Last Saab automobiles head to auction

Last Saabs up for Auction GOTHENBURG, Sweden: The last unique Saabs are now going to auction at KVD’s marketplacehttp://www.kvd.se. Among the lots are cars that were built in very limited…

Last Saabs up for Auction

GOTHENBURG, Sweden: The last unique Saabs are now going to auction at KVD’s marketplacehttp://www.kvd.se. Among the lots are cars that were built in very limited numbers, and a number of car models that Saab Automobile AB started to produce but never came to the market. The auction, which features 78 Saabs, starts March 19 and concludes April 3, 2013.

Among the cars are 31 of Saab’s SUV, the 9-4X, of which only 700 were produced. The auction also includes the sale of seven of the 30 or so 9-5 NEW Sportkombi that were produced and 37 of the 54 9-5 NewSedan for the 2012 model year that never made it to regular production.

"We held a similar auction at the end of last year and noticed the strong following that SAAB still has around the world. The interest was enormous, both in Sweden and internationally. With the last cars now being sold, we expect an equally high level of interest from Saab enthusiasts," says Per Blomberg, business area manager at KVD.

The auction includes two examples of the 9-3 Cabriolet Independence Edition, the special model made in 2011 to celebrate Saab's first year as an independent car manufacturer. The intention was to produce 366 cars, but production was stopped due to the bankruptcy and today there are only 38 examples to be found in the world.

Among the cars being sold are the last factory-produced Saab 9-3X built by Saab Automobile AB and one of only three existing Saab 9-3 SportSedan in the Skyblue color. In addition, there is a Saab 9-5 NEW SportSedan TiD6 (Alpha)2.9 superdiesel.

Seven of the 30 or so new Saab 9-5 Sportkombi models built will be offered in the bankruptcy auction of Saab's assets.

The cars will be displayed at Wallhamn, Sweden, some kilometres north of Gothenburg, on March 22. For security reasons, a scheduled appointment is required. To make an appointment send an e-mail with your name, contact details and which car you are interested in to saabauction@kvd.se by 12:00 March 21.

The auction has been commissioned by Saab's receivers in bankruptcy. The cars are being sold individually and bidding takes place on KVD Kvarndammen's market place http://www.kvd.se and http://www.kvdauctions.com. Photographs and detailed information about the cars may be found on these websites. Some of the cars cannot be driven on the road, while others need to be completed or registered. The conditions applying to each car will be found with its description on the website.

The auction includes two examples of the 9-3 Cabriolet Independence Edition, the special model made in 2011 to celebrate Saab's first year as an independent car manufacturer. The intention was to produce 366 cars, but production was stopped due to the bankruptcy and today there are only 38 examples to be found in the world.

Angelo Van Bogart is the editor of Old Cars magazine and wrote the column "Hot Wheels Hunting" for Toy Cars & Models magazine for several years. He has authored several books including "Hot Wheels 40 Years," "Hot Wheels Classics: The Redline Era" and "Cadillac: 100 Years of Innovation." His 2023 book "Inside the Duesenberg SSJ" is his latest. He can be reached at avanbogart@aimmedia.com