Saab History

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile Germany

As a follow-up to the Saab Friction Testers that were deployed at the Munich airport recently, it looks like Saab Automobile Germany is now really covering their “Born From Jets” roots hard with distinct advertising in the airport terminals of the Hamburg, Frankfurt and München international airports.

For those native German speakers, please click here for the full press release:

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Photo Credit: Saab France

Saab Automobile France showcases their new Lynx Yellow Saab 9-3 BioPower Convertible at the French Agriculture show. Please read about this below for those able to read French.

Le superéthanol, une solution disponible immédiatement

Saab, leader européen des constructeurs de véhicules au superéthanol, sera présent au Salon de l’Agriculture 2008. Plus que jamais, pour le constructeur suédois, la performance responsable passe par le superéthanol. Saab propose aujourd’hui toute sa gamme avec des motorisations BioPower fonctionnant à l’E85 (85% d’éthanol, 15% essence), en attendant d’autres futurs modèles. Un carburant en accord avec la nature, et avec le monde agricole pour lequel il offre de nouveaux débouchés.

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Image Credit: Saab History

As a follow-up to the posting I made back in November of 2006 on the logo history, it is about time that I compliment this information with the following on the correct capitalization and nomenclature of the models of the Saab Automobile brand. I hope this sheds some more light in our dialog about Saabs, SAABs and all of the great products that have been developed over the years.

I have provided a fairly well written piece already done on Wikipedia that I would like to articulate if I may regarding the correct capitalization and model nomenclature as a guide.

It is my hope that as a result of this posting, others will be able to better articulate their writing and speaking when referring to all of Saab’s products from 1947 until present. I also think that this posting will help to end search criteria that is typically entered in Google as follows: (SAAB 93 XWD, SAAB 92 ABS, Saab 94 Ski Rack, 2001 SAAB 95, 1999 93, etc.) If this search criteria was taken literally, as it should as google can only do just that, we would have had Cross Wheel Drive available in the late 1950’s, ABS in the late forties, and two long production runs for the SAAB Ninety Five and Ninety Three. Let’s hope that this clarifies this naming and model nomenclature once and for all.

1947-1969 (Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget)

The Company: When referring to the company in both written and oral communication where the products were produced between 1947 and 1969, it is proper to use SAAB in all capital letters to refer to these vehicles.

The Models: When referring to vehicles model nomenclature in both written and oral communication that were produced during this time, they are written and pronounced as 92 (Pronounced: Ninety Two), 92 (Pronounced: Ninety Three), 94 (Pronounced: Ninety Four), 95 (Pronounced: Ninety Five), 96 (Pronounced: Ninety Six), 97 (Pronounced: Ninety Seven)

1970-2000 (Saab-Scania)

* Note: Although the merger took place in 1990, the original products continued. (excluding NG900, 9-3 & 9-5)

The Company: When referring to the company in both written and oral communication where the products were produced between 1970 and 1990, it is proper & acceptable to refer to them as Saabs in lower case letters or Saab-Scania vehicles, also in lower case letters.

The Models: When referring to vehicles model nomenclature in both written and oral communication that were produced during this time, they are written and produced as 97 (Pronounced: Ninety Seven), 98 (Pronounced: Ninety Eight), 99 (Pronounced: Ninety Nine), 90 (Pronounced: Ninety), 900 (Pronounced: Nine Hundred), 9000 (Pronounced: Nine Thousand), 9-5 (Pronounced: Nine Five), NG900 (Pronounced: New Generation 900), 9-3 (Pronounced: Nine Three).

2001 - Present (Saab Automobile / General Motors)

The Company: When referring to the company in both written and oral communication where the products were produced between 2001 and the Present, it is proper & acceptable to refer to them as Saab in lower case letters and/or Saab Automobile / GM vehicles.

The Models: When referring to vehicles model nomenclature in both written and oral communication that were produced during this time, they are written and produced as 9-X (Pronounced: Nine X), 9-2x (Pronounced: Nine Two X), 9-3x (Pronounced: Nine Three X), 9-3 (Pronounced: Nine Three), 9-4x (Pronounced: Nine Four X), 9-5 (Pronounced: Nine Five), 9-7x (Pronounced: Nine Seven X)

I leave you with a brief summary from Saab Automobile’s entry from Wikipedia.

Saab / SAAB Correct Capitalization and Model Nomenclature:

While Saab is in fact an acronym, and, as with many other manufacturers, the word “SAAB” appears in all-capitals within the corporate emblem and in on-vehicle badging, the current correct capitalization of Saab when in print is “Saab,” and not “SAAB.”[citation needed] Other manufacturers such as Volvo, Toyota, Lexus, Acura, and Chevrolet employ the use of all-capitalized vehicle badging, but they are still considered proper names and capitalized as such when written. Likewise, Saab is treated as a proper name and not an acronym, despite its origins..”[citation needed]

Furthermore, all current Saab vehicles are badged with a large 9 and a smaller 3, 5, or 7x following the 9, such as “9³”. However, the digits are considered separate, and are spoken as, for example, “nine three,” and written as “9-3.” Nearly every Saab model ever produced has begun with the number 9 (Saab 600 being an exception), and Saab’s two models became 9-3 and 9-5 in the late 1990s, which was likely a marketing attempt at positioning the vehicles as direct competitors to the BMW 3-series and 5-series, respectively.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_Automobile

As a follow-up to the previous post on Genuine Saab parts, here is a nice nostalgic re-introduction. The old blue oil filters that Saab Automobile discontinued are now back thanks to the work of site Elkparts and the original company that used to manufactur these long-life oil filters. No more trips to the auto part stores or making phonecalls to Sweden to hunt these down any longer.

