Photo Credit: Saab History

The Saab 94 (Saab Sonett I Super Sport) was created in 1956 of which only 6 were ever built even though it was originally planned to go into full-scale production as the first sports car for SAAB.

This SAAB Sonett I Super Sport project was lead in October of 1954 by SAAB chief engineer, Rolf Melde while incorporating designs from chief designer Sixten Sason where they were built in total secrecy from the public outside of the Trollhättan area within a barn in a small town called Åsaka. The SAAB Sonett I Super Sport or “So Neat” as translated was an open-top two seater sports car that was officially unveiled at the Stockholm Motor Show in February of 1956. These prototype sports cars got a lot of great press internationally, however the Sonett Super Sport project never got into production due to new regulations in motorsport two years later in 1958 that led to the opportunity to use standard vehicles with Sonett engines thus making the Sonett body, frame, etc. obsolete and unnecessary. As a result of this decision, the six Sonett I models became instant collectors items.

This production vehicle for SAAB came equipped with the following specifications:

Exterior: 2-door coupe, only 6 colors, 500kg/1,102 lbs.

Interior: Two Seats

Chassis: Aircraft type aluminium box, independent front suspension, front and rear springs coil, beam axle, telescopic shock absorbers, hydraulic drum brakes, rack and pinion steering, 60 litre fuel tank, tyres 5.0×15. 4″ rim

Engine:Transverse, Three-cylinder longitudinally mounted, 66×72.9mm, 748cc, compr: 9.8:1, 58hp @ 5,000 rpm, 8.5 mkp @ 4,000 rpm, Two-stroke, aluminium cylinder head, cast iron block, 4-bearing crankshaft, one dual choke Solex 49PII, water cooled.

Transmission: Front-wheel drive, four-speed Zf three speed, Spiral bevel final drive.

Dimensions:

Wheelbase 220cm/86.6″
Front Track 122cm/48″
Rear Track 122cm/48″
Height 73.6cm to base of windscreen
Performance Max Speed 160-200kph
Standing Mile 19.2secs

Global Production:

Model Year – Units

1956 – 6

Number: No.1
Color: Ivory
Location: Saab Museum, Trollhättan, Sweden

Number: No.2
Color: Orange
Location: Saab USA Heritage Collection, Sterling Heights, Michigan

Number: No.3
Color: Red (Far Left)
Location: G̦sta Jakfors, Sweden РPrivately Owned

Number: No.4
Color: Green
Location: Presently Unknown

Number: No.5
Color: Blue
Location: Saab Museum, Trollhättan, Sweden

Number: No.6
Color: White-Blue
Location:Bill Jacobson, Sports Car Service, United States – Privately Owned

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

SAAB 92 (1948-1956)

Sixten Sason

Gunnar Ljungström

SAAB 93 (1956-1959)

Sixten Sason

SAAB 94 (1956)

Sixten Sason

SAAB 95 (1959-1978)

Sixten Sason

SAAB 96 (1960-1980)

Sixten Sason

SAAB-SCANIA 97 (SonettII/V4 1966-1969) (SonettIII 1970-1974)

Björn Karlström

Sergio Coggiola

Gunnar A. Sjögren

SAAB-SCANIA 98 (Prototype, Cancelled) (1974)

Björn Envall

SAAB-SCANIA 99 (1969-1984)

Sixten Sason

Björn Envall

Saab 90 (1984-1987)

Björn Envall

SAAB-SCANIA 900 (1979-1993/94)

Björn Envall

SAAB-SCANIA EV-1 (1985)

Björn Envall

Saab 900 (NG) (1994-1998)

Björn Envall

Einar Hareide

SAAB-SCANIA 9000 (1985-1998)

Björn Envall

Giorgetto Giugiaro

Saab 9-1 (Speculative Design)

Saab 9-3 (1999-2002)

Einar Hareide

Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan (2003- )

Einar Hareide

Saab 9-3 Hybrid BioPower Convertible (2006 – )

Kjell ac Bergström

Saab 9-5 (1999- )

Einar Hareide (1999-2001)

Tony Catignani (1999-2001)

