Teh Car Blogz

When a manufacturer releases their latest and greatest innovation on society, they usually pump it up with great fanfare, a huge advertising budget, and all the hoopala they can possibly drum up. Sometimes it works, sometimes it’s completely unnecessary (VW sold out the entire US allotment of 5,000 first-generation R32’s without spending a dime on advertising), and sometimes it just doesn’t make a difference to the fact that the car they’re selling is complete, unmitigated crap. Hey, it happens. Just ask Ford:

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This is the beginning of another new series called Uncommon Q-Ships. It’s meant to highlight some of the performance cars that are mostly forgotten now, cars that are surprisingly quick but mainly anonymous. These were the cars that the smart sports-car buyers got back in the day to fly under the radar. It’s a favorite genre of mine and hopefully this series will jog your collective memories.

My first nomination would be the Aero version of the old Saab 9000. The 9000 was Saab’s first effort at a full-on Luxury car, and it was co-developed along with three other cars to keep costs down: The Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma, and Lancia Thema. This is why unlike all other modern-era Saabs, the 9000 had the key where it normally goes. Beyond that, though, it was all Saab: a 5 door full-size hatchback/sedan that came with turbo power. The original engine was Saab’s 2.0L 16v Turbo straight-four, with 175 horsepower. This is a first-generation 9000 with a nice set of wheels. Classy shape.

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One persistent rumor that has been floating around automotive circles for years and years is that the triumphant return to the United State of Alfa Romeo is just around the corner. I think perhaps we should pause and look back to when Alfa last sold cars in the US for a bit of perspective.

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