The interesting, wild and often obscure treasures of the Saab museum

We shouldn't instrumentality the Saab depository for granted.

The Swedish Enforcement Authority seized the full postulation successful September 2011 and announced plans to auction it disconnected 1 car astatine a clip to wage Saab's creditors. Trollhättan (Saab’s location town), defence institution Saab AB and the Wallenberg Memorial Trust invested millions of dollars to support the cars nether 1 extortion and prevention the museum, ensuring aboriginal generations tin observe the illustrious past of 1 of the automotive industry’s astir respected underdogs.

From the oldest 900 near to a Corvette-powered SUV, present are immoderate of the gems and hidden treasures displayed successful the Saab museum:

92 (1950)

Saab made its archetypal series-produced car, the 92, successful 1950. It came with a two-cylinder two-stroke motor that sent 25hp to the beforehand wheels done a three-speed manual transmission with a free-wheeling function. Front-wheel thrust and a amazingly aerodynamic plan inspired by aviation made the 92 1 of the astir cutting-edge cars successful its segment. The basal plan lasted until 1980.

Sonett (1956)

It didn’t instrumentality agelong for Saab to task into the satellite of sports cars. Rolf Mellde, 1 of the firm’s motor developers, built the archetypal Sonett successful a barn with assistance from friends and chap engineers. Saab planned to marque 2000 units and wanted to contention the car crossed Europe but caller regulations allowed the firm to vie with a modified accumulation car instead. Saab happily took this much cost-effective way and canned the Sonett project.

The bluish illustration pictured present is the 5th of six Sonetts made. It’s powered by a two-stroke three-cylinder motor tuned to deliver 57hp. Saab notes the accumulation variant would person besides offered a little almighty motor for buyers seeking a touring roadster, not an all-out sports car.

Monstret (1959)

Saab’s quest for rally domination led it to fuse a brace of three-cylinder engines to make a two-stroke straight-six. Engineers shoe-horned the 138hp six transversally successful an different stock-looking 93. To adhd context, the 93 sold to regular motorists successful 1959 shipped with a 33hp engine.

Monstret (1959)

Saab thoroughly overlooked regulations during the improvement process. It couldn’t find a contention bid consenting to springiness its bonkers prototype a spot connected the starting grid truthful the twin-engined 93 ne'er raced. It indispensable person near rather an content connected the firm’s intrepid test drivers, however, due to the fact that it earned the nickname Monstret – ‘monster’ successful Swedish.

Sonett II (1966)

Saab introduced its archetypal coupe, the Sonett II, successful 1966. Engineers followed astir the aforesaid look arsenic erstwhile they created the archetypal Sonett a decennary earlier: they took an existing chassis, installed a high-performance motor and dropped a integrative assemblage implicit it.

Early on, the Sonett II utilized a 60hp three-cylinder motor from the Monte Carlo 850. Saab made 258 examples in this configuration earlier replacing the two-stroke triple with a V4 successful 1967.

99 electrical van (1976)

In 1976, decades earlier the word ‘electrification’ became a selling buzzword successful the car industry, Saab alchemized a humble 99 into a boxy, battery-powered transportation van for Sweden’s postal service. Engineers mounted the artillery battalion nether the rider compartment. It could beryllium removed for attraction by utilizing a purpose-built cart. Saab tested the van extensively but ne'er moved guardant with plans to mass-produce it.

99 Turbo (1977)

The 99 Turbo played a important relation successful forging Saab’s representation arsenic a purveyor of show cars. Forced induction fto the institution compression 145hp from the 99’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, an awesome statistic during the 1970s. The steadfast had geopolitics connected its side, too. It launched the 99 Turbo successful an epoch erstwhile rising substance prices connected some sides of the Atlantic created an unprecedented request for cars that delivered some show and substance economy.

Saab displayed the illustration successful its depository astatine the 1977 Frankfurt car show. It wears achromatic pearl lacquer overgarment and its interior is upholstered successful two-tone brownish leather, 2 options ne'er offered connected the regular-production car.

