Would you consider the Saab Aero-X to be the best concept car ever?

If not, and it’s remotely possible that it isn’t the best concept ever, would you consider it in the top 14?

And if you did think it was in the top 14, would it be higher or lower placed than the following?

The Ford 021c was designed by a guy who had little, if anything to do with cars. He designed restaurant interiors and consumer products. The car appeared at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1999 and Ford apparently confirmed shortly thereafter that it would never see the light of day. It’s got more than a touch of the legendary for Escort in it’s profile, but other than that I can’t see too much to recommend it.

This is the Mini Spritual. It was a BMW creation from the late 1990s and the word is that it was basically made as a spoiler to divert some attention from Mercedes’ A Class. Good thing too, as it’s as ugly as a bashed crab. Actually, it probably would have fit right in at a BMW showroom.

And finally, this is the Renault Fiftie. It was made to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Renault 4CV. It took some styling influences from the 4CV but the French didn’t take to it. As Ghosnmobile doesn’t export to the US and it wasn’t loved at home, it was canned.

——

So, if someone said they’d put together a compilation of “The best cars they never made” and they told you that these three cars were on the list, would you expect the Aero-X to be placed higher or lower than them?

Well, that link is Auto Express’s list and the concept cars listed above all placed higher on the list by virtue of the fact that Saab’s incredible Aero-X didn’t even make the list!!

How quickly these things can be forgotten.

This was the Aero-X at the Sydney Motor Show back in 2006:

As you can see, the centre console area was a distinct shade of green. It shows vaguely in this shot, but it was also quite foggy and to be honest, looked a little second-hand. Great design and idea, but the materials used probably didn’t have the longevity they envisaged at first.

It was intended to represent glass, but having sat in the car and looked at it closely it was more like a perspex type substance. It looked sensational, but just a little tired.

The Aero-X has recently been in Singapore, and I have a feeling that these photos from Flickr may have come from that event.

Go have a look at them all at the link above (I could look at the Aero-X all day) but the one that really caught my eye was this one, with a MUCH clearer looking centre console area in the car.

I have no advice that the Aero-X has actually had a re-fit, but I’m quite sure that’s not a photographic effect.

This is the new McLaren Mercedes SLR Supercar thingy….

…and it’s wheels look vaguely familiar, don’t they?

Not only is everyone turbocharging cars right up the yingyang nowadays whilst Saab’s still struggling for a profit, but now the turbine wheels they developed are being copied by McLaren.

At least I’d like to think so.

—–

Thanks Paul.

I’ve had two emails in the last 90 minutes or so from people saying that they’ve received their 1:43 scale models of the Aero-X.

John at Elkparts may still have a few left, but apparently Saab have sold out.

This one’s from Robbie, in Ireland, though it was Ann who has to be given credit for the great photography. She’s clicked off a few pictures and loaded them up on Flickr. Looks fantastic!

I’m pretty sure there’s not actually going to be any pimping of the real Aero-X going on here. There’d be a worldwide uprising!

Great exposure for the brand, though….

Since premiering at the 2006 Geneva Auto Show, Saab’s Aero X concept has been turning heads and making hearts race. Inspired by the General Motors division’s aviation heritage and Scandinavian roots, the vehicle was developed to showcase Saab’s future design direction. And now, it’s fueling flights of imagination on MTV.

The Aero X concept is lined up to be featured as an “inspiration vehicle” in the May 3 episode of the popular MTV program “Pimp My Ride.” Filmed at Galpin Auto Sports in North Hills, Calif., and hosted by recording artist and actor Xzibit, the show features complete makeovers of old vehicles. The refurbished vehicles feature over-the-top design schemes and a wide range of accessories.

“We wanted to feature the Saab Aero X on ‘Pimp My Ride’ because of its truly unique and inspirational design,” said Larry Hochberg, executive producer, MTV’s “Pimp My Ride.” “What Saab did with the Aero X is in the spirit of what we do – totally rethinking what a car can look like.”

“The Aero X concept signifies the future design direction of Saab,” said Steve Haener, national advertising and promotions manager, Saab Automobile USA. “The concept clearly communicates our aviation roots which provided the inspiration for our ‘Born from Jets’ campaign.”

The 9-2x is the prime mod-ready Saab for the MTV crowd. I don’t know if this episode of Pimp My Ride is going to feature any modded Saabs or just the Aero-X as an inspirational vehicle, but I’m sure there’d be some guys around with some warmed up Saaburus that’d love to show off their ride.

But why does that all sound a little unsettling to me as I read it back?

I mentioned a few days ago that the Aero-X would be making its way to Singapore soon for a display there.

Regular TS commenter Seth7even has managed to track down some more details given that he’s in the region (more on that in a moment).

From Seth:

I called the dealer in Singapore and here are the details:

The Aero-X will be showing from May 11-13. On May 11 there is a private showing, which I am not sure what it includes. May 13 was stated to be the public showing, inside the dealer showroom.

I further inquired about the private showing on May 11, and they said for access or information to email kimguan@eurokars.com.sg.

This is the dealer that is handling the event:

Saab, City Centre Showroom
12 Sungei Kadut Avenue, Singapore 729648
Ph : +65 6363 3003 ; Fax : +65 6369 3003

I wish I could make it to the event but I have friends visiting me at the time, so I don’t think it will be possible, unless I can persuade them to take a trip to Singapore .

I start persuading if I were you, Seth. The Aero-X is that good up close.

———

Seth’s on a 10 month work trip in Thailand and he also sent me this nice perspective piece on the Saab Club there:

I also wanted to tell you about the Saab Club of Thailand (www.saab-scot.com) since I didn’t see it listed on the blog.

I’m from the states, and I am spending 10 months in Thailand working. When I got here back in August I immediately searched for a Saab club and found these guys. They were very welcoming and invited me to one of their club meetings.

There were all sorts of Saabs there, from 9-5 Aeros to c900s. There was an abundant amount of ng900s, particularly because of a body kit that is widely available through the dealership there. It very closely resembles a Viggen kit, and since the Viggen was either extremely limited or unavailable in Thailand, this kit is highly desired.

If you poke around their forum (which is mostly in Thai which I can’t read) you can see those guys do a LOT of modifications to their cars, and they look fantastic. I also found the members to be very similar to club members I’ve met back home.. all independent, creative, and free thinking people. Saab enthusiasts are truly alike worldwide.

I attached two photos, one is a photo with the club founder and myself, they were generous enough to give me a T-shirt! The other is the engine bay of a ng900, apparently the fastest Saab in Thailand with around 450hp!

Great to hear – Saab fans truly are alike all around the world.

Here are Seth’s photos, and welcome to the sidebar, Saab-Scot.

—–