Hirsch have been doing a very tasty photoshoot by the looks of things……

Look at that exhaust pipe! Mama!!!

I gotta get me one of these Swiss precision machines one day…..

Some markets can get access to Hirsch Performance gear and some can’t. There’s one place where we can all get access to a limited range of the good stuff – Elkparts.

Elkparts has finally taken delivery of a much awaited Hirsch Performance accessory – a genuine Hirsch keyring. This will not make your car accelerate quicker or handle better, but it does look the part and will motivate you to aim for more out of your car every time you pick up your keys.

It’s a smart little piece shaped like the new Hirsch ‘deer’ logo.

This was first advertised in a Saab Expressions catalogue last year and spurred a lot of interest. It’s taken a little while for the accessory to come through, but Elkparts now have a good stock of them and they’re available for immediate delivery.

Click here for the Hirsch Performance keyring product page at Elkparts.

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Further to my last report on Hirsch coming to the US (penned last week) I received this via email from Rob G overnight.

I’ve anonymised the details just to protect the innocent (just in case) but the news is appropriately exciting even if you don’t know the specifics.

I just swung by my local dealership and learned they very recently had 2 reps from Hirsch come over from Europe to meet with their parts manager.

Short story, shorter – They WILL be selling Hirsch products in the near future, including performance upgrades.

They are currently testing the performance upgrades to ensure upgraded vehicles will still pass state emissions. As in other markets, performace upgrades will be covered under the factory warranty. Woo hoo!

Good news indeed!

Hirsch should have been in the US years ago. It’s great to see people working out a deal that will get these performance upgrades out there.

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This is an interesting one.

The agreement that Hirsch has with Saab is that any market that wants to promote Hirsch has to ensure that Hirsch products in the Saab range has to get the products tested to make sure that they meet safety standards, etc. Consequently, Hirsch products aren’t available in every market where Saabs are sold. They’re only available in markets where the Saab operation in that country has sought the appropriate certifications to sell them.

One of the markets where they’re not sold at the moment is the US market. I’ve argued long and hard for Hirsch to be promoted there as I think it’s a market that could really embrace the boosted image that Hirsch provides.

It seems there’s a strong likelihood that that might happen now.

One of our number here at TS recently made enquiries with Hirsch about product availability and was advised by return email as follows:

Please check our website regularly the following months. We might announce details about the availability of our products in the U.S.

That would indicate to me that the products are approved and ready to go. The “might” in that sentence could have something to do with the uncertainty around Saab’s ownership. It’s Saab USA that Hirsch have to deal with now to get the approvals necessary to sell there, but if Saab is sold and SaabUSA are folded then those arrangements might all be moot.

I received a similar note relating to Hirsch availability in Australia around the middle of last year, so it looks like the Hirsch guys have been actively trying to get more access. Congratulations to them on the decision and I hope it’s rewarded soon. Hirsch make some great stuff and it’d be a positive for all prospective Saab owners if their gear was more widely available.

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* For the people new to this site: Hirsch are Saab’s official tuning company and are based in St Gallen, Switzerland. Their tuning products and Saab accessories are all covered by Saab’s factory warranty.

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You may or may not know that in addition to being the guy behind Saab Performance by Hirsch in Switzerland, Rene Hirsch is also a Lamborghini guy, with a dealership in St. Gallen.

I’m not sure how this forum member got these pics, but there’s a thread at Pistonheads.com where people are showing off their garages. I don’t think Rene Hirsch sent these in himself, but someone’s show his toys off on his behalf. I believe this might actually be from the Hirsch workplace as I think I’ve seen a few of them before, but they’re fun to look at nonetheless.

Keep going past the shots for a bonus shot from the thread, too. It’s definitely worth clicking over there and having a poke through some people’s back yards.

And here’s one of the other forum members’ garages. And there’s three cars comparable to these outside the walls!

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Thanks John!

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Thanks to all the people who sent in a reference to the Autoblog coverage of the question “Would reviving the Viggen help or hurt Saab? Whilst Autoblog were doing the asking, their question was based on some hardcore photoshopping and pontificating over at TurboNines.

T9s consider what options might be available for Saab to jazz up the range a little and consider that a revival of the Viggen badge and the infusion of some Hirsch techonology might be the key to doing this in an inexpensive way.

Personally, I’m divided over a potential re-birth of the Viggen badge. I owned one. I loved it and still do today. But I also know that the press would fill their stories with references to negative vehicle attributes that are purely historical and would be irrelevant in a modern XWD-equipped Viggen. Simply put, I’d love to see the badge again if you could guarantee that it didn’t come with the baggage.

As for Hirsch, I’ve been lobbying for greater access to Hirsch parts in the USA and Australia for around three years now (here’s a biggie from earlier this year). Unfortunately, the arrangement with Hirsch doesn’t make it a fait accompli that it’s offered in all markets. The Saab organisation in each country needs to have Hirsch parts tested and approved prior to offering them in their jurisdiction because Hirsch equipped Saabs are still covered by the factory warranty.

Saab Australia have already done that homologation style work, around four years or so ago, yet they’ve delayed bringing Hirsch parts to Australia due to the small scale of our market. Earlier this year, we received intel to the effect that Hirsch would become available around mid 2009, however.

In the US, I’m sad to say that I’m not sure the top levels of SaabUSA are really aware of what Hirsch do. When I spoke with Steve Shannon about it last year he kept referring to “cold air induction kits”. To be fair, he had a general knowledge, but he also had a lot on his plate and getting across the finer details of a small scale tuner that might appeal to a minority of your already-small customer base wasn’t a task that was high on his list. Bottom line: Hirsch aren’t on SaabUSA’s radar, however right or wrong that might be.