900 GLE (1979)

The 99 evolved into the 900, 1 of Saab’s astir fashionable models, successful 1978. Saab extended the beforehand portion of the car to obtain more abstraction successful the motor bay and lengthened the wheelbase to marque the interior roomier. That was conscionable the commencement of the 900 story. The steadfast aboriginal expanded the line-up with respective assemblage styles, including a convertible, and turned the show dial up by respective notches with versions similar the SPG and the Aero.

Saab built 908,817 examples of the 900 betwixt 1978 and 1993. The American-spec illustration pictured wears chassis fig 17. It’s the oldest 900 left, according to Saab's archives department, unless there's an earlier 1 stashed distant successful a barn successful agrarian Sweden.

96 V4 (1980)

Saab closed a agelong section successful its past erstwhile it built the past 96 (pictured) on 8 January 1980. The exemplary straight traced its roots to the firm’s archetypal car, the 92 introduced successful 1950, though it was much modern successful astir each way. Saab built 730,607 examples of the 92, 93 and 96 during an unusually agelong 30-year accumulation run.

900 Safari (1981)

In the aboriginal 1980s, Saab directed buyers seeking ample abstraction for radical and cogwheel towards the four-door hatchback variant of the 900. The steadfast showed nary involvement successful pursuing rivals Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and BMW into the booming presumption wagon conception truthful Swedish coachbuilder Nilssons stepped successful to capable the gap.

900 Safari (1981)

Nilssons extended the 900’s extortion sheet and added raked d-pillars to springiness the Safari a cohesive, well-proportioned design. It looked overmuch sportier than Volvo’s boxy 245. Only a tiny fistful of examples were built, including the like-new 1981 illustration displayed successful the Saab museum. Saab yet entered the conception erstwhile introduced the 9-5 SportCombi successful 1998.

900 Cabriolet (1983)

Saab remembers it considered two options when it started processing the 900 Cabriolet successful the aboriginal 1980s. The archetypal 1 was based connected the 900 hatchback and fitted with a targa-style roof. The American Sunroof Company designed the 2nd enactment arsenic a afloat convertible with a retractable cloth brushed top. Saab chose the second connection and introduced it arsenic a prototype (pictured) during the 1983 Frankfurt car show.

EV-1 (1985)

Unveiled successful 1985, the 285hp EV-1 explored what the sports car of the aboriginal could look like. Saab kept value successful cheque by gathering the coupe utilizing then-revolutionary composite materials similar c fiber. Its designers penned a strikingly aerodynamic silhouette with a greenhouse made of tinted glass. Solar panels embedded successful the extortion powered the aerial conditioning strategy successful bid to chill the compartment adjacent if the car spent hours parked successful the Arizona sun.

Saab built the EV-1 connected a 900 Turbo chassis arsenic a exertion demonstrator and ne'er earnestly considered adding it to its line-up.

9000 Aero (1996)

The 9000 Aero made headlines aft breaking screen during the 1992 Paris car show. It wasn’t conscionable an updated 9000; Saab proudly presented the exemplary arsenic its fastest car ever. Power came from a four-cylinder motor turbocharged to marque an autobahn-storming 225hp. Model-specific parts wrong and retired (including 4 bucket seats) helped the Aero basal retired from lesser 9000s.

9-3 Viggen (1999)

Saab again tried beating the Germans astatine their ain crippled with the 9-3 Viggen, a high-performance exemplary launched successful 1999. Staying existent to tradition, Saab fitted the Viggen with a turbocharged four-cylinder motor tuned to present 225hp to the beforehand wheels. On paper, it dazzled enthusiasts with its enviable specifications. Behind the wheel, it startled them with an awesome display of understeer.

Saab’s American part suggested Viggen buyers instrumentality an intensive driving people connected the Road Atlanta way to larn however to safely flirt with the car’s limits. It included the two-day program with each purchase. Only astir 30% of buyers took the course.

SVC (1999)

Though it looks similar a run-of-the-mill 9-5, the SVC is simply a high-tech trial mule fitted with a supercharged 1.6-liter five-cylinder engine. Its compression ratio is afloat adjustable; it’s higher erstwhile cruising connected the road for improved substance system and little erstwhile the gait picks up connected a twisty roadworthy to present amended performance. In 1999, Saab quoted a strong 225hp output and promised diesel-like substance economy.

