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Jul
28
SAAB 900 Turbo Cabriolet | Bōsōzoku Style
Avid readers of Speedhunters and Japanese Nostalgic Car are familiar with the Japanese outlaw groups called 暴走族 (Bōsōzoku) and their tastefully modified vehicles. Most common base for building such vehicles are 1980’s JDM rear wheel drive sedans and coupés. However, if the owner has identified potential for an idea, just about any car might be used as a starting point and customized in one of these particular styles.
A friend recently challenged me to create a Bōsōzoku inspired photoshop chop. Instead of resorting to the popular base vehicles, I opted to start with the least likely vehicle to be modified in this outrageous style: a safe and sensible Swedish SAAB 900 Turbo Cabriolet. SAAB could be ordered with three spoke alloys from the factory and therefore Yokohama Super Advan wheels suit perfectly. Converting this classic and throwing all the visual key elements into the mix was hilarious fun. Based on the prototype of the convertible, my interpretation of a Swedish Bōsōzoku vehicle includes many elements of Shakotan, Grachan and Bōsōzoku styles. Modified bonnet, oil cooler with externally routed oil lines, custom made sideskirts and massive front splitter, classic JDM fender mirrors, riveted overfenders and wonderfully tacky exhaust setup mounted in an unusual location. But because this is still a Swedish car, there are warnings stenciled onto the pipes. Safety first!
[Disclaimer: This picture was created without any serious thoughts. No SAAB was harmed in the process.]
Nov
21
An instant classic. The SAAB 900 Turbo has always had it friends and foes. I always liked them because they are a bit weird – but very well engineered. This shape doesn’t need a lot of tweaking, so I reworked the body carefully. The fenders have been flared a little, the door handles shaved and some of the trim removed. A healthy drop over enlarged wheels, a front spoiler and that’s about it. Not much drama for a rather subtle effect. Like it or don’t 😉
May
20
Green really isn’t my favorite color. A high ride height on a roadcar isn’t as well. Altering some of the pixels in the original picture brought me to the nice SAAB 9³ you see here. Wheels have been borrowed from a Mercedes-Benz CLK AMG Black Series.