This Saab 99, built in 1973, was registered in Switzerland and taken over by us in perfect condition. Originally acquired as a classic “youngtimer,” we decided on an ambitious conversion: the Saab was to become a rally car. With its robust bodywork and proven technology, it seemed ideal for long-distance rallies. Since then, it has taken part in numerous challenging events:

• Temple Rally Athens to Rome (2021): A 7,500 kilometre route over the most beautiful and challenging roads in Europe.

• Alaska to Mexico Rally (2023): An epic north-south crossing of the American continent with extreme climate conditions.

• Arctic Midnight Sun Rally (2024): A challenge beyond the Arctic Circle, in which our Saab even took class victory.

• Beijing-Paris (2025): A legendary rally over thousands of kilometres through deserts, mountains, and plains, for which the car was specially prepared.

The original plan for the conversion was developed with the Lima - Cape Horn Rally in mind, which places high demands on every vehicle. The route leads from the Peruvian coast to the southernmost regions of South America with extreme differences in altitude between sea level and 5,000 metres. The Saab 99 proved to be the perfect choice, as it was one of the few vehicles of its time to have power brakes on all four wheels as standard and, with its front-wheel drive, was ideally suited to the winding and slippery routes. The special rally gearbox, which we were lucky enough to find in a workshop in Hamburg that had over 30 years of motorsport experience with Saab, was crucial to the Saab 99's suitability for rallying. The owner of the workshop, Mr Gasparatos, had previously worked for the legendary rally driver Stig Blomqvist, who celebrated many successes with Saab. He got us one of the very rare Saab rally gearboxes, without which the conversion would hardly have been possible, and installed it himself. Under his direction, the car was optimally prepared for rally use.

The Saab 99 is part of a long tradition of successful rally cars from the brand. Stig Blomqvist, one of the greatest rally drivers of all time, won the 1984 Rally Sweden in a Saab 99 Turbo. But even in the 60s and 70s, Saab proved with drivers like Erik Carlsson that the Swedish manufacturer was hard to beat on gravel and snow. Carlsson won the Monte Carlo Rally twice (1962, 1963) and also dominated the RAC Rally in Great Britain. These victories made Saab a permanent fixture in international rallying.

Our Saab 99 is equipped with a 2.0-litre engine and stands out with its typical green paintwork in the style of the 1970s. Its stable chassis was so robust that this model was approved for motorsport without an additional roll bar - a rarity in the rally world. Saab's innovative safety thinking was also evident in many other details, such as the placement of the ignition switch in the centre console to prevent knee injuries.

The Saab 99 bears the unmistakable signature of Sixten Sason, the designer who decisively characterised the appearance of the Saab brand. Its aerodynamic, wedge-shaped silhouette with short overhangs and large glass surfaces was not only stylistically striking but also functionally well thought-out. With its clear, no-frills design language, the 99 remained a timeless classic for decades and is still considered a style-defining model for the Saab brand today. 

With its unique combination of technical innovation, legendary rally history, and extreme robustness, the Saab 99 is more than just a car - it is a piece of motorsport history. It has proven that it can survive the toughest endurance races and is ready for new adventures on the world's most demanding rally routes.