Saab could person go 1 of Autocar’s groundbreakers but its five-cylinder engine never reached wide production. Instead, Nissan’s Infiniti part became the archetypal institution to bring adaptable compression ratio exertion to the marketplace with the VC-T engine, which made its mode into assorted Nissans and Infinitis, starting successful 2017.

9-2X (2004)

Subaru and Saab concisely cohabitated nether the General Motors umbrella. Executives saw a cheap, casual accidental to leverage Subaru’s other accumulation capableness successful bid to springiness Saab income a much-needed boost successful North America. The 9-2X was small much than an Impreza hatchback with a Saab-esque beforehand extremity and insignificant chassis tweaks.

The Linear exemplary used the Impreza’s 165hp 2.5-liter flat-four engine. The top-spec Aero variant benefited from the WRX’s turbocharged, 227hp 2.0-liter four. Both came with Subaru’s wintertime weather-defeating all-wheel thrust system.

Subaru’s works successful Japan made 10,346 examples of the 9-2X alongside the Impreza for the 2005 and 2006 exemplary years. Most of the accumulation tally went to the United States but a tiny fistful of cars ended up connected the Canadian market. Saab ne'er sold the 9-2X successful Europe.

9-7X (2004)

Saab introduced the 9-7X astatine the 2004 New York car amusement successful bid to surf the SUV wave. The Griffin emblem up beforehand fooled nary one; it took lone a speedy glimpse to archer the 9-7X was yet different variant of the GMT360 platform that besides spawned the Buick Rainier, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, the GMC Envoy, the Isuzu Ascender, the Oldsmobile Bravada and, oddly, the Chevrolet SSR.

Saab showed a astonishing magnitude of foresight erstwhile it launched a sporty Aero variant of the 9-7X powered by a 6.0-liter V8 with 390hp on tap. Other versions of this motor besides powered the Chevrolet TrailBlazer SS, the Pontiac GTO and the Chevrolet Corvette. Stuffing a large-displacement American V8 successful a big, burly SUV successful the midst of a crippling economical downturn was astir arsenic productive arsenic opening a Chipotle franchise connected the moon. The 9-7X did small to crook astir Saab’s fortunes and retired aft the 2009 exemplary year.

9-5 (2010)

Saab learned from past mistakes and enactment a tremendous magnitude of effort into making the second-generation 9-5 competitive. It shared its level and galore mechanical components with the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia but it wore a brand-specific design. Saab took the 9-5 upmarket by offering features similar a head-up display, adaptive cruise power and postulation motion recognition.

The 9-5 went connected merchantability successful June 2010. Sales ended successful March 2011 aft Saab made 11,280 units.

9-4X (2010)

Saab presented the 9-4X astatine the 2010 Los Angeles car show. It shared its level with the Cadillac SRX but Saab wisely avoided blatant badge-engineering. Though the 9-4X entered a booming conception of America’s caller car market, it arrived acold excessively precocious to prevention the marque from collapse. Only 814 examples were built successful General Motors’ Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, mill earlier Saab filed for bankruptcy.

9-3 Independence Edition (2011)

Holland-based Spyker optimistically celebrated the one-year day of Saab’s independency from General Motors by releasing a limited-edition 9-3 convertible named Independence Edition. It made 366 examples of the car, 1 for each time of the twelvemonth and an further 1 to people the commencement of the 2nd year. Every Independence Edition came painted successful a shadiness chosen arsenic a tribute to the Dutch flag, according to Spyker, and rode connected model-specific alloy wheels.

The 9-3 convertible Independence Edition made its debut connected 23 February 2011. Saab filed for bankruptcy connected 19 December 2011.

9-3 Retroturbo (2017)

Saab's existent owner, National Electric Vehicles Sweden (NEVS), built this one-of-a-kind 9-3 successful 2017 to observe the 99 Turbo's 40th birthday. Powered by a 260hp turbo four, the 9-3 received throwback badges and a modern mentation of the emblematic Inca alloy instrumentality design. Saab's proprietor NEVS though repeatedly said that this 9-3 won’t scope production, and successful immoderate lawsuit NEVS itself closed down successful 2024.

For much accusation astir the Saab museum, delight sojourn its website:

https://saabcarmuseum.se/en/