Photo Credit: Saab History

The Saab Sighting of the week this week was captured this past weekend in New Hampshire during a parade.

As the parade began, I was delightfully surprised a new generation Saab 900 SE, leading the pack (naturally fitting for Saab).

The Saab Convertible seems to be a given for parades in my opinion, top down, first in line, nice to see so many others think the same way!

 
I have just received an ad created for the U.K. market that features the 1995 Saab NG 900 “Sensonic” technology. The ad shows Saab Automobile U.K.’s campaign slogan at the time “Saab, beyond the conventional”.
 
Is it me, or did I rarely see the sensonic NG 900 models here in the United States? Anyone with more knowledge on this, I would greatly appreciate your input here!
 
This video now brings the Saab History video archive to 454 films, enjoy!
 

Photo Credit: Barret Jackson

At 4:00pm yesterday in Scottsdale, Arizona, the 1995 Saab NG 900 Pikes Peak Car sold for $8470.00 at the Barret Jackson Auction house.

I mentioned this vehicle back on December 19th, and I hope it’s the last Saab USA Heritage Collection car to be sold.

I hope that this car makes its way to its rightful owners, either the Saab Automobile museum in Sweden or the Rocky Mountain Saab Club who are hosting the 2009 Saab Owners Convention nearby Pikes Peak Colorado.

At this time, I have no idea who purchase the car, but I hope to find out soon.

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile

The new generation Saab 900 Convertible debuted in 1995 as a continuation of the model lineup from the NG 900 that debuted a year earlier.

The NG900 Convertible is more than 70% more structurally ridid than the previous 900 convertible and was also styled by Einar Hariede and built in Uusikaupunki, Finland.

The fisrt year for the production of the convertible took place in 1995, a year after the last 900 convertible, and the production for the ng 900 convertible ended in 1998.

This model for Saab came equipped with the following specifications:

Read more »

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile

The new generation Saab 900 debuted in July of 1993 in Trollhattan and arrived in 1994 and marked a clear departure of the classic 900 era that lasted 15 years.

This new 900 also referred to as NG900 or in some circles “GM” 900, was the first model to be entirely developed by General Motors.

However, the NG 900 was designed by Saab designer, Einar Hareide of Norway and evolved from their first prototype, the EV-2.

The 900 came in both 3-door coupe as well as 5-door models and was built in Trollhattan, Sweden.

Read more »

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile AB

There has been a lot of news about Saab’s continued high ranking in terms of safety, and with the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere upon us, I thought it was due time to discuss an under discussed topic, the Saab “Moose Test”.

The photo above shows a new generation Saab 900 (1994-1998) involved in the Saab Moose test, and as we know from the IIHS comparison crash tests at the A-pillar, the most critical area of the car in this scenario, the 9-3 (1999-2002) got better, but the 9-3 Sport Sedan really held its own (2003-Present), so it is my curiosity if Saab has actually continued this testing since that time.

Secondly, besides wondering if Saab continues to proactively conduct this crash test on their test track, have they also conducted it with other models as well such as the 9000, 9-5 and better yet, when did they actually begin this crash test, was it on the NG900 or was it done before then?

Residing in the state as illustrated in the video below, I find that there are a lot of similarities between both this state as well as Sweden, most notably the per capita moose population!

I have sent an e-mail over to Saab Automobile AB in Sweden in an attempt to answer these questions about the Saab Moose Test.

Photo Credit: Mark Ward

I first covered Mark Ward of Missouri’s 1995 Saab NG900 Electric project titled “Saabrina“, back in December of 2006 when the project really got underway.

Over the past few years, I have illustrated the incredible progress he has made such as the drivetrain in September of 2007, the battery install in December of 2007 to the recent actual driving footage of the car this past February.

My most recent coverage included a nice interview with him here that covers all sorts of commonly asked questions.

Here is his final installation to the Electric Vehicle Community regarding this absolutely devastating blow to development. I should indicate that, he beat Saab Automobile to task by actually making an electric vehicle that runs and has proved it this past spring.

I am very sympathetic and my heart is with him as he indicates on his final blog entry.

Very Sad News to report much after the fact.

At 3:00 A.M. on the morning of April 17th 2008 a fire of unknown origin broke out in my garage. The Saab, all of my machinery and all of my work for 3 years was destroyed.

Read more »

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile

The Saab EV-2 Prototype was an internally released concept car that built to set the design direction for the new generation Saab 900 (NG900), which went on to be produced from 1994 until 1998.

This internal “secret” prototype was originally designed by Saab’s chief designer at the time, Björn Envall.

At this time, there has been no other information on this vehicle other than the photo above and its purpose.

Source: The Saab 900 : A Swedish Story, published in 1993, written by Anders Tunberg.

As a follow-up to the previous writeup on the past and present Saab designers and their achievements, it was necessary to include a chronological up-to-date listing of Saab projects both production and concepts.

This listing includes each Saab project, year introduced along with each designer and/or engineer that contributed to the given project.

This list is a work-in-progress, so any additions and/or modifications that you see necessary below, please add your comments to ensure correctness and accuracy.

Photo Credits: Saab Automobile

Design Contributions by Model

SAAB Scandia 90 (1946-1958)

Bror Bjurströmer

SAAB 91 (1947-1966)

A.J. Andersson

SAAB 92001 (Prototype) (1946/1947)

Sixten Sason

Gunnar Ljungström

Read more »

Photo Credit: International Motorsports Hall Of Fame

The remaining 1997 Saab 900 Turbo Talladega with designation #1 has been recently identified and is safely residing at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

This vehicle along with 7 others, participated in the “900 Talladega Challenge” event at Talladega Super Speedway in Talladega, Alabama back in October 1996 for 8 days.

Two out of the remaining seven also reside at the Saab Museum in Trollhattan, Sweden as well as the Saab USA Heritage Collection in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The question now is where are the other five vehicles that consist of naturally aspirated, turbo’d and V6’s? The numbers listed are 1-8, with #1 being here, #8 being in the United States and the others are unknown.

900 #1 donated by Ollie Axelson V.P. Saab Automobile, Trolhatten Sweden

If you are interested in seeing the 1997 Saab 900 Talladega #1 in real life, please visit the following address where you can even purchase museum tickets online. This museum that opened in April of 1983 offers more than 120 racing vehicles and memorabilia dating back to 1902, spans three buildings and enclosed courtyard, so plan your time accordingly!

International Motorsports Hall Of Fame
3198 Speedway Boulevard
Talladega, AL 35161
256-362-5002

http://www.motorsportshalloffame.com/

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

Photo Credit: Saab History

This Tuesday, marks the first installment for the 2008 season continuing the Saab Sighting series.

This week, I spotted a beautiful green NG Saab 900 4-door coupe in the Dupont Circle area neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Of course I dropped a nice note underneath the windshield wiper in hopes that the owner would be inspired enough to visit the site and see their car prominently displayed. Here’s hoping, enjoy!