The sad story of Saab’s demise has been discussed many times before, and aside from all of the historical value of the brand, there is also another aspect which is often overlooked.
While Saab may have been owned by GM and forced to use various bits and parts from Opel/Vauxhall , the new 9-5 showed real promise. If it would have been thoroughly finished when launched, it could have provided the Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class with some competition.
The sad part about all of this is that we won’t get to see the philosophy shown in the design of the 9-5 translated into a smaller body shape – a hypothetical new 9-3, for instance. Sure we got a peek with the 9-3 Phoenix concept, but that was still a toned down, diluted idea of what a Saab should be.
Thankfully, there are still many Saab lovers out there, which is good because this way the brand will be kept alive and the cars that have been built will stay on the road. Of those fans, some however, like to do more than just reminisce, and they like to push things further, a bit, at least in the digital realm.
One such example is Edward Gray, of GrayDesign, who has made a digital version of the Saab 9-3 we’d all love to own. Called the Mark III, the car was designed with great care and consideration. Its creator says it blends styling elements from old models, the Ursaab, or 92011, while also taking inspiration from the brand’s latest car, the now-defunct 9-5. It has a clean hatchback shape, with very well-judged proportions.
What really struck us is that all of the above actually did the trick (quite rare for individual projects such as this), and if this car were to materialize tomorrow and drive down your street, you wouldn’t think it’s a BMW, or a Kia… it just looks like a Saab.
By Andrei Nedelea
Story References: Gray-Design via Worldcarfans
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