1970 Saab

96 V4 Coupe

4 - Cyl.

Manual

96573114

Gasoline

1970 SAAB 96 V4 'Baja' Factory Rally Homologation Competition Car In California from ~1977-2011 - Absolutely Rust-Free Please Wait For All Pictures To Load! Purchased new in Chicago, this rare and unusual SAAB 96 V4 was ordered as a competition car (documented in the service book beneath). It made its way west soon thereafter and arrived at its most recent long-term owner's shop in Berkeley, CA in 1977 in need of repair. As he recalls it, the car was not picked up and became his. It was thereafter used sparingly and after his retirement entered his collection of unusual cars. Please note that the car's CA blue plates and registration history in CA remain with the car and will convey to any new owner. Over the years, the car received numerous upgrades and enhancements, to include early mag wheels, the European front grille, lenses and mirrors, the original Sport & Rally front air dam, Cibie Iode fog lamps and much more. The car has had one repaint in the original SAAB competition orange. To the best of our knowledge, the car has never been another color. While it is known that SAAB exported 300 'Baja' cars to the US in 1971, no other 1970 models are known to have been part of that, let alone to exist. Per a lengthy examination by noted SAAB rally car builder and preparer Garth Ankeny in Portland, OR, this car's bodyshell has all the traits - and many more - of the SAAB works rally cars. In short, there were numerous joints that received extra seam-welding as well as other additional reinforcements that made these bodies competition-ready. It is unknown, but also unlikely, that this car was ever actively competed with. There is no evidence of it ever having been hit or repaired. The rear fog lamp and trailer hitch are very unusual, the latter is welded to the competition car specific reinforced trunk pan and additional rear structural valance (note body color piece beneath the bumper not seen on standard 96es). Hitch and wiring connector. Just a little part of this car's history... You will notice the rare original Abarth exhaust peeking out from under the rear fender - these were available from the aftermarket back in the day. The car sports an unusual (not MSS) Y-extractor header and exhaust system that ties into this muffler, it is not at all loud and complements the 2bbl Weber tuning kit. A very tidy car from all angles. The origin of the 'Rallye Sport' badges are unknown but are appropriate! You've probably also noted the modern wider rubber on those JP alloys, I fitted four new Yokohamas last summer prior to driving the car around Monterey during Pebble Beach week. I document my work - and that done by my friend and colleague Paul Perry prior to my picking the car up last August - beneath in this listing. Lights off and fogs covered. The interior has been well cared-for over the years. These older sheepskins cover some original blue vinyl and cloth seats that exhibit light wear. All carpeting was professionally done at some point in the past and complements the car well. Just inside the driver door jamb. This Nardi steering wheel is very rare in its own right, particularly with the correct hub, horn button and sliding contact. By all accounts, the mileage is original to the car. The temperature gauge did not move past the point seen on the gauge in California or after returning home to Virginia. You will note that the dash pad shrunk and cracked slightly over the center bolt. It is at the point now where it could be repaired or left alone and monitored - either way, without letting it get worse. The vintage stereo system works well. If the car is used regularly, the clock keeps time. There was also an alarm system fitted to this car, I think that's what that box is under the dash. There's a siren under the hood. This back seat was recovered at one time. If you'd like, I'll include an original 96 black vinyl rear seat if this doesn't suit you. The package tray is fine, the carpet merely covers the rear speakers. The headliner is intact save for this one small tear. Just haven't had a chance to have the upholstery shop fix it. Inside the trunk, nice accessory SAAB trunk mat. The original upholstery beneath this. An incomplete tool kit, 4-way wrench, jack and jack tool are in the trunk well. Original owner's manual and warranty book. I've never seen this before - SAAB documentation is hard enough to come by with one of these cars... The foil sticker on the back of the owner's manual was likely on the bumper when new. Engine running from the left side. New fuel pump added this morning (old one - appeared to be the original - was leaking oil). Note also the restored brake master cylinder - we resleeved and rebuilt it with all new internals and also redid the rear brakes with new shoes, cylinders et.c. at the same time. Finally, the original heater valve siezed, so we replaced it with the space-saving inline valve seen above the transmission. You will notice the Weber 28/36 carburetor - this was the old Sport & Rally 'Stage 1' kit along with the 2bbl manifold prior to the Solex 32/32 TDID. It was cleaned this summer when Paul Perry put the car back in shape. Paul also changed all water hoses, brake flex hoses and all fluids along with a myriad of other things the car needed to be back in good operating condition after years of just sitting around. From the rear. Not sure why I haven't removed that alarm siren yet! Let's now put the car up on the lift and take a look underneath... The front pan is a little damp still but fluid levels are high. The Redline MTL gear lube does leak occasionally. Apart from the mechanical fuel pump that was leaking oil, the engine does not appear to have any leaks worth mentioning. It is however a 42-year old V4 and does not appear to have ever been rebuilt apart from the top end which was redone with hardened seats back in the day. The oil pan is straight and solid. New stainless-steel brake hoses and classic Koni shock absorbers all around. I hit the front suspension grease points after repacking the inner driveaxle cups a while back. The floorpan is rock solid from front to back. The aforementioned reinforced trunk pan, factory original. Note the lip that runs all the way around the trunk pan, particularly at the top of the