This is One-off model designed by owner Bert Karlsson and built on Lancia Thema SW. A unique Saab, named “Saab 9000 CS Combi” was built by Bert Karlsson. The creation of this special car was initiated by the launch of a TV show called “Cheers Sweden!”. It was an innovator program to show how many talented people there are in Sweden. Then they built this Saab and The intention was to market this new TV Show.
The car has been through a lot changes, and before that it had a rich history, and it was even stolen. Bert Karlsson says that it was stolen many years ago when he was in Gothenburg. He then called Expressen GT who made an effort and wrote an article about the car theft. Fortunately, the car was found and returned to its owner Bert.
For a full 20 years, Saab was without a station wagon in its model range, that was throughout the 900 and 9000 era. But in 1992, the Saab fan Bert Karlsson, with the help of Robert Solstad, had a 9000 CS Combi manufactured to satisfy his needs for a Saab station wagon. Bert tried several times to sell this unique wagon but never succeeded. In 2014, Bert tried to sell this car for the last time, and then he promised “if he doesn’t sell the car, then he goes to scrapyard”.
Bert drives many, many miles every year. Most – and perhaps best – tours go between the office in Skara and the country house in Grebbestad on the west coast.He steps on the gas at the bottom if he feels like it. Something that has resulted in a fine and that he lost his driver’s license twice. ” To the question: “Have you learned anything from it?”, he then said: “No, not a bit. Well, by the way, one thing. To look more closely at police officers along the roads.”
The car is for the most part a Saab 9000 CS but a Lancia Thema tailgate has given it the right station wagon form. Or as it says in the ad, when the car was on sale, that the car is “1 percent 9000 CC, 10 percent Lancia Thema and 89 percent 9000 CS”.
However, this 9000 Combi is not alone in Sweden. There is another copy but which goes under a different model designation. There is also a combi version of the 9000 in Norway, however, it is a Lancia Thema basically equipped with a 9000 front.
Unfortunately, when Bert last sold this car, in 2014, it was still in a very bad condition and required a detailed restoration. We don’t know about the fate of this unique car, but considering its condition, it most likely ended up in Wrecking yard. However, it is no surprise that such a car exists, because the conversion itself does not have to be terribly difficult. The Saab 9000 was built on the same platform as the Fiat Chroma, Alfa Romeo 164 and Lancia Thema, and although none of the first went into the station wagon form, the Lancia did that.
