Saab was always apart from other car manufacturers. At first, the company produced aeroplanes, but the end of the Second World War prompted it to look for other sources of income. That’s how building cars came in. Even if Saab’s car business went bankrupt in 2011, enthusiasm for the brand is still thriving. For many enthusiasts, a trip to Trolhättan and a museum visit is a real pilgrimage getting back to Saab’s roots.
That’s just what we did last July, at the wheel of a 1991 Saab 900i. Having not been driven since 2000, the car proved very practical, comfortable and enjoyable on a more than 4,000 km journey back to where it was born in Sweden as well as in Norway. When the brand went bankrupt in 2011, the museum almost disappeared and the collection was to be sold at auction. The local authorities acted and made sure the museum didn’t disappear, aware as they were of the town’s heritage and what the Saab collection represents for it. Today, it is part of a large museum complex of which it is the flagship. Admittedly, compared with other car museums, it’s small and the cars could be displayed in a more modern way, as you can see from the photos.
It was at the wheel of a Saab 900 of this type that our automobile historian visited the Saab museum in Trolhättan last summer…
Nevertheless, the Saab Museum is alive and gathers vehicles that demonstrate Saab’s know-how and many different ideas that made it to production: front-wheel drive, aerodynamic shapes, turbocharging… Saab always showed great ingenuity to compensate a lack of money to develop projects. Whether you like it or not, Saab is certainly one of the most remarkable brands in automotive history. Many cars are still alive, delighting enthusiasts whom would never want to part with them. Some even have stratospheric mileage and keep going. For example, Saab club Netherland has more than 3,500 members and there are more than 38,000 cars still on the road in the country. A small network of about ten former dealers are still active and former prime minister Mark Rutte, continues to use a 1999 9-3… ! So much for a real sense of thriftiness and conservation, not getting in electric cars hype and forced destruction. Here are some pictures that could inspire you to take a trip to the land of Trolls. (Text and photos: Dimitri Urbain)
Saab was first and foremost an aircraft manufacturer and nowadays the company still produces them as well as military equipment. Cars were introduced at the end of the Second World War to diversify the company’s peacetime activities.
Ur-Saab, the very first Saab car! Its aerodynamic wing-shaped profile is instantly recognisable. Numbered 92, three prototypes were assembled in 1946-47. Its 18 bhp 692 cm3 engine was inspired by the DKW two-stroke lump and it was good for 100 km/h top speed. It was designed by a team of ten aeronautical engineers, and its lines were the work of Sixten Sasson. The Swedish designer also worked for Ericsson and Electrolux. He would go on to design every Saab up to the 99 !
As well as cars, Saab also tried building boats to diversify its products after the war. This is the 1947 Saalina.
The production Saab 92 came out in 1950 and was only available in green ! Back in the day, it was a real UFO and only 700 examples were produced during the first year. An engineer’s car, it was ahead of its time in many respects: aerodynamic and high-performance, it made its mark and found a modest but dedicated customer base who accepted there was no boot external access !1956 Sonett Super Sport, the first of its kind. Developed by the brand’s engineers in their spare time, it was an aluminium monocoque fitted with a tuned 93 engine developing 57 bhp instead of 33.The lines of the polyester body were penned by Sixten Sason. It weighs just 500kg and reaches up 100 MPH. Six examples were assembled, but a change in sporting regulations ended the project and Saab switched to a racing 93 project.A Saab single-seater? This one is a formula Junior. A new championship intended for drivers building their own single seater and using mass-produced engines was launched in 1959. Very quickly, Cooper, Lotus, Osca… monopolised the victories. Nevertheless, in 1960, Saab engineers with a dedicated interest in racing developed this single-seater fitted with a 3-cylinder 2-stroke engine driving the front wheels, just like a production car! The front axle bearing 70 % of the weight, it proved a real handful and understeered too much. Two cars were built and ran for a few years, Erik Carlsson even raced one.