The TS verdict: it’s an entertaining and very worthwhile read. If T9s position were possible then as a Viggen enthusiast I’d love it. I still tend to think, though, that Saab Performance by Hirsch might be the hi-po way of the future for Saab. If Saab could get to a point where Hirsch models could regularly be shown in Saab forecourts in all countries, I think that’d be a fantastic result not only for Saab, but for the guys at hirsch in Switzerland who do all the work, too.

Read the full story, with imagery, at TurboNines.

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The occasionally-monthly Hirsch update recently hit my inbox.

Here’s all the recent news from Saab’s official tuning house in Switzerland.

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Power Upgrade for 2.0T with XWD

The long awaited Saab 9-3 2.0T XWD has arrived and it is a great car to drive. Independent of weather conditions it provides enough grip to feel secure at all times.

The Hirsch Performance software upgrade adds an additional fun factor to the car’s overall driving experience, and makes it a true driver’s car.

The following figures are for Manual 6 speed (with 6sp Auto in parenthesis)

Top speed - 245 km/h (240 km/h)
0-100 km/h – 7.3 s (7.5 s)
60-100 km/h (4th gear) – 6.4 s (n/a)
80-120 km/h (5th gear) – 7.8 s (n/a)
Fuel consumption combined – 8.2 l/100km (9.6 l/100km)
CO2 combined – 195 g/km (227 g/km)

The new performance upgrade for the Saab 9-3 2.0T XWD delivers 240 hp/350 Nm and will become generally available at the following times:

Week 49 for all TÜV markets (DE, GB, BE, NL, AT, IRL …)
Week 51 for other EU markets (SE, NO, DK, FIN…)
Week 52 for Switzerland

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New: Stainless steel dual sports exhaust system for the Saab 9-3 V6 XWD

The best sounding Saab ever. For those who enjoyed the sound of the Turbo X, here is more of the same! Despite the distinctively sporty sound, the Hirsch Performance sports exhaust for the V6 XWD has been finely tuned to avoid the typical booming at motorway speeds that can be an annoying companion for many sports exhausts. This exhaust system was developed for the recently launched Saab 9-3 Performance by Hirsch special edition vehicle.

The sound could be described, but should be experienced.

As an option, the exhaust system is also available as a set together with the new Hirsch Performance rear diffusor.

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Carbon leather interior trim kit

There was one piece left to complete the Hirsch Performance interior design, and here it is: the new carbon-leather interior trim kit. It includes the center console trim, glove box trim (SS/SC/CV) and the door trim (SS/SC – front- and rear door).

A perfect match to the already available carbon leather instrument panel and the leather door handles.

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Brushed aluminum door sill trim

Now there is a Hirsch Performance door sill trim that adds a special touch to the car’s interior, and perfectly matches the Hirsch Performance aluminum pedals. The door sill trim fits all Saab 9-3 from MY03-.

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Saab 9-3 Leather Seat frame covers

The all new seat frame covers in black premium leather are elegant and easy to install. They feature visible stitching and smooth, natural grain leather. The perfect add-on for any Saab with the premium leather option.

The covers are available for Saab 9-3 MY03- LHD with electric seats and memory function.

One set consists of driver and passanger front seat frame covers.

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Software performance upgrades for used cars

Starting December 1, 2008, a 30% discount is offered on all Hirsch Performance software performance upgrades for vehicles from MY05 and older. This special offer gives owners of used Saabs a chance to enjoy the Hirsch Performance driving experience at a very attractive price.

The offer is valid for software upgrades for the Saab 9-3 and Saab 9-5 from MY05 and older.

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Phase-out of the classic Hirsch Performance wheel

After more then 10 years of representing the Hirsch Performance brand all over the world, the last set of the classic 18×8″ six spoke wheel has left the Hirsch Performance warehouse.

Still in the line-up are all the new Hirsch Performance wheel designs, available in both 18″ and 19″. These designs have been specially designed to match the design of the current Saab 9-3 and 9-5.

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Ed note: It’s certainly sad to see the end of the line for the classic Hirsch six spoke. Farewell old friend. I wish I’d had a chance to use your services, but then I’m a dumbass who crashed his Viggen!!

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I received this advice today from a friend in Germany:

A few hours ago we got a mail from Saab Germany, that the Hirsch edition Convertible will not be coming to the market. Hirsch won’t finalise the 300 HP for the FWD only for the XWD. Sad News. So you can’t get a full Hirsch Vert, you can only make your car looking with all parts……

I’d previously reported on this vehicle, which looked absolutely spectacular, by the way, back on October 22.

So after I got the email I contacted Hirsch in Switzerland and received the following response:

Unfortunately we have had to skip the 300hp upgrade for the Saab 9-3 2.8V6 FWD. The reason was that the confirmed volumes will not create a positive business case for the product.

Saab Germany will still offer the convertible as a Saab Performance by Hirsch version but with the standard 280hp.

The configuration for the convertible will be

- Base car Saab 9-3 2.8 V6 Aero
- 19×8″ 6-twinspoke wheel (diamond black or satin silver) Michelin PilotSport PS2 235/35R19
- Front air splitter
- mesh grille
- Stainless steel dual sports exhaust system
- Carbon-Leather instrument panel
- Leather door handle, handbrake handle and smart-slot cover
- Carbon-Leather gearshift cover, glove box trim
- Aluminium pedal
- Hirsch Performance lowering spring set
- 345mm brake upgrade

The Saab performance CV will still have a price advantage over a car fitted by a dealer / customer using the same parts from us.

It’s good news that a package is still available, but I’m sure the people who were looking forward to some extra zip with the wind in their hair will be a little disappointed.

Thanks to Hirsch for the follow-up.

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