Saab introduced the last generation of the 900 lineup in 1994 and made the car available with a canvas roof for those who enjoyed driving with a clear sky above them.
General Motors owned the Swedish automaker in those times, but Saab was not an excellent asset in profitability. But GM needed a premium brand on the European continent, and the Germans from Opel were not fit for that. And, like any other premium brand, it had to offer a drop-top version. Just like its sedan and coupe stablemates, the Cabrio was built on top of the same platform that supported the Opel Vectra.
The aerodynamic look of the car was linked to the carmaker's heritage in the aircraft industry. It featured that slim front fascia with a grille that resembled an aircraft flanked by two side intakes. The thick front A-pillars also served as safety arches protecting the occupants during a roll-over crash. In the back, the short deck also hosted the storage area for the canvas roof when that was retracted.
Inside the cabin, Saab installed a pair of high-bolstered seats at the front and a bench in the back. Since this was pushed forward to make room for the ragtop, the legroom was limited. So it's safe to say it was mostly a two-passenger vehicle, with some storage area behind the front occupants. Still, the Swedish engineers created a unique-looking dashboard, with the center stack incorporated into the same big dashboard element that also hosted the instrument cluster. As usual, the ignition was between the front seats, next to the hand brake and the gearstick.
Under the hood, Saab installed a choice of three inline-four engines developed by the Swedish brand and a 2.5-liter V-6 carried over from General Motors.