Philip Rivers 96

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I’ve always been a big Saab fan and this 96 is my 6th, the 1st one was a 1986 900 classic 3 door in gold. I really enjoyed that car. There have been others, a 1996 convertible. A 2004 2.0t 93 convertible, a 2007 93 Tid auto estate, then the 2011 NG 9-5.

The NG 9-5 is a 2011 and is the 64th from last ever made. In this colour and spec it’s the only one in the country (according to the Saab Owners club).

I always wanted a 95 V4 and searched high and low but couldn’t find one in the condition I wanted, for sensible money. Then I came across this 96 in September 2019 and decided a compromise would be good considering the condition.

It’s 1971 V4 with 135,000 miles on the clock. It’s had some light restoration over the years but I can’t really find any signs of any major welding, it looks like it may of had sills but that’s it. It came with the original service book with the first owners name and address and dealer stamp. There was also lots of history, bills, MOT’s and a heap of receipts from the previous owner for lots of little jobs; new locks, window trims, engine hoses, brake callipers, exhaust system, it’s been a case of no expense spared. The body is actually very sound and shows little or no signs of welding or major restoration. The seats have been tastefully re-upholstered. And it even has a period Blaupunkt radio although I’ve yet to connect the aerial, it does light up and crackles a bit .

The car is by no means perfect but it is 49 years old and I quite like that it has a few wrinkles, it gives it character and shows it’s lived. I’m not a great fan of over restored cars.

Sadly I haven’t been able to show it at

all this year, due to the current situation, all shows have been cancelled.

It was during lockdown that our vegan supermarket started to gain momentum. We offered same day home delivery’s to people self isolating and others who just didn’t want the supermarket queues and couldn’t get mainstream supermarket deliveries.

My NG 9-5 needed a new tyre due to a blowout and I had to wait as it was at the height of lockdown. So I decided to Add a bit of interest to some of our deliveries (we do have a van), and use the old 96.

As the weather throughout most of May was glorious I didn’t mind using it. The customers loved it and many people took photos with their families next to the car outside our supermarket.

I have made new carpets for it using the originals as templates. There are still a few little jobs that need doing, but owing a car of this age there always will be, it drives and handles very nicely. Philip Rivers