Celebrating 70 years of Saab

Although Saab is now in its ninth decade as a defence and security company, the much missed automotive arm put its first car into production nearly 70 years ago, in December 1949.

It was an unusual, futuristic model with imaginative styling – just the sort of thing, in fact, for which Saab was to become famous before its sad demise when the last Saab-branded car was built in 2014.

Most people are probably aware of at least one Saab, but far fewer will know just how many fascinating cars the company produced. We’re here to put that right:

The prototypes (1946)

Before going into production, Saab built four prototypes known collectively as Ursaab (‘original Saab’). The shape was created by the great Swedish designer Sixten Sason (1912-1967), and was heavily influenced by aeronautical practices, about which the company knew a great deal. Front-wheel drive and two-cylinder two-stroke engines made the cars similar to contemporary German DKWs.

Saab 92 (1949)

Looking like an only slightly toned-down version of the Ursaabs, and mechanically almost identical to them, the 92 followed an existing naming convention. Two digits with an initial ‘9’ was Saab code for civilian vehicles. The 90 and 91 were a passenger plane and a single-engined training aircraft respectively.

Saab 92B (1953)

Concerned about safety from the very beginning, Saab gave the 92 two tiny rear windows and an unopenable bootlid. Good for structural rigidity but impractical for daily use, they were replaced in the 92B (pictured), which also featured more power, a slight restyle and a wider choice of colours.

Saab 93 (1955)

The 92 was Saab’s only car until December 1955, when the 93 came along. Its engine was 16cc smaller than that of the earlier car at 748cc, but it was more powerful and had three cylinders rather than just two. Production of the old and new models overlapped by two years.

Saab in America

As well as being significant as Saab’s second production model, the 93 also became the first Saab sold in America. It made its debut at the New York Auto Show in April 1956, and the warm reception encouraged the company to set up a US subsidiary; 200 models arrived by ship a few months later.

By the end of 1959, around 12,000 93s had arrived in America, making it Saab’s largest single export market. Saab would continue to be a small but noted player in America for decades, ultimately encouraging General Motors to first invest in the company, and later purchase it outright.

Saab 93B (1957)

As well as a different engine, the 93 had better suspension and electrics than the 92. The 93B, introduced in September 1957, was a slightly improved version, and had two-point seat belts (not as good as three-point but better than nothing) as standard equipment.

Saab 93F (1959)

For its final year of production, the 93 got a slightly different name and, a first for Saab, front-hinged doors, which had made their debut on another 93 derivative called the GT750. That car had twin carburettors, among other upgrades, and produced a very sporty 55bhp.

Rallying

Motorsport was an important part of Saab’s marketing policy from the very start. Greta Molander (1908-2002) was a star driver in a 92, while the 93 was the car which brought Stirling Moss’s brother-in-law Erik Carlsson (1929-2015, pictured) to international attention. Carlsson became so closely associated with the brand that he was nicknamed ‘Mr Saab’.

Saab 94: Sonnett I (1955)

The Sonnett was the first Saab known by anything other than a two-digit number, though its official name, following the usual sequence, was Saab 94. With a 57bhp engine and light bodywork, this two-seater was built in tiny numbers in the late 1950s, but would later return to play an important part in Saab history.

Saab 95 (1959)

The 95 was Saab’s first estate car. Launched in 1959 and completely unrelated to the much later 9-5, it was at first based on the 93, but quite early in its long production it became the load-carrying version of the 96, which first came to market a year later.

Saab 96 (1960)

The 96 started out looking like a close relative of the original 92, but over 20 years it was given several facelifts which changed its appearance significantly, especially at the front. Like all previous models up to this point it had a two-stroke engine at first, but that was about to change.

V4 engines (from 1967)

The signature two-stroke high-pitched scream and accompanying clouds of blue smoke became a thing of the past for Saab in 1967, when the company began buying engines from Ford. The engine in question was a V4 of 1.5 or 1.7 litres, depending on model, developed by Ford of Germany five years earlier.

Saab 97: Sonnett II (1966)

The Sonnett name was brought back for another two-seater sports car, this one officially known as the Saab 97. The Sonnett II started out with an 841cc two-stroke engine, but the 1498cc Ford V4 was fitted as soon as possible in 1967. Power went up only modestly, from 59bhp to 65bhp.

Sonnett III (1970)

A major redesign in 1970 (including the introduction of pop-up headlights) meant that the final Sonnett only vaguely resembled the shape dreamed up by Sixten Sason. Production ended in 1974, and from then until it closed down Saab never attempted to sell another sports car.

Saab 99 (1968)

Saab’s naming policy began to slip in the 1960s. The 98 was a 95-based coupe, but it never went into production, and in any case development work did not start until 1974. The 99, another Sixten Sason design bearing no resemblance to any of the earlier cars, went on sale six years earlier.

It was the first Saab to have its ignition key slot between the front seats, not on the steering column as usual; it became a signature Saab feature.

Triumph engines (from 1968)

The largest Saab yet, the 99 started out with a Triumph four-cylinder engine which Triumph itself did not use until four years after the 99 had been launched. A V8 derivative was later used in the Triumph Stag. Saab redesigned the engine and brought production in-house in 1972.

