Saab went out of business in 2011. While many dealers for the brand transitioned to selling other automobiles, this shop in France didn't. Judging from what these urban explorers found, the place closed suddenly because the operators abandoned around 20 cars in various states of repair.
The Saab dealer opened in 1972, and the same family ran a Husqvarna store that shared the same building. Two brothers primarily ran the businesses. The company allegedly started encountering problems when one of the brothers became ill.
Unfortunately, these folks are not the first ones to explore this abandoned dealer. Less scrupulous people broke windows and stole parts from the vehicles.
The main showroom has two 9-3s and a 9-5 there. Other than the missing pieces and broken windows, these cars seem restorable.
Garbage is all over the various offices. It looks like people ripped things apart looking for valuables. The brochures and dealer artwork are still present but have significant sun fading. One wall even has the available paint samples and upholstery offerings.
An even bigger surprise is in the workshop because more cars are in there, not just Saabs but also Citroen, Peugeot, and Renault models. There are several Saab 9000s, which could date from as late as 1998. Saab began building this model in 1984.
A handful of the cars in the workshop appeared to have avoided damage from looters. There's dust all over them, but there are plenty of YouTube channels that specialize in cleaning vehicles that are far worse than this. Some fresh fluids might even be enough to get them on the road again.
The workshop also has various spare parts, like at least one engine block. A Saab specialist would likely consider this a treasure trove between the cars and the components. As donors, these pieces could keep many 9-3s, 9-5s, and 9000s on the road.
After the Saab automaker went out of business, the company NEVS bought the factory and what was left of the brand. It intended to produce an electric version of the 9-3 but built a few combustion-powered versions using the remaining parts.
