The time machine that travels back to the 90s

In recent years, more and more owners of classic cars, young timers, and other hobbyist cars have been enjoying the younger generation. Mr. Tomofumi Konno, now 33, has a 1993 Swedish Saab ‘900 Turbo S’ as his favorite car. He matches his fashion to the car’s atmosphere while adding his own style of modification. Why did he choose a Saab, which is very minor in Japan?

Switched from a Saab 9-3 SE to a 900 Turbo S

Street rain drenches the 105 beloved cars of young people lined up at the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse for the inaugural event “YOKOHAMA CAR SESSION-Young People’s Car Life”. Once again, blue skies returned and Mr. Tomofumi Konno carefully wiped down his 1993 Saab 900 Turbo S. His stylish fashion matched his car.

Mr. Konno has loved cars ever since he can remember and has always had a particular fondness for European cars from the 1980s and 1990s, and his first car was a Volkswagen Touareg. When he next thought about changing cars, he decided to try a Swedish car as he had spent a year studying abroad in Sweden when he was at university, so he decided to try a Saab as a candidate.

“I found a very cheap Saab 9-3 SE lying around in a non-specialist shop and bought it, and that was the start of the muddle.”

Mr. Konno immediately joined the Saab Owners Club and attended his first Saab event.

“The moment I saw the jet-black 900 Turbo there, which had a unique and bizarre atmosphere, I was completely taken by it.”

With the help of that owner and a specialist shop, he got it from a private owner in Osaka through a private sale, and it is his current favorite car.

“When I was shown the car, I was allowed to test drive it, and when I drove it, I found that it had very good visibility and straight-line stability, and my nerves about my first left-hand drive car and first time on the Hanshin Expressway soon disappeared.”

The three-color stripes, which give the car a 90s feel

Six years ago, at the age of 27, Mr. Konno became the owner of a Saab 900 Turbo S. He further modified the car to achieve his ideal image.

“I bought a Nardi wood steering wheel from overseas for the 900, which I had always admired, but it arrived a week ahead of the car, so I sat on my bed to imitate it.”

He recalls fond memories.

Front fascias are tightened up by the choice of Comet 450 auxiliary lights from Hella, the same manufacturer as the headlights, but the left and right lens cuts are different. The door linings and rear tonneau covers have also been stylishly reupholstered in fabric purchased from IKEA, the same Swedish company as Saab.

The three-color body decals that make this Saab so attractive were also purchased exclusively from abroad and applied by the carmaker himself six months ago.

“It’s a flashy accent, but when I think about it, the Saab 9000 miniature car I had as a child was clad in the same stripe design. Maybe subconsciously I thought Saab was this color in my mind.”

Machine troubles are part of my relationship with old car

Although Mr. Konno’s Saab 900 is changing to his liking, he also has fond memories of a trip to Hokkaido, where he spent several days touring from place to place.

“The fact that I was in Shiretoko in a Saab was strange. On the second day, the fuel gauge broke and I couldn’t tell how much fuel I had left, but it was a minor injury as it was a trip where if it broke, I could just think about it after it broke. Apart from that trip, I also have fond memories of being donated twice due to fuel pump failure, and I’m taking it easy with my old car.

What is life with a Saab that is over 30 years old like for Mr. Konno?

“Whenever I play songs from the radio in the car my father drove when I was a child, I can always go back to that time in my life. Just driving around with music from the same era as the car playing, I can think back to how the city must have been like back then. In that sense, rather than being ridden as a fashion statement that shows something physical, the car is a vehicle that travels through time and space, and this Saab maybe that.”

Mr. Konno’s Saab life is currently being broadcast on his YouTube channel, “SAAB 900 Japan”. If you are interested, please take a look.

translated by DeepL