Last Saab Ever Built Finally Heading to Auction, Marking Official Close of an Era

Did you know that Saab temporarily rebooted 9-3 production at the end of 2013? Only 420 were built, and the final example will soon change hands.

byJames Gilboy|
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Back in December, news broke that there was one last showroom-shape Saab left in the world. It was a 2011 9-3 station wagon with a diesel engine and a manual transmission, or in other words, wheeled hipster bait. Indeed, it was the last new Saab available via a dealership, but it wasn't the last factory-fresh car that Saab ever built. That honor goes to a 2014 9-3 Aero sedan whose existence was confirmed by Saab's Chinese buyer NEVS only this past Wednesday, and whose fate was confirmed to be a trip across the auction block.

NEVS explained that while mass production of Saabs ceased in 2011, it had enough leftover parts to continue production of the 9-3 Aero for as long as its limited supplies lasted. For a short period starting in December of 2013, NEVS switched the lights of Saab's Trollhättan, Sweden factory back on, with the goal of running its overstock dry, and dry they ran after car number 420.

Said 9-3 was titled as a 2014 Saab 9-3 Aero sedan and finished in silver. NEVS bolted its last 220-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo-four into the car's engine bay and then linked it with a six-speed automatic transaxle. Mileage totals just 65 kilometers, meaning the car's odometer is about to tick over to 40.4 miles.

Just where the car was parked these past five years wasn't announced, though it was displayed at a major Saab festival in early June prior to the announcement that it would be sold. Its auction consignor will be announced when NEVS has settled on an auctioneer, and The Drive will follow up when we know where and when the last Saab will be sold. A Saad day that'll be.

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