If you happen to stroll through a Sunday morning Cars-n-Coffee in Malibu, California, you’re bound to come away stunned, even if you are relatively comfortable financially. The machinery on display there is often not only of the high-dollar variety, but sometimes also rare to the point of disbelief.
But even the owners of those big-money machines often appreciate the affordable classic. In an environment where an immaculate long-nose 911 worth something in the six-digit range can feel both achingly perfect yet familiar, there are plenty of cars that don’t normally command high prices but are still significant to the community.
Beyond just a lower price of entry, the other notable advantage is – if you’re of the mind to update or modify your classic – the affordable examples won’t make you sweat a huge loss in value when you deviate from 100% factory spec.
Rally-inspired all-wheel-drive cars like the Audi ur-Quattro and the Lancia Delta Integrale are really coming into into their own. But if you want something that resonates with the true rally fans, check out the early underdog hero cars, like the 1968 Saab 96 featured here. Rally legends like Erik Carlsson and Stig Blomqvist ran impressive campaigns in their early years with these little cars from their native Sweden, and managed multiple impressive wins against more powerful but less nimble machinery.
This example, owned by James White, is worth a deep dive not just because of its pedigree. It’s an intelligently modified and updated example that allows a personal touch that owners of more expensive classics might be reluctant to make, but also minimizes some perceived sacrifices about driving a classic daily in Southern California.
James White owns a side business call Old Parts, New Starts that specializes in everything we love at VintagEuro. What started as a personal hobby became a business consisting mostly of two guys doing all the hard work and thoughtful upgrades, at a shop close by the Van Nuys airport.
The shop has done thorough nut-and-bolt restorations of Porsche 911s, Triumph TR6s, BMW 2000CS coupes and a couple air-cooled VWs, and also has an immaculate ’65 Chevy C10 shop truck. James’ personal favorite – right now, anyway – is the Saab. First glance makes it clear this is not a survivor car, as it’s been stripped down and repainted in the factory off-white, and all the trim has been polished to better than new condition.
Saab’s 96 originally came with a two-stroke twin-cylinder engine, but 1968 models like this example had the Ford-sourced 1498cc V4. James likes the motor, but ditched the FoMoCo carb for a Weber 34 ICH carb to let it breathe a little.
On the stock wheels, James mounted a set of Coker tires, a radial whitewall designed to look like the old bias ply rubber. “Honestly, I love the look, but they really don’t handle all that well, and keeping the whitewalls clean is a nightmare,” he admits. “For getting around I’m going to switch to some Saab Sonnet wheels after I clean them up, and mount a set of Firestone F560 blackwalls. They’re really great for these smaller ’60s cars and much more stable.”
When you look inside, the same thoughtful level of restoration is apparent, but the tartan cloth inserts on the seats are the first clue this isn’t strictly all-original. The design is a touch James likes to add on all of his cars. “I did it to my ’83 911 SC restoration as well. The tan leather was fine, but I chose all black with cloth tartan red and white stripes – a lot of the regular Porsche guys looked at it sideways, but I love it.” In the Saab, the red stripe mixed in with the black, white and tan makes a big difference on an otherwise neutral interior scheme. Subtle, but significant.
And then there’s the radio. There wasn’t a cutout in the dash for one, so James went with a custom cutout in the glovebox door to fit what looks like an older AM only radio, with the normal volume and tuning knobs. Power it up, however, and behind the AM radio frequency numbers printed on the faceplate, an LED display lights up and announces “Bluetooth,” indicating that it’s paired to your phone. Retro Sound makes this particular unit that looks more at home on the dash of an older car while allows James proper hands-free phone calls when driving.
As with the radio, the round vents mounted along the underside of the dash are not stock either, a subtle hint at a significant difference from a stock 96. As much as people love the idea of driving classic cars regularly, Van Nuys is in the San Fernando Valley, the section of Los Angeles that is cut off from ocean air by the surrounding mountains, where summer temps easily and regularly top 100 degrees in summer. Baking in a small Swedish toaster doesn’t appeal to even the most dedicated fans of older cars, and adding the load of even the tiniest A/C compressor to a 65-hp V4 is ill advised.
So… the solution? Well, this is where it gets dramatic. James wanted a no – excuses setup, so he chose to make a custom system starting with a brand new Tesla electric air conditioning unit, about the size of a spray paint can when mounted. That took a little work. If you assume that there is no way the electrical system in a Saab 96 has the energy necessary to power the A/C unit, you’d be correct, and that was the biggest challenge in modifying the car.
In a nutshell, given the minimal space under the hood, it required some ingenuity. To fully regulate power, the alternator was upgraded to a 250- amp unit. Because of the limited underhood space, the condenser had to be mounted up on the firewall, out of reach for any possible direct airflow. The solution to that was to add four CPU fans – two pushers and two pullers – to the condenser to keep it cool.
To adequately support the electrical draw of all of this, a pair of Stinger solid dry-cell batteries is installed – one under the hood, one in the trunk. As a first attempt, James allows as the Saab wasn’t ideal due to space constraints, but with some of his other projects, the space under the hood will allow for a less complicated setup. In the meantime, the Saab’s system works better than anything else European from the ’60s, by multiple degrees.
But the end result? A cabin that will cool down like a meat locker, but with no accessory belt to run off the motor, which means no engine power drain. It isn’t a cheap or easy solution, but when you start to consider other applications once you’ve done the work, it’s an inspiring modification.
All of this adds up to a car that embodies the (occasional) concept of more fun in a slow car. The 96 is an absolute blast to drive like you’re going for it on the tarmac stage of the rally, yet isn’t really exceeding the speed limit enough to raise the hackles of the LAPD. Zinging the little beast down the curves on the western section of Sunset Boulevard to the Pacific, it would take a heart colder than the A/C system not to find the car endearing.
In essence, you have the ideal summer (or year-round SoCal) car. Something relatively cheap and fun to keep you occupied even on a coffee run, nimble enough to entertain on a tight twisty road, and more than enough character to stand out in a crowd. Even in a Malibu parking lot early on a Sunday morning.
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