Saab Blue Spirit

The Saab Blue Spirit was an experimental car built in 1984 for the Swedish car maker Saab, after the rules were changed so that radically rebuilt cars could be taken into traffic if they passed the Swedish vehicle inspection requirements. It was based on a silver 1976 Saab 99 EMS and was rebuilt by Leif Mellberg in Nykoping under Saab's project leader Bertil Gustafsson. It drew attention above all for its gull-wing doors, and a film company documented the rebuilding. Within Saab's passenger car division, which at that time was located in Nykoping, the car was mostly known by the working name the custom car, and the name Blue Spirit came from a naming competition. It was first painted bone white with blue V-shaped stripes and registered as JKT 357. After Saab sold it the car was repainted and later given another registration number, and it is in private ownership.