Magnus Jonsson (1999-2001)

Simon Padian (2002- )

Tomas Ostlund (2006 – )

Saab 9-5 BioPower E85 (2005 – )

Kjell ac Bergström

Saab 9-5 BioPower E100 (2007 – )

Kjell ac Bergström

Saab 9-X (2001)

Michael Mauer

Anthony Lo

Ola Granlund

Simon Padian

Saab 9-X BioHybrid (2008)

Anthony Lo

Andrew Dyson

Bryan Nesbitt

Saab 9-2X (2005-2006)

Michael Mauer

Anthony Lo

Ola Granlund

Per Jansson

Bengt Persson

Kjell-Ake Eriksson

Saab 9-3X (2002)

Michael Mauer

Anthony Lo

Simon Padian

Saab 9-3 SportHatch (2003)

Michael Mauer

Anthony Lo

Simon Padian

Saab 9-4X BioPower Concept (2008)

Anthony Lo

Andrew Dyson

Bryan Nesbitt

Kaj Zackrisson (Skier)

Saab 9-6X (Cancelled)

Saab 9-7X (2005-2009)

Per Janssan

Aero-X(2006)

Anthony Lo

Alex Daniel

Erik Rokke

Simon Padian

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

The mystery is over, as to the whereabouts of the green Saab Sonett I, No. 4 photographed above since Dr. Klaus Muller-Ott, the individual that purchased and restored the green Saab Sonett I, No.4. and wrote the book a few years ago.

The Sonett Club of Sweden has just informed Saab History that this Sonett I, VIN # 4 was purchased by Rene Hirsch, owner of Hirsch Performance who resides in St Gallen, Switzerland

Hirsch Performance is the company that provides performance upgrades to Saab Enthusiasts to brand-new Saabs at the dealership level for most if not all markets except the United States.

I have contacted Rene Hirsch and eagerly await his response as to the finer details of this incredible acquisition!

Photo Credits: Saab History, Sports Car Service & National Airviews

On Saturday, October 13th, I had the opportunity to visit the Saab Independent, Sports Car Service of Wilmington, Delaware.

The History

Sports Car Service began operations in November of 1956, the same year that SAAB Motors, Inc. operations began in the United States and this family owned and operated Saab independent sales & service facility has been selling nothing but Swedish-built Saab automobiles ever since.

The People

Upon my visit I was greeted with a firm handshake by owner and general manager, Bill Jacobson, as well as his Father, John who was originally responsible for getting the business off the ground since the first owner passed away just prior to 1961, the same year that SAAB Motors, Inc. moved their operations from Hingham, Massachusetts to 100 Waterfront Street, New Haven, Connecticut. Mr. Jacobson also has four sisters, one of which now runs Saab of Baltimore and the first SAAB 96 that she drove resides in his showroom, in good overall shape.

The Collection

This facility conveniently located on North Market Street right, a 5-minute drive off of 495 embodies the true “Spirit of Saab” with an impressive museum-like collection. This collection, located in the main showroom, includes many vintage and extremely rare Saab models representing the likes of the SAAB Sonett I VIN #6, SAAB Quantum IV, SAAB 92, SAAB 93 donated by former President of Saab-Scania of America Bob Sinclair, SAAB 96s, a 1993 900 CE #139, and a one-of-a-kind white 900 convertible built for former President of Saab Cars, USA, Jim Crumlish.

In addition to this facility, there is also a special warehouse located nearby that houses over 40+ SAABs, associated parts and various other miscellaneous items. Of the SAAB’s represented in this warehouse, you will find the first SAAB 93 to be delivered in the State of Delaware, the SAAB Quantum I, the dual-drivetrain Saab 900, an un-built SAAB Quantum IV kit, and a SONETT I (94) mold.

The Memorabilia

Throughout the facility, from the showroom, to the accessories to the back office, to the customer waiting room, this enthusiast-run independent Saab facility showcases more SAAB memorabilia than I ever knew existed. From the scale models, dealer awards, vintage photographs depicting legendary notables such as Tryggve Holm & Ralph Millet to the videos and posters a plenty, I became more impressed, ultimately leaving me speechless and unable to answer the question asked frequently, “so what do you think?”. As I eventually made my way through every room at Sports Car Service, I realized that each wall told a series of Saab stories and these stories are important to not only the family history with Saab, but the family’s continued contribution as a whole to the Saab community.

