylinder sat between the front seats next to the gear shift.

Saab introduced turbocharging to the series with an eight-valve engine producing 107 kW (143 hp), followed in 1984 by a 16-valve turbocharged Aero model delivering 118 kW (158 hp). During an endurance trial at Talladega Superspeedway in 1986, three factory-stock turbocharged models covered 100,000 km (62,000 mi) while setting twenty-one international land speed records, maintaining an average speed of 213 km/h (132 mph). The 1983 model year introduced asbestos-free brake pads to the automotive industry. Driver Stig Blomqvist drove a rally-prepped version in the Swedish Rally during the late 1970s.

American executive Robert J. Sinclair proposed a convertible model, which entered series production in 1986 at the Valmet Automotive factory in Uusikaupunki, Finland. Saab built 908,817 units of the Classic generation across facilities in Trollhättan, Arlöv, and Uusikaupunki. Novelist John Gardner equipped James Bond with a modified silver Turbo hatchback in three 1980s spy novels, beginning with Licence Renewed in 1981. In the 2021 Academy Award-winning film Drive My Car, directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, a red 900 Turbo served as the central automobile driven by the main character.