For nearly twenty years, Saab enthusiasts asked the same question. What happened to the brand’s wildest creation? A futuristic coupe, a glasshouse cockpit reminiscent of a fighter jet, a 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6, and fuel from pure ethanol. Unveiled in Geneva in 2006, it subsequently faded from show floors and from stolen photos.
We’ve finally learned the hiding place of this phantom concept. Its second example has just reappeared at the Sloan Museum of Discovery, in Flint, Michigan. It would have spent nearly twenty years in the discreet orbit of General Motors. The museum notes that the car “had not been seen in public since 2006.” A line that’s enough to rekindle the legend of the Saab Aero X and to intrigue fans. Because the story doesn’t end at the museum, with a Reddit inquiry and a replica built in a Swedish garage.
Saab Aero X, Saab’s manifesto turned mystery
Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2006, the Saab Aero X was meant to embody Saab’s future. The concept boasted a supercar silhouette, a single-piece glasshouse like an airplane cockpit, and a 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6. The engine ran on bioethanol E100 and drove all four wheels. The automatic transmission boasted seven gears, and the carbon fiber body kept the weight to roughly 1,500 kg. The company claimed 0 to 60 mph in about 4.9 seconds, with a electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).
If you’re in or around around Michigan, stop by the Sloane Museum
of Discovery.
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The concept didn’t win over only fans. In 2006, Autocar awarded it the “Concept Car of the Year” prize. “Aero X takes design cues Saab is known for and shows how they can be integrated into a modern automotive architecture in a very convincing way, including in a 400‑horsepower supercar,” explained Chas Hallet, Autocar’s editor-in-chief, quoted by CarUp. “We’re extremely proud of this award. The Saab Aero X is far more than a concept car. It sets Saab’s design direction for the future,” said Bryan Nesbit, then GM’s design chief, as quoted by CarUp. Despite this momentum, Saab later headed toward bankruptcy, and the Aero X joined the Saab Car Museum in Trollhättan. “It’s said that two examples of this model were built. The first was a mock‑up to verify it worked, then a real car,” explains Ola Persson, a Saab enthusiast, to CarUp. The drivable car has resided in Trollhättan’s museum for a long time, but the other example remained missing.
A Saab Aero X hidden for twenty years at Flint’s Sloan Museum
It took a simple Reddit post to steer fans toward the other Saab Aero X. A user wrote, “If you’re in Michigan or the surrounding area, swing by the Sloan Museum of Discovery,” attaching photos of a familiar white concept car. The Sloan Museum of Discovery then confirmed that it was indeed an Aero X. The museum notes that it had not been shown to the public since 2006. “I saw a photo of it about a week ago. It’s sparked a lot of talk. It’s the car that no one has seen, but everyone is talking about,” recalls Ola Persson. What’s revealed is that GM has been watching over this Swedish relic all along, far from the eyes of European fans.
While the American prototype stood in the shadows, a Swede took on the task of reviving the Aero X on open roads. In his Borensberg garage, in Östergötland, Ola Persson built a practically perfect drivable replica of Saab’s supercar. “We started by making a plaster mold out of polystyrene. We found that it worked well, and we began building a real version,” he explains. He documents the progress on Instagram, and each new photo drives Saab fans into a frenzy. “There’s actually a lot of interest, I’ll say that,” Persson smiles. His car is almost ready. It sounds and drives like a Saab and will soon be the only Aero X to leave the museums. The two museum specimens, in Trollhättan and Flint, will remain there to remind the world what Saab dreamed of becoming.