The Enthusiasts

During my visit and tour of the facility, I was also introduced to a notable Saab Enthusiast in the Saab Community by the name of Stefan Vapaa who, alongside his Father, have a long history of SAAB involvement, specifically in the racing scene. As part of my visit, I had the special opportunity to visit his Saab workshop not so far from Sports Car Service (SCS) as a passenger in his beautiful silver Saab 9-5 Aero, to return in none other than a yellow SAAB Sonett II, VIN #651 open-top racer back to SCS. The experience in Stefan’s Sonett was exhilarating even as a passenger. As we got up to highway speeds, I got to take in the beautiful sky due to the open top, the wind, due to a lowered windscreen, and the unparalleled handling characteristics that make this roadster ideal for racing and finally the extra kick we had due to the 108 octane racing fuel this machine required. As we made our way back to SCS, I smiled because I have never experienced anything quite this unique, given that we were driving a very customized Sonett II tailored to the racing scene. If you would like to find out more about Stefan’s Saab racing scene, please visit his website, At Speed.

The Swedish Heritage

Bill Jacobson, a second generation Swede, and his father, John, who’s parents came over from Sweden at the age of 19, have kept the Swedish heritage alive in a region rich with Swedish history. Wilmington, Delaware or “New Sweden” as it is also referred to, proudly celebrates being the port town where Swedish Immigrant ships first landed and built a fort back in 1638. It was also in Wilmington, Delaware that the first widely touted and attended Saab Owners Convention took place back in 1988 which included this Swedish Heritage theme as part of the program.

Environmental Awareness

There was one important aspect to this entire operation that embodies the phrase “environmental awareness”. Bill Jacobson of Sports Car Services makes a strong statement towards his company’s environmental impact with a very progressive system in place that not only greatly reduces electricity usage from the conventional source with the installation of nearly the entire rooftop of photo voltaic solar panels, but he also reclaims waste oil from customer oil changes and uses that oil to heat his facility in the winter season.

As a business, there are still those out there that are still overwhelmed by all of the new technologies when attempting to “go green”, then there are those that realize that it doesn’t take more than a few types of technology to make a significantly positive impact on the environment.

The direction that Sports Car Service has created, makes them a leader among businesses in the State of Delaware and another proud member in the global movement of environmental sustainability of which others can follow.

Summary

All in all, I was very impressed and thankful for having the opportunity to visit Sports Car Service in Wilmington, Delaware. I highly recommend this facility for ALL of your “Swedish-built” Saab needs, whether they are purchases of pre-owned Saabs, service needs by highly trained Saab service technicians, or even parts where you will find availability of just about everything including rare vintage parts and accessories.

This family-owned and operated independent Saab-only facility is top notch and truly embodies the Saab spirit with a strong Swedish flare!

Sports Car Service Inc.
3901 N. Market St.
Wilmington, DE 19802
http://www.sportscarservice.com/

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This SAAB Sonett I Super Sport project was lead in October of 1954 by SAAB chief engineer, Rolf Melde while incorporating designs from chief designer Sixten Sason where they were built in total secrecy from the public outside of the Trollhättan area within a barn in a small town called Ã…saka. The SAAB Sonett I Super Sport or “So Neat” as translated was an open-top two seater sports car that was officially unveiled at the Stockholm Motor Show in February of 1956. These prototype sports cars got a lot of great press internationally, however the Sonett Super Sport project never got into production due to new regulations in motorsport two years later in 1958 that led to the opportunity to use standard vehicles with Sonett engines thus making the Sonett body, frame, etc. obsolete and unnecessary. As a result of this decision, the six Sonett I models became instant collectors items.

