40 Years of Turbo Power: Celebrating Saab at the NEC Classic Motor Show 2024

The NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham, UK is the biggest classic car show in the UK, with over 3000 vehicles and 70,000 people attending over three days. This year, the event celebrated its 40^th anniversary, which led me to think, “Are there any Saab 40^th anniversaries we could also celebrate on the Saab Owners Club of Great Britain stand?”. Well, there was. I had just written a book for the 40^th anniversary of the Saab 900 T16S (Aero), but rather than just celebrate a model within the 900 range, why don’t we celebrate 40 years of turbo 16 power?

The B202 2-litre, 16-valve, turbocharged engine was an engineering first for an automotive company. Up to this point, no other car manufacturer had managed to tame the turbo enough to create a high-compression, turbocharged, 16-valve engine that would be suitable for use in a reliable production family car. Let’s not forget that the 2-litre, 16-valve, turbocharged engine has formed the mainstay of so many car brands output right up to the electric revolution, and it all started in 1984 with Saab.

On display we had the first 900T16S—a very rare model year 1984 in silver owned by Fraser Hart. This particular car was built in July 1984 at the Valmet factory in Finland before being improved and modernised with later running gear. Fraser drove the car back from Finland to the UK himself.

Next we have a 1985 black example owned by Paul Davies. Paul is a huge Saab fan and has his own Youtube channel (@KemoSAABe) and was busy filming the event over the three days. Expect to see a full video report soon.

Me move to the facelifts and my own Talladega red 1990 model. Dressed for the occasion with genuine Saab roof bars and, of course, skis—it is winter after all!

Finally, we have Tom Klimes Ruby limited edition. One of the last 150 run-out examples and looking magnificent under the exhibition lights with its amazing fresh paint job.

It was also great to see Susie Rawding on Friday—the daughter of Eric Carlsson and Pat Moss—who was delighted to receive a copy of my book ICON.

The public really enjoyed talking to us on the stand and learning more about Saab’s rich history of groundbreaking firsts. The B202L was just one of many, and I, for one, don’t think Saab gets enough recognition for all that they achieved. Hopefully we will do more of these themed displays with the Saab Owners Club of Great Britain and continue to spread the word.