« The Monster » is this 93’s nickname : it has a six-cylinder engine made up of two three-cylinders lumps! Together, they developed just over 100 bhp for 1,500 cm3. On its first outing, it reached 196 km/h, but its handling in corners was not good and the gearbox failed, bringing work to a halt.Erik Carlsson was ‘Mr Saab’… he was very fast and did wonders at the wheel of the little 93s, even if several of them ended up on the roof! Given their aerodynamic shape, they glided over the snow without being too badly damaged. Along with Gunnar Palm they won the 1963 Monte Carlo Rally with this car.MFI 13 was designed by swedish designer Björn Karlström. Back in the 1950s, he wanted to produce a small sports car using Saab powertrains. MFI or Malmö Flygindustri was interested and backed the project. MFI 13 project was launched in 1964 with Saab’s support. The first car’s steel body was subsequently used as a mould for fibreglass ones. Saab liked the car and preferred it to Sixten Sason’s Catherina prototype. It became the Sonett II or Saab 97 and got into production in less than six months. This prototype was fitted with a three carburettors engine and reached 90 MPH top speed.By the early 1960s, Sixten Sason was Saab’s official designer but he was still freelancing and designed this small coupe for his personnal use. At the same time, plans were afoot to assemble a 96-based sportscar. Work began in 1963 at ASJ’s factory, a company specialising in… railway equipment and based in Katrineholm, Sweden. That’s where Catherina, the car’s name came from. The final version was presented on 24th April 1965 ; It featured a removable Targa style roof, but it needed more development… Eventually Saab prefered put MFI 13 into production.Sonett III, 1973 is a Coggiola retaining the body middle section and doors of its forerunner, the 1966 Sonett II. It’s more practical with a bigger luggage compartment that was also easier to access. It was launched in 1970 and featured the 96 V4 Ford engine from the 96. Production ended in 1974, after 10,219 examples had been built. Most were sold in the USA.In 1975 and 1976, Saab’s aeronautics division used 99 parts to assemble two examples of this small electric van. It was a project for Sweden’s Post Office. Range was about 40 miles. This one was tested over about 5,000 miles but at the time the group’s automotive division didn’t want it and the experiment remained a one-off… until Saab was taken over by NEVS, willing to turn it into an electric only car producer.Per Eklund’s 1976 96 V4 of 1976 in which he won Rally of Sweden after an epic battle with Stig Blomqvist at the wheel of an identical car. Back then, it was already out of date, but Saab continued to develop it to support sales of the production model. Its 1740 cm3 bored and stroked engine produced 165 bhp !The turbocharged 99 went racing as soon as it came out in 1978. Producing 145 bhp in stock version, the rally car’s power increased to 240 bhp and torque was 369 Nm at 3,500 rpm. Blomqvist won Rally of Sweden but by the early 1980s it was unfortunately no longer able to compete with the Group B cars and the Saab company ended its rally involvment in 1981. Therefore, this is the last and most powerful Saab rally car ever.Two years after the 99 had been launched, a new half-coupe- half estate 96 « X14 project » was in the pipeline to complement the 99 Combi Coupe. Coggiola’s 98 prototype was based on a 95 estate car but eventually Saab’s management called it a day.1985 Saab 900 Turbo 16 EV-1 was built as a test-bed for various concepts and parts in real-life situations. The car was and is still roadworthy and road-legal but was never intended to be a prototype of a future production car. It is a Björn Envall design. The upper part of the car is made of glass and the roof includes solar pannels powering fans inside the cabin when the car is parked in the sun. The bumpers are made of synthetic material with shape memory. Both the running gear and the powertrain were adapted from the contemporary 900 turbo. Power is rated at 285 bhp and top speed is 167 MPH! For the record, the seats were inspired… by the ones in the Pigs in Space’s spaceship from the Muppets show !In 1986, Saab wanted to expand 900 sales, adding an estate to the range. Nilsson Special Vehicles AB built two elegant prototypes for testing but the project stopped. Both have survived : one of them is in the museum and the other is in Holland.The Saab 9-3 X 4WD prototype mixes coupe lines with estate versatility and uses a 280 bhp V6. It was launched at the 2002 Detroit Motor Show and announced the current SUV fad while its rear end was used on the 9-3 estate.The Aero X AWD prototype was launched at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show and was intended to explore new design trends. The engine is an ethanol-fueled 2800cc producing no less than 400bhp and a 500Nm torque mated to a 7-speed gearbox.For many years, the Saab cabriolet had little competition, accommodating 4 people and their luggage easily and with great comfort. This 9-3 was the last generation available.The 9-5 NG estate arrived too late, when the brand went bust… Like its saloon sibling, it was based on the first generation Opel Insigna. It was introduced at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show but only about thirty examples were made. Even today, it remains quite modern and has an elegant design. 27 cars were auctioned for about €50,000 each after Saab went bust.