At the recent Saab 60th Anniversary Festival in Trollhättan, Sweden this past June, I managed to see 3 of the 6 Sonett models without an appearance of the the fourth Sonett I in green. At the 2005 Saab Festival also in Trollhattan, this vehicle was present and owned by a Dr. Klaus Muller-Ott of Germany who wrote an entire book in the Saab History book library about the Sonett No.4 being restored, titled “SAAB Sonett No.4″, however since then, there have been some rumors that Dr. Klaus Muller-Ott sold Number 4, of which the whereabouts are currently unknown by all I have spoken with so far. If someone could shed some light to this recently found, restored and now off the radar Sonett No.4, please contact Saabhistory with an update. Your information would be much appreciated to the International Saab Community.

For more information on the Sonett, I would highly suggest getting a copy of SAAB Sonett No. 4, Saab Motorhistorisk Magasin – Saab 50 Ar – Alla Bilarna, Alla SAABs Sportbilar – The Sonett, and All Other SAAB Sports Cars

In the meantime, I am providing a list of the SAAB Sonett I Super Sport models and there whereabouts.

Photo Credit: Saab History

Number: No.1
Color: Ivory
Location: Saab Museum, Trollhättan, Sweden

Photo Credit: Saab History

Number: No.2
Color: Orange
Location: Saab USA Heritage Collection, Sterling Heights, Michigan

Photo Credit: Saab History

Number: No.3
Color: Red (Far Left)
Location: G̦sta Jakfors, Sweden РPrivately Owned

Photo Credit: Saab History

Number: No.4
Color: Green
Location: Presently Unknown

Photo Credit: Saab History

Number: No.5
Color: Blue
Location: Saab Museum, Trollhättan, Sweden

Photo Credit: Saab History

Number: No.6
Color: White-Blue
Location:Bill Jacobson, United States – Privately Owned

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile

As a follow-up to the previous posting on Saab’s drag coefficients as early as 1947 with the Saab model 92, I have decided to provide information that covers the approaches that Saab has integrated to also successfully minimize lift.

This list is to provide additional lift-minimizing elements “outside of” the actual body design of the Saab models that I mentioned earlier on aerodynamics and drag coefficients.

If you have any additions, please post your comments to this post along with your e-mail address if you have photographs and any other relevant information.

Photo Credits: Saab Automobile

Saab 92 (1947-1956) –

Saab 93 (1956-1959) –

Saab 94 (1956 Sonett I) -

Saab 95 (1959-1978)
*Rear Roof spoiler

Saab 96 (1960-1980)
* spoiler added what year and were there variations successful or not?
* Front air dam

Saab 97(SonettII/V4 1966-1969) (SonettIII 1970-1974) –

Saab 99 (1969-1984)
* Rear spoilers for coupe and sedan respectively.

* Front Air Dam

Saab 900 (1979-1993/94)
* Rear Rubber Spoiler for Hatch, Sedan & Convertible models respectively.

* Rear Rubber tipped fiberglass Whale-Tail Spoiler for hatch models.

* Air-Flow Kit

* Front lower air dam

Saab 9000CC (1985-1992)
* Full wrap-around rear rubber spoiler 1985 only

* Standard rear-deck rubber spoiler

* Fiberglass Bridge Spoiler

* Front Spoiler

* Air Flow Kit


Saab 9000CD (1988-1993)
* Air Flow Kit

* Fiberglass spoiler

Saab 9000CS (1993-1998)
* Fiberglass Standard spoiler

* Fiberglass Bridge spoiler

Saab NG 900 (1994-1998)
* Rear Rubber Spoiler

* Rear Fiberglass spoiler with rubber tip

* Rubber Spoiler (Convertible)

* Front Spoiler

Saab 9-3 (1999-2002)
*Rear Spoiler

* Rear Fiberglass pedestal Spoiler
*Rising Spoiler (Viggen only)

Saab 9-3 Convertible (1999 – 2003, 2004- )
* Rear Spoiler

Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan (2003 -
*Rear Spoiler

*Rear Aero Spoiler

Saab 9-3 SportCombi (2005 -
* Rear Roof Spoiler

Saab 9-5 (1999 –
* Front Lip Spoiler

* Rear Bridge Spoiler

* Rear Pedestal Spoiler

Saab 9-5 SportCombi (2000-
* Rear Roof Spoiler

Saab 9-2x (2005-2006)

Saab 9-7x (2005 -

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile USA

Today is Monday, and that means, the second installment from the Saab Automobile USA Heritage Collection. In this installment, I am presenting the Saab Sonett I, which is also known as the Super Sport or model “94″. This model is #2 of the 6 models ever made.

