Saab Museum liquidating all vehicles as everything must go

As part of its restructuring after bankruptcy, Swedish automaker Saab is liquidating its world-famous museum in Trollhattan, including all 123 cars contained within it. This means some very valuable, collectible, and one-off prototypes will be entering private collections soon.

Failing to bring new investment, Saab filed for bankruptcy in December, although limited production was until only recently still underway and warranties are still being covered by former owner General Motors. As the company struggles to restructure, analysts expect that it will not return to business once current production runs are complete. The announcement that the automaker's historic museum is going to be liquidated only solidifies that expectation.

There are 126 automobiles in the museum, all of which are now up for grabs. The collection includes the first car Saab ever made, the 92001 UrSaab, as well as several one-off designs and concepts such as the 2006 Aero-X with its fighter plane looks. Despite the company's failure, it has a huge cadre of fans worldwide that will no doubt be clamoring to get their hands on some of the historical innovations in the company's museum.

The Swedish law firm, Delphi, is handling the liquidation and will take offers on museum pieces until January 20 at which point the remaining inventory that hasn't been purchased will be auctioned sometime next month.

Some cars of note in the Saab Museum inventory include the 1946-47 UrSaab, the company's first production car, which sports one of he most aerodynamic shells ever conceived. The 1959 Saab 93 "Monster" is another car of note in the museum, being a lightweight car with a worlds-first dual-engine configuration (two 748cc combined) to give the car 100 horsepower of engineering innovation. Both Saab Formula Juniors (1 and 2) are also in the collection as is the 1967 Saab 96 Monte Carlo V4 which used to be owned by Prince Bertil of Sweden.

Some electric vehicles ahead of their time, including the 1976 Saab-Scania Electric Postal Van. The 1981 Saab 900 Turbo "Silver Beast" car featured in three James Bond novels and specifically built to match descriptions (including gadgets) from the 1981 novel License Renewed by John Gardner. The 1997 Saab 900 Talladega Challenge car is also in the collection as is the 4 millionths Saab ever built, the 2006 9-3 Sport Combi.

The 126 autos along with many items of memorabilia will be sold to cover liquidations costs and debts. Ever want to own a low-mileage, factory-perfect Saab collector car? Maybe a 1977 Saab 99 Multikross prototype camping van? Or the really cool (not street legal) 1988 Saab 9000 T16 with joystick controls? This may be your last chance.