Saab 900 Turbo

The Saab 900 Turbo was James Bond's vehicle of choice in three John Gardner Bond novels of the 1980s, starting with License Renewed (1981), which was published to great critical acclaim. In the book the car is silver colored, even though it is sometimes black or red on some of the bookcovers. The vehicle got the nickname the "Silver Beast" in the followup Gardner novel, For Special Services (1982) and was once more featuring in Icebreaker (1983).

The Saab is Bond's personal property, and not provided by Q-Branch. Bond himself has the Saab customized to his liking by security and counter-surveillance experts, Communication Control Systems, Ltd. (CCS), now called Security Intelligence Technology Group. This company did actually exist and advised author John Gardner with ideas about feasible gadgets to be used.

Bond's Saab 900 Turbo, 3-door version, is fully loaded with the following features:

• Water-cooled turbo engine modification per Saab Law Enforcement specs, producing a top speed in excess of 170 MPH
• Modified fuel system capable of running on petrol or gasohol
• Halon 12 fire extinguishing system and fire-proofing
• Digital Head-Up Display
• Remote text-messaging system via black box phone hook up to landline
• Mobile phone
• Four external tear gas ducts
• A filter to neutralise deadly gas entering the car's passenger cabin
• Oxygen masks under the seats in CO2-operated compartment
• Several hidden compartments in dashboard containing TH70 Nitefinder goggles (for driving without headlights), grenades, one unauthorized Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum revolver and one Browning automatic handgun
• Fully armor-plated body
• Bulletproof glass
• Steel-reinforced ramming bumpers back and front
• Heavy-duty Dunlop Denovos tires, self-sealing even after being hit by bullets
• Black leather upholstery Side gunport
• Remote starter kit
• Rotating license plates
• Air Conditioning
• Cruise Control
• Two halogen fog lamps
• A fully built in sound system
• Aircraft headlight hidden behind front license plate

In 1982 Saab constructed a unique real 900 Turbo with the gadgets exactly as described in License Renewed. This 900 included a specially developed turbo changed engine with water injection, increasing the power to 240 BHP from 2000cc and the car launched from 0 - 60 Mph in less than 7 seconds. After Saab went bankrupt in 2011, the car was put on auction in January 2012 as part of a big auction of the cars of the Saab museum.