Here is a writeup from Saab Automobile USA of the Sonett I.

1956 SAAB SONETT “SUPER SPORT”

The name sounds like a song. But in fact, the Saab Sonett two-seater was originally named after the Swedish expression “så nätt,” meaning “so neat.”

The Saab Sonett “Super Sport” was first unveiled at the 1956 Stockholm Auto Show. It made its North American debut later that year in New York, where it captured the public attention Saab needed to kick off its automotive business in the United States.

Using contemporary Saab aircraft practices, the Sonett chassis was formed by a riveted aluminum box carrying a fiberglass roadster body. Utilizing the high-performance (58-hp) version of the three-cylinder 750cc two-stroke engine found in the Saab model 93, chief engineer Rolf Mellde “reversed” the drivetrain for optimum weight distribution – putting the engine behind the transmission while maintaining front-wheel drive. The engine rotates in the opposite direction from the production Saabs of the era to accommodate this reverse transmission layout.

Originally designed to compete in a racing series that eventually never materialized, Saab built only six first-generation Sonett “Super Sport” roadsters – which all exist today. Saab rally legend Erik Carlsson participated in the 1989 Mille Miglia road race through Italy with the white Sonett that resides in Saab’s factory automotive museum in Trollhättan, Sweden.

The Sonett with chassis No. 2, finished in a period orange, was originally part of the private collection of the Swedish Saab distributor Philipsson. When the collection was dismantled in the mid-1980s, the car was acquired for the Saab USA heritage collection by then-president Bob Sinclair. The two met again at the 2006 New York auto show, where the Sonett I was the commemorative centerpiece of Saab’s 50th anniversary in the United States.

At 8:00am sharp, Jan-Willem Vester, communications manager of Saab Automobile USA, welcomed us and began a product presentation on the new lineup of Anniversary vehicles in the 9-3 and 9-5 range. It was at this presentation, that the 9-5 Aero SportCombi was touted as the “enthusiast car” which was probably why the writers, journalists, bloggers and other individuals that had the opportunity to drive the 9-5 SportCombi, stayed with their vehicle during the entire duration of the route.

Following the product presentation, we were given a route orientation and instructed on where to drive and what kinds of situations we could expect to run into throughout the designated route. During this orientation, it was indicated that as a precaution, there will be a vehicle recovery truck following our caravan at all times in case of any emergency whatsoever.

Once we got our orientation, we were escorted out onto the parking lot behind the hotel to see a fleet of the Saab Anniversary vehicles to drive. The decision on what vehicle to choose from the lineup was probably the hardest decision many of us invited to the event had to make all day. Fortunately, I had the priveledge to secure a 9-3 SportCombi in “ice blue” as the vehicle of choice and also have the honor to have former President of Saab-Scania of America (1979-1991), Robert J. Sinclair as my co-driver. Prior to departing, I offered Mr. Sinclair the keys, but he kindly asked for me to enjoy myself while he helps me navigate.

Once we got the signal from the parking lot attendant, we were off and the journey began. The route as planned for us to drive was quite incredible and in many instances breathtaking. This was my first time driving through Southern California and with the deserts that were scattered throughout, we really had quite the experience to say the least, this early on in the route. From the very well banked hair-pin turns to the twisty spins through the mountains, I believe we got a very realistic and thorough experience in the Saab Anniversary test vehicles.

The long straight roads on the highways we drove were surreal and the few drivers on the road, made for a very satisfying experience on that sunny day. What made the driving experience even more pleasurable was the handling characteristics of the 9-3 SportCombi. In the 9-3 SportCombi anniversary edition, I felt in complete control at all times and fully aware of the road conditions through the suspension and steering systems facilitating the connectivity of the driver to the road. I was also fortunate to have had Mr. Sinclair, who is a very knowledgeable about many things, particularly the local geography and culture to chat with during the driving experience in the San Diego region.

