It’s a Monte-Mega-Entry!!!

This Monte Carlo belongs to regular commenter, Markac, who lives in the occasionally feral state of South Australia (it’s a football thing - I’m a Victorian by birth). Following is not only some info and great images of Mark’s car, but he’s also provided text from the original Monte Carlo press release. Yowsa!

There were only 195 Monte Carlos made and 50 of them came to Australia. This is #18.

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This car was the only one sold in South Australia by the then-Adelaide dealer, Chateau Moteur and has now travelled 87,000 Kms. It’s quite likely the lowest mileage Monte Carlo in Australia.

It is basically stock standard except for the mesh grille kit and some special Brisk spark plugs. I also recently changed the amber indicator repeaters for the smoked grey variety from the later models. It will get some improvements and some “warming up” in the next year or so as it is fairly tame at the moment.

I’ll probably leave the cosmetics alone although I’m tempted to fit a “Viggen style” antenna as I’ve had trouble with electric antennas and I don’t like them. I just can’t bring myself to drill a hole in the roof!

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Click through for more great images and the press release for the Monte Carlo here in Australia.

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9-3 Monte Carlo: Limited-edition 9-3 loaded with grace and pace.

The much-anticipated Saab 9-3 Monte Carlo is now on sale in Australia, with some of the limited-edition model already snapped-up by keen buyers. Saab Automobile Australia has secured 50 of the strictly limited 195 Monte Carlos - available only in stunning Monte Carlo yellow, of course - built for all world markets.

The 9-3 Monte Carlo is on sale now in both three-door Coupe and five-door Sedan body styles. The Monte Carlo is powered by a high-performance 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, has sports tuned suspension and is loaded with unmatched levels of sports luxury.

Five-speed manual versions of the 9-3 Monte Carlo are powered by Saab’s acclaimed highoutput turbo (HOT) 2.0-litre engine, developing 147 kW at 5500 rpm and 283 Nm of torque from 2300 - 4800 rpm.

The four speed automatic Monte Carlo is available at the same price, and is powered by the 136 kW Turbo engine that holds a steady 230 Nm of torque all the way from 2000 - 5500 rpm.

The Monte Carlo is built in Finland on the special Saab production line that will build the higher-performance Viggen due in Australia later this year.

“Such limited availability and high appeal will ensure the Monte Carlo will be a special and successful limited addition to the Saab range,” Saab Automobile managing director, Mr Bob Maron, says. “We have had plenty of enquiry on Monte Carlo, and excitement was raised even further when we debuted the car at the Melbourne Motor Show last month.

“The Monte Carlo is not only a stunning car with enough power and performance to satisfy the sports driver, but the extra equipment it gains makes it exceptional value,” adds Mr Maron.

The Monte Carlo costs $63,900 in Coupe body style and $65,900 in Sedan body style. The value of the extra equipment is in excess of the premium for the 9-3 Monte Carlo.

Full leather sports front and rear seats, electronic front seats with three-way memory position (driver only), automatic climate control (ACC) air-conditioning and upgraded CD stereo system is among the extra standard equipment on top of the already high specification of the 9-3 SE - the model the Monte Carlo is based on.

“The Monte Carlo is a great buy and a great investment for Saab buyers because this terrific value limited-edition model that will not be repeated,” says Mr Maron.

And like all Saabs, the Monte Carlo comes with an impressive array of standard safety features including: front and side airbags, anti-skid brakes, seatbelt pre-tensioners, Saab’s award-winning anti-whiplash front head restraints (SAHR) and rear Safe Seat design.

Twenty-five Coupe and Sedan models will be sold, 60 per cent manual and 40 per cent automatic.

Saab 9-3 Monte Carlo highlights:

* Exclusive Monte Carlo yellow paint work
* Sports tuned suspension
* Full leather sports seats – front and rear
* Electric front seats with three-way memory position (driver’s side)
* Full sports body kit: including colour-coded front spoiler, side skirts, rear spoiler, extended rear bumper
* Leather “Aero” sports steering wheel, gear knob and shifter
* Exclusive 16 x 6.5-inch three-spoke alloy wheels
* Automatic Climate Control (ACC) air-conditioning
* Six-speaker single CD stereo system with high-output amplifier

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Saab 9-3 Monte Carlo performance data:

2.0-litre High Output Turbo (HOT) engine
(with five-speed manual)
Maximum power: 147 kW at 5500 rpm
Maximum torque : 283 Nm from 2300 – 4800 rpm
Maximum turbo boost: 1.00 bar

2.0-litre Turbo engine
(with four-speed auto)
Maximum power: 136 kW at 5750 rpm
Maximum Torque: 230 Nm from 2000 – 5500 rpm
Maximum turbo boost: 0.63 bar

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Price:

$63,900: Three-door Coupe
$65,900: Five-door Sedan

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