Here is the history with the Blue Saab Long-Life Oil Filter:

Saab stopped making the blue filter after many years - replaced by black filter which had better filtration

Saab owners wanted blue filter.

Saab allowed the manufacturer of the black (improved filter) to make them in blue to the Saab specification and paint them blue provided that they DID NOT have SAAB logo, word nor part number on it.

—

Below is the description from Elkparts about the Saab Long-Life Oil Filters.

The blue oil filter that fits all Saab four-cylinder petrol engines between 1967 and the present day (excluding Saab 9-3 Sport models from 2003 on).

Manufactured by the same company to manufacture Saab oil filters and to the same specification as Genuine Saab oil filters, this oil filter is the same in every respect except that the part number and the SAAB logotype were not permitted to be printed on the filter.

This blue oil filter is suitable for the following Saab 4-cyl petrol engines:

* Saab 95V4
* Saab 96V4
* Saab 99
* Saab 90
* Saab classic 900
* Saab 9000
* Saab GM900
* Saab 9-3
* Saab 9-5

Note: Not suitable for 9-3 Sports Saloon

To place an order, please click here Elkparts Oil Filters

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile

Forbes Auto has recently written an outstanding review on the 2008 Saab 9-3 Convertible titled “Fair and Foul-Weather Friend” that illustrates the capabilities that we have come to expect from Saab Automobile.

This is a great read, so please check it out here.

“The convertible comes with a particularly well-finished fabric top that provides ample protection from the elements, as you might expect from a country that endures severe winters.”
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This statement is true and reminds me of a great television ad done by the former advertising agency, Angotti, Thomas & Hedge Advertising agency that depicted a 1994 Saab Commemorative edition 900 convertible illustrating that the convertible has always been designed as a well-equipped “all season car”.

The new Saab 9-3 Television advertisement titled “Through Your Eyes” by Nina Kinert has now been made available from Lowe Brindfors in Sweden, the Global arm of Saab’s advertising. Enjoy.

This film, the second of two submitted, features the Saab 9-3 and is titled “Performance”.

This film, completed in 2002, focuses on turbocharging in a natural backdrop similiar to the previous film on safety.

Two new promotional videos have come recently been made available, thanks to a former public relations representative for Saab Cars, USA.

The first of the two promotional videos done in 2002 features the Saab 9-3 titled “Safety”. This film highlights areas such as “Controlled deformation, controlled Braking to other important areas in safety design”.

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile USA

This summer, Saab Automobile USA has been running their “Saab Summer Challenge” test-drive promotional sales campaign. As part of this campaign as I have shown recently, there have been a number of Saab Summer Challenge television advertisements that focus on comparisons to other automobile brands.

Here is another Saab Summer challenge advertisement that features the 2007 Saab 9-3 Convertible that has recently received Top Crash Test Honors by the IIHS in June.

For a video of this crash test by the IIHS, please take a look here at the crash test footage donated by the IIHS directly to Saab History.

Enjoy the advertisement below. For the remaining films, please take a look at them directly in the Saab Video archive that has recently hit 318 total videos for you to enjoy.

Photo Credit: Per Eklund Racing

Per Eklund, a legendary Saab rally driver and native to Sweden, continues to expand on his long history of rally driving behind the wheel of the SAAB 96 V4 in the early days to a Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan today.

I have included a well written bibliography of Per Eklunds rally history referenced from his website as well as a historical rally history timeline that will act as an evolving work in progress as Per Eklund’s history continues to be written.

Per Eklund
How it all started.

Per Eklund began competing in local rally tournaments three weeks after his 18th birthday for it was only then when he could get a drivers license. Before his eighteenth birthday he rode as a co-driver/navigator for his father Torsten and his brother Lars. Those first years Per competed in cars that he found and could afford. His very first competition car was a Volvo PV 544, it was his fathers driving school car.

The first car which he owned himself was a used 1955 Volkswagen. His second car was a Saab 93 with a two stroke motor. In 1967 he bought a new Saab V4, with which he competed in the district Championship in rally. Up until 1968 Per belonged to a small but promising group of young drivers who got to purchase race cars direct from the Saab factory in Trollhättan. He won his first big race in a Saab 96 V4, during the 1969 season (Norska Vinterrallyt).

The year following he received additional support from Saab and was included in the Saab Factory team until 1979. Among Per’s victories during these years some of the greater placements were first place in the World Championships race in the Swedish Rally (Svenska Rallyt) in 1976, another two wins in Norway (Vinterrallyt 1971 and Firestone 1972) as well as victories in the Dutch Texaco Rally 1972. During his days with Saab Per Eklund also made some good placements in the World Championships races in Finland (Tusen Sjöars Rally), Austrian Alp rally and Great Britain RAC-rally.

At the same time that he drove Rally Per also began to drive Rallycross on both national and international levels. His Rallycross career thus began even as the sport was introduced in 1971. Per had already tried Rallycross in 1969 in a Dutch competition where he drove a specially tuned Saab (this car had belonged to Pat Moss-Erik Carlsson). Per also won the very first Swedish Rallycross tournament 1971 in Hedemora.

He and his teammate Stig Blomqvist were during the following year a main attraction in the Dutch TV-broadcasted Championships as well as in the European Championships in Rallycross. When Saab stopped their participation in the World Championships in rally, Per Eklund was immediately offered a place on many of Europe’s rally teams. His first assignment was to develop and compete in a Fiat Ritmo for the Italian carproducer. Per had similar assignments with Volkswagen, which launched Golf GTI at that time. British Triumph as well as Japanese Datsun/Nissan and Toyota also became one of Per’s employers during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Source: Per Eklund Racing