Our first stop on the route was at a state park called Stelzer County Park. At this stop, we had the chance to switch driver’s, vehicles and co-drivers, however I did not see too much alternating vehicles, especially with those that started out in the 9-5 Aero SportCombi that I mentioned earlier where it was mentioned in the morning presentation as the “enthusiasts car”. At this stop, I managed to snap a few photographs, grab a fresh bottle of water, an apple and chat with other journalists about their experience so far. You will see the tailgate in this photo of one of our utility vehicles that had a continual abundance of fresh fruit and choices of water, soda and juices to make the experience even that much more pleasant. This early in the route, I continued to see other journalists smiling even more, and exhibiting a feeling of enjoyment and also appreciation on how well the event was planned and executed.

Our next stop was at the Julian Pie Company, another 30.3 miles away. At this stop, we all sat down outside and enjoyed some home made pie a la mode in the company of others while discussing their experiences so far. There was certainly some value in being in the first wave, having to experience the trip for the first time with everyone including our gracious hosts, the individuals at Saab Automobile. I also saw value in appreciating where we were as well as others by visiting some of the significant local venues throughout the route such as the Julian Pie Company in our built-in breaks. These opportunities gave us a chance to get a bite to eat, drink and switch vehicles and converse with others about their driving experiences with the Anniversary Edition models. At this second stop, I looked again for a 9-5 sedan or SportCombi variations, but they were gone as quickly as they arrived. Without hesitation, I hopped back into the 9-3 SportCombi with Mr. Sinclair, zeroed our trip odometer and like that we were off again to our third stop, the Warner Springs Ranch Airport which was about 16.6 miles away.

The drive to the airport again gave us some of the most breathtaking horizons that I have ever seen. One of the professional photographers from Saab Automobile was ahead of me in a 9-5 SportCombi and made multiple stops alongside the highway for quick snapshots, so we followed suit and did the same, and we’re glad we did because the views were worth every second. I started to wonder if we would ever make it to our next destination given all of the unique photo opportunities we had. At that point, we were the last vehicle in the pack, closely followed by our recovery vehicle that also pulled over each time. I bet that the folks in the recovery vehicle were initially wondering if the two of us had flat tires already, this close to the airport. After the three to four stops we both made for these opportunities, the folks in the recovery vehicle must have realized that we were in good shape, just in awe of the landscape.

Upon arrival at the airport which was completely secluded and nestled in the mountains, I was overwhelmed when I saw the Saab Automobile USA Heritage collection all lined up on the taxiway at the airport. When we drove in, parked and got out of our vehicles, we saw non other than Erik “On the Roof” Carlsson aggressively driving his Saab 96 RAC rally car in the parking lot and then onto the runway at high speed. At this point, I was thinking to myself how lucky we are to get to see legends behind the wheel again for us all to see and enjoy.

Surprisingly, the next vehicle I saw following Erik Carlsson’s 96 Rally Car, was Seth Bengelsdorf, Editor of Nines Magazine behind the wheel of the Saab Sonett I, and then it hit me, we were not only going to be able to see these cars again, we would actually be able to drive them! I was in such disbelief, until I got behind the wheel of just about every vehicle in the heritage collection. This aspect of the Saab 60th Anniversary program was the highlight of everyone’s trip including my own from what I have heard. The first vehicle I got behind the wheel of was the Saab 99 Turbo from 1977. Initially the lack of power steering, meant that a surprising amount of energy had to be used to get the vehicle out onto the runway, a technology that today we take for granted. Once the Saab 99 got out onto the straight runway, it was an extremely solid ride and the Turbocharger was strong and unwavering right up until the runway began to quickly come to an end. I had the opportunity to have vehicle line director, Jörgen Nylén of Sweden as my co-driver in this experience and all future driving experiences.