above photo where the trailer hitch is welded to it. Abarth rear muffler. A new old stock replacement (not that there's anything wrong with this one) conveys at the Buy it Now price. Pardon the lack of detailing here. Back to the rocker panels. Rock solid! Left rocker panel, close up And down the side. Following a line of Concours cars into the Pebble Beach show field (I was headed for the SAAB/Spyker tent) last August. That's Sir Michael Kadoorie in his '55 Lancia Aurelia Spyder ahead of me. Did you notice the Renault in the rearview mirror? This car found me about a year and a half ago. Its long-time owner contacted me via e-mail in 2010 trying to find out more about it. He sent me a large collection of photos to look at and we came to a conclusion about what it was. He then tried to sell it during the course of 2010 - all the while, it was on my mind. I finally contacted him, offered to buy it and have it trailered down to Paul Perry's Swedish Auto Factory in Santa Clara this past spring. I told Paul that I'd be coming in for Monterey and that I'd like to drive the car around without running into trouble. Paul and his guys replaced the tires, brake hoses, water hoses, all fluids: oil, transmission, coolant, brakes, freed up a sticking front caliper and did a lot more than I cannot recall. Suffice to say that it was a fun week tooling around Monterey in the 96 - it got more looks in town and over at the SAAB/Spyker tent than many of the high-dollar exotics and Full Classics. One evening at the Baja Cantina in Carmel - guess which one got the most looks! Based on this photo above, a friend of mine contacted me and offered to buy the car if I'd leave it in California. Our deal was predicated on the survival of Saab as a company after 60 days, as he owns a number of dealers and intended to keep the car as a promotional piece. We waited out the 60 days and with no progress, I shipped it home to Virginia. A good thing, as during the time it sat at Paul's shop, the brakes started to go out. The master cylinder leaked as did the rear cylinders. These have now been fixed, as well as a number of other things I took issue with. This is not a restored car - it is a very nice original with one repaint and some upholstery work. It is also a very rare car, possibly one of one. I know of only one other surviving 1971 96 V4 Baja, also here in Virginia and in the hands of its original owner who used to use it to tow-dolly new 99s home from the Port back in the day! According to SAAB rally car expert Garth Ankeny, turning the average SAAB 96 into this car with the intent of creating a solid rally car is a five-figure proposition. He very nearly bought this car from me himself and would have if I did not have the preceding deal in place. Further, I did not have the time to continue leaving the car in California before he was again able to buy it for another client. There were no hard feelings. If you require 3rd party verification that this is what it is from him, he'd be happy to run over all this car's points with you, let me know and I'll put you in touch with one another. If you're simply looking for a good solid 96 to enjoy, this is a great example. The prior owner fitted this car with a Sonett ring and pinion transaxle that gives this car much lower RPMs at highway speeds than a standard 96. It handles beautifully with the uprated springs and Koni shocks. Just about all the accessory parts on this car are rare and generally no longer available. If you want a very good 96 with all the right stuff, this is one to consider. who am I? I'm Chip Lamb, owner of West of Sweden SAAB in Virginia. We have been providing component restoration parts and services to the vintage SAAB community for almost 15 years. We supported restorations by GM Heritage when they redid a number of vintage SAABs for that collection when nobody else could. At the end of all of that, we placed the majority of those cars with new homes when GM and Saab parted ways, some of which had or later passed through my shop as well. I like finding unusual cars like this, enjoying them and then finding them long-term homes. This is my intent here. I try to only deal in the best and most-unusual cars when it comes to ones I get involved with and this has checked all the boxes. Did you ever think about building a SAAB rally car but didn't know where to start? This could be it. Likewise, are you tired of seeing the same old tired 96es on the market? This isn't one of those. payment and shipping First, an important note - if you are unsure about the condition or quality of the car, please have it inspected prior to your bid, as a successful bid is a contract to purchase, not to look. As we say in the live auction business, there is no cooling off period. Payment must be received within 7 (seven) days of auction close unless alternate arrangements are made with me prior to your bid. Accepted forms of payment include cash, cleared cashier's cheque in my bank account or a cleared wire transfer. I do not accept sight drafts from financial institutions as they can reneg weeks after I've shipped you the car, nor will I extend any financing as I am not a bank. If you need financing, contact me as I can refer you to some excellent collector car financiers, but make sure that this is in place prior to your successful bid. Shipping needs to take place within 14 (fourteen) days of auction close unless alternate arrangements are made with me prior to your bid. Complimentary shipping up to 300 miles (by road) from Richmond, Virginia in my enclosed trailer is included with the Buy it Now. This also includes transport to the ports of Baltimore and Norfolk for international buyers, whom I'm happy to work with. If transport of a greater distance is needed, I can refer you to a number of very high-quality enclosed automobile shippers and get you my discounted rate that I receive as a professional courtesy. I will be out of town Tuesday through Thursday prior to Christmas but the e-mail address and phone number linked in this ad go to my Blackberry, which I'll have on me. Bid with confidence, see my feedback (including many recent high-quality car transactions to the US and Europe), thanks for looking.QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? CONCERNS? E-MAIL ME OR CALL 804-357-4926