Good Find Friday features interesting vehicles we’ve found for sale while conducting market analysis or appraisal research. They are not for sale by Wolf and Mare and we have no business relationship with the sellers. We just think they’re worth learning about and sharing with our readers!

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Saab is a brand that’s always been a bit on the fringe of my automotive radar. I’m not quite sure why, as the company has an interesting history and the kind of quirks that typically attract me. Lately I’ve been looking at them more and more, but I gravitate to the more outlandish models and executions as potential acquisitions. With Amelia Island Concours week less than 4 months away, I’m already thinking about what car I may want to take (or acquire to take) to the event. Today’s Good Find Friday car, a 1998 Saab 900 Turbo by RINSPEED, could be a good candidate.

The Swiss automotive brand RINSPEED is a concept car manufacturer founded by Frank Rinderknecht. The company actually got its start importing sunroofs from the USA and modifying cars for handicapped drivers, but gained worldwide notoriety with their debut of a VW GTI Turbo at the 1979 Geneva Motor Show. The sequel, a radical gullwing door and square headlamp festooned Golf called the Aliporta, made an even bigger splash in 1981. From there, the company became RINSPEED, Inc. and would go on to be the exclusive importer of AMG automobiles in the 1980s. The firm is now mostly known for its sustainability and mobility concept vehicles.

Very little information is easily available regarding RINSPEED’s connection to Saab, but it’s evident that one of their earliest collaborations with the brand was the Saab 900 NG “Sun Beach” Convertible. The car was painted in green pearl with a green mottled instrument panel, green brake calipers, green backrests and BBS rims. The car is otherwise bone stock and backward-looking opinions vary on this execution. After this, the company collaborated with Saab again to produce the “Mellow Yellow” Saab 900, for which little information exists.

RINSPEED doesn’t mention the “Mellow Yellow” cars in their history, instead focusing on their more recent yellow-tinged collaboration with Saab on the 9-5 BioPower concept car. What we can find out is that the final 150 (some say 210) 1997 Saab 900 Convertibles were sent to RINSPEED for modifications, which included updates to the interior, wheels, and chassis. Some were said to have been fitted with a Stage 4 kit for the powerplant to boost output from 185hp to 300, but this is a point of debate. All of the cars were painted in Monte Carlo Yellow and featured special “Mellow Yellow by RINSPEED” badging.

Located in the Netherlands on lesanciennes.com, this 1998 Saab 900 Turbo Convertible is one of those modified by RINSPEED and is said by the seller to be one of only 210 built.

The second-generation Saab 900 was developed during General Motors’ ownership of the brand to replace the highly successful but aged “classic” 900. It’s built on the same platform as the Opel Vectra and Vauxhall Cavalier and you could order your NG 900 in naturally aspirated or turbo form. Body styles to choose from included 2-door coupe hatchback, 5-door hatch and convertible.

The exterior condition of the car is described as “magnificent” and 100% original with no repaints. The many photos at least support the overall condition of the bodywork, with no signs of rust or dings. How you have 100% original paint with a repainted front bumper (disclosed in the listing) is an interesting mathematics question, but the car does look great. The top is shown closed in a few photos and appears to be in good condition as well.

RINSPEED modified the interior mostly with some new upholstery features, including touches of gray and Mellow Yellow branding on the speedometer. Saabs are known for their quirky placement of the ignition key on the center console, a feature continued into GM’s ownership. The seats show some wrinkling, but no tears or obvious damage. Applied “Mellow Yellow” badges are also affixed to the seat belt reel covers at the b-post, which feature prominently when the top is up (through the window) or when open.

Things look rather tidy in the engine bay as well, with the turbo piping and bright red ignition cover contrasting nicely with the black components and yellow interior surfaces. The engine on this car is a 2.0-liter turbocharged transverse-mounted 4-cylinder mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

Suspension-wise, the car is said to feature a stiffened suspension but it’s unclear whether this was done by RINSPEED or a previous owner. I’ve seen this debated online, but perhaps there’s someone out there that knows for certain. What is for sure is that the previous owner of this car lowered it with Eibach springs and shocks and fitted a set of non-original wheels to replace the original anthracite-colored Anteras. Fortunately, the distinctive wheels with Mellow Yellow center caps are included.

Apparently, the cars came with a special edition IWC Pilot’s Watch that featured “Saab Automatic” on the dial and a bright yellow band. No word on whether the watch is included in this sale, but it’s a bet that it isn’t. One of these watches recently sold for $5,292 back in June in a Christie’s auction.

On offer by a dealer, the car is accompanied by some owner documentation and historical paperwork.

Given their rarity, it’s very difficult to determine the value of a RINSPEED Mellow Yellow Saab 900 Turbo. Half the cars were said to be automatics and the other manuals, and I will make an assumption that the manual is more desirable. Fortunately, today’s car has three pedals in the footwell.

The average price of a second-gen Saab 900 is around $6,000, which includes coupes, convertibles and the 5-door hatch. A 1997 Saab 900 SE Turbo Convertible Talladega Edition 5-speed car sold this past August for $8,650 on Hagerty Marketplace, which probably gives us some sense of value for limited-edition 900s in the US. I would add a premium for the Monte Carlo Yellow paintwork on our example and another bump for the RINSPEED connection.

So is this car’s $14,500 USD price a good value? It may be a nice price in Europe, but to bring it to the States you’ll probably end up somewhere just shy of $20,000. Given the odometer appears to show about 92,000 miles, this feels a bit steep to me. That said, these cars do not come to market very often in Monte Carlo Yellow, let alone a RINSPEED-modified example. To be honest, I’m very tempted to buy this car as an Amelia Island Concours week runabout. How cool would this look on the RADwood show field in its eye-popping yellow color, especially if the Antera wheels were fitted?

Ultimately, for a rare car like this it really depends on how badly you want it. Acquiring a car like this is best done for enjoyment rather than investment. When considered this way, it seems a good bet indeed.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisal and auction services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. We also provide importation services. Give us a call or drop us a line!