The next vehicle we drove was the 1990 900 SPG Talladega in also “Talladega Red”. In comparison to all other heritage vehicles, this one was the quickest, most exhiliarating experience on the runway. From the sound of the burping exhaust note on the taxiway to the Turbo rush on the runway, I was in a permanent state of nostalgia and I believe Mr. Nylén felt the same. It was difficult to let go of this Saab model, but in the same breath, I was interested in jumping into another vehicle before we broke for lunch.

The other Saabs from the heritage collection that we got to enjoy included the 1986 9000 Talladega, the 1970 Sonett III, and the RAC Rally Car. These vehicles were quite fun to drive, once you were able to quickly adapt to the huge differences in shifting on the column from the floor and back again. It was clear to me that all of the vehicles in the heritage collection were museum cars and with that, I managed to operate them with that understanding that they were not my own. I was however quite surprised by their mechanical strength and durability and that every component operated exactly as it should just like they were brand new.

The final Saab that I experienced was the 1956 Saab Sonett I, also known as the Sonett Super Sport model 94. It was initially a pleasant experience until the spark plus started fouling out again, evidently the spark plugs were fouling out for some of the earlier drivers and again with me, so I am fortunate for the memorable time.

As I wrapped up my final test drive, I retired into the extremely well decorated aircraft hangar for lunch where I was treated to another fine luncheon experience with other writers, journalists, bloggers, notables and hosts from Saab Automobile.

The outside of the hangar was flanked by two 2007 9-3 Anniversary Edition Convertibles protected underneath with Saab tents. The Saab tents that looked familiar to some, were also seen in the “Born From Jets” campaign at various Air Shows during the summer of 2006. The welcoming entrance of the hangar was well received after having a great morning of Saab experiences with the current and past Saab models.

The inside of the hangar was decorated with black curtains as a backdrop with a few aircraft staggered along with professional large format photographs on easels of the various Saab models from the heritage collection. These photos are part of the 60th anniversary media kit we received when we arrived at the airport on the first day in print and electronic format. There was also some nice ambient music piped in the background which made the experience just that much better. The lunch was very special and I will never forget the intimate setting and atmosphere and especially all of the hard work that Saab Automobile put into the program.

As the lunch came to an end, we moved out and I continued with the 9-3 SportCombi as there were no 9-5 Sportcombis in sight. Mr. Sinclair and I invited Jörgen Nylén of Saab Automobile, Sweden to accompany us, this time as my co-driver with Mr. Sinclair in the back seat. The dialog that we had between the three of us covered a lot material from Saab Automobile’s years from 1979 until the early 1990′s. I was extremely excited to hear both Mr. Sinclair and Mr. Nylén discuss their most memorable experiences from their long history with the Saab brand.

On our final leg, the curves around the mountainside along with an increasing amount of well engineered hair-pin turns gave us all the quintessential driving experience in the 9-3 SportCombi that we all came to expect with the Saab brand. At our last pit-stop before we arrived back at Tower23, we managed to change up the drivers where Mr. Sinclair became co-driver with another individual from Saab Automobile for the last leg. The last leg was also a memorable one with Mr. Nylén, a very well seasoned and spoken individual for Sweden. I think that he appreciated my persistence to talk Swedish whenever I had the opportunity, although we did speak english for most of the drive back to the hotel.

When we arrived back at the Tower23 hotel, we had about an hour before our rides picked us up for a reception and dinner at a new modern restaurant in San Diego called “Jack of La Jolla”. The service and food at the restaurant was impressive to say the least and the intimate one-on-one dialog I believe everyone had with Erik Carlsson, Bob Sinclair, Jay-Spenchian, Jan-Willem Vester, Leane Wandoff, John Libbos, Jörgen Nylén and the rest of the Saab team was memorable and hard to put into words. The nearly 3 hours we spent at the restaurant went by in a turbo rush, and like that we were greeted by our driver’s outside of the parking lot to return to the hotel.

Upon arrival, many of us were asked to join Jay Spenchian for a nice recap of the the 60th Anniversary program, review of 2006, future product development in the hotel lounge before calling it a night. We even got a chance to see the PÃ¥ Taket Award, presented to Saab USA employees internally for going above and beyond which was a red SAAB 96 scale model flipped upside down as indicated here on Trollhattansaab recently.

The following morning I was picked up in a 9-5 SportCombi, and dropped off at the airport for my flight back to Washington, D.C. Having the 9-5 SportCombi as the departure vehicle was an appropriate and poetic conclusion to the 60th Anniversary program.

I enjoyed my time, meeting everyone that I did and thank Saab Automobile and all of their support team including the staff at Tower23 in making this a truly memorable event.

Click here for day 1.

The Saab Palette continues to expand into new colors along with the growth of the brand.

When one thinks back to some of the colors that stood out over the rest, do you think of Monte Carlo Yellow with the 1992 900 Convertible or Odoardo Grey with the SPG or is it Watermelon Green being used as the color by default with the SAAB 92?

I have developed with the help of my peers, a series of charts representing the paint names and codes used for every Saab model that has ever existed (minus concept cars) The objective of this project is accuracy, completeness and clarity.

Finally, a comprehensive color palette listing that includes the names, codes as well as real-life examples of what these colors look like on the year and models they were used on.

It seemed appropriate to finally release this project in-lieu of being complete so that the public can get a chance to see it and hopefully contribute to the project with additions, modifications and real-life photos of their Saab for those examples of the colors in application.

Please take a look at the new Color Palette section on the right-hand column and contact us with your contribution to the list, enjoy!

The original of SAAB using the numerical nomenclature 9, is that this number was an indication that the project was a non-military, but a civilian project.

The SAAB Scandia 90 (pictured above) was the first civilian project, followed by the SAAB Safir 91, then finally the automobile being SAAB 92001 in 1946, and the beginning of production models with the SAAB 92. Here is a list of all of the the projects from the beginning until the present.

For more information about these models, please visit our “Saab designs by model number” reference list.

90 SCANDIA
91 Safir (Aircraft)
92001
92
93
94 Sonett I
95
96
97 Sonett II & III
98 Prototype
99
90
900
9000
9-5
9-3
9-X
9-2X
9-3X
9-4X
9-6X (cancelled)
9-7X

You will notice that the silver Sonett II and blue Sonett III also lesser known as the Saab 97 (not 9-7x), appear to resemble the Saab’s in the heritage collection on the previous post.

If you would like to know where you get these models, simply post a comment and I’ll get that information to you!

“Saab Sonett Celebrates 50 Years at Swedish Car Day – http://www.swedishcarday.com

Saab Automobile USA’s Heritage Collection Sonett I

Starting in 1967, the Sonett II represented Saab’s second, and much more ambitious foray into the world of two-seat sport cars. Aimed primarily at the North American market, the sporting intentions of this agile coupe were obvious since the race winning Model 96 Monte Carlo 2-stroke engine, fitted with three-carburetors, was specified as standard equipment. The fiberglass body was attached to a sheet steel frame featuring an integrated roll bar. An unusual one-piece front end hinged completely out of the way for easy access to the engine, transmission and front suspension components.



Saab Automobile USA’s Heritage Collection Sonett II



Capable of 0-60 acceleration times of 12.5 seconds and a top speed approaching 100 mph, only 258 Sonett II’s with the Monte Carlo spec engine were built during the two years of production. A subsequent, more powerful, V-4, four-stroke version of the Sonett II, distinguished by a bulge on the hood to accommodate the taller engine, brought more horsepower, more speed and a total of 1,868 cars built over the next three years.

Launched at the 1970 New York Auto Show, the third generation Saab Sonett was a significantly different car from its predecessor. The V-4 engine was tuned for more horsepower to compensate for the increases in size and weight in the new car.



Saab Automobile USA’s Heritage Collection Sonett III




In terms of styling, the Sonett III benefited from contributions by the Italian designer Sergio Coggiola, featuring bolder front and rear sections plus a new interior. In the back, the Sonett III gained a hinged rear window, offering easy access to the rear luggage compartment. In front, the new treatment included manually-operated pop-up headlights. In addition, features like air conditioning and a floor-mounted transmission shifter were added to meet the requests of U.S. dealers and buyers.