More rallying

Although the 99 was used for rallying, it did not have the same success as earlier models. As late as 1976, Per Eklund/Bjorn Cederberg (pictured) and Stig Blomqvist/Hans Sylan finished first and second in the Swedish round of the World Rally Championship in their V4-engined Saab 96s.

Turbocharging (from 1978)

Increasing engine power with the use of a turbocharger was not unheard of but still very unusual when the 99 Turbo was launched in 1978, initially with an output of 143bhp. The turbo lag was enormous, but nobody could argue about the car’s performance. Saab rallied the car briefly until four-wheel drive rivals made it uncompetitive.

Saab 900 ‘classic’ (1978)

The immediate successor to the 99 was the first-generation 900, which looked quite different although it was quite closely related to the earlier car. Launched in 1978, it was available with saloon, hatchback and convertible body styles, and in some cases the still unusual turbo engines, until 1993.

The end of the 96

The last car with a visible resemblance to the Ursaab, the 96 remained in production for 12 years after the launch of the 99. Now very different in appearance and sound to the car which had first appeared two decades before, but still similar under the skin, it remained on the market until 1980.

Saab 600 (1980)

The 600 is a car you should know about if you regularly take part in exceptionally fiendish pub quizzes. Barely a Saab at all, it was a low-powered first-generation Lancia Delta sold in the Nordic countries in the 1980s as part of a co-operation between Saab and the Fiat group.

Saab 90 (1984)

If this car means nothing to you, that’s probably because it was manufactured only from 1984 to 1987. Saab’s entry-level model during that period, it was essentially made of the front half of a 99 and the back half of the more modern 900. Not one of Saab’s greatest cars, but it did its job.

Saab 9000 (1984)

A more successful result of the partnership with Fiat was the executive-class 9000, based on the same platform as the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Lancia Thema, though very few parts were interchangeable. Production began in 1984 and lasted right through to 1998.

Saab 9000 Aero (1993)

By 1993, Saab was very familiar with turbocharging. In that year, it launched its most powerful car yet, the 2.3-litre 9000 Aero. Its turbocharged engine (two redesigns on from the one supplied by Triumph a quarter of a century earlier) produced 225bhp, though it was detuned to 200bhp for automatic-transmission versions.

Saab 900 ‘new generation’ (1994)

Saab was re-established as an independent car company in 1989 with General Motors as a 50% shareholder. GM influence was strong in 1994’s second-generation 900, whose platform was also used for medium-sized front-wheel drive models built by Chevrolet, Holden, Opel and Vauxhall. Despite this, it still felt very much like a Saab.

One new feature of the 900 that pressed home that point was Black Panel. Later called Night Panel, as a nod to its aircraft heritage at night if selected all dashboard illumination switched off apart from the speedometer, in order to boost concentration levels. It started another signature Saab tradition that featured on its cars to the very end.

Saab 900 Sensonic (1995)

Along with the Renault Clio and Volkswagen Golf, the Saab 900 was one of a few cars offered in the 1990s with a manual gearbox and an electronic clutch, a system Saab called Sensonic. None of them sold well or lasted long, even though Saab employed Heather Mills to promote its version in the UK.

Saab 9-5 first generation (1997)

The 9000 was replaced in 1997 by the 9-5, the first car to use Saab’s final naming system. It was available with Saab’s own four-cylinder petrol engines, diesels supplied by Opel and later Fiat, and a three-litre V6 petrol designed by Opel but assembled by Vauxhall.

9-5 safety

Saab issued this dramatic picture of two 9-5s having an offset crash at a closing speed of 80mph – and coming out of it pretty well - to demonstrate its commitment to safety. The car also won awards for its active head restraints, designed to minimise whiplash in the event of a rear-end collision.

Saab 9-3 first generation (1998)

No relation to the much earlier 93, the 9-3 was the smaller of Saab’s two models when it was introduced in 1998. It was essentially an update of the last 900, though with a claimed 1100 changes, many of them applied in the interests of improved crash protection and better handling.

Saab 9-X (2001)

Although its production cars were now increasingly similar to other GM models, Saab was still coming up with innovative ideas. The 9-X concept, displayed at the 2001 Frankfurt motor show, was an attempt to combine the attributes of a coupe, a roadster, an estate and a pickup in a single vehicle.

Saab 9-3 second generation (2002)

This 9-3 was a clean-sheet design based on the platform which first appeared in the Vauxhall/Opel Vectra. Launched in 2002, two years after General Motors took complete control of the company, it received a major facelift six years later and remained in production until 2013.

Saab 9-3X concept (2002)

Unlike the later 9-3X production car, this was a four-wheel drive SUV/coupe crossover – a type of vehicle common today but rare at the time. The concept had a powerful petrol engine, and it might have made a big difference to Saab’s future fortunes had it made it to production.

Per Eklund

Like Erik Carlsson, the rally and rallycross driver Per Eklund was closely associated with Saab for most of his career. He drove a 96 for the works team as early as 1971 and was still at it in the days of the 9-3, twice taking class wins at the Pikes Peak hillclimb in particularly ferocious versions.

Saab 9-7X (2004)

Saab’s first SUV was built in Ohio on the same platform used for the Chevrolet TrailBlazer (among other vehicles) and intended specifically for the North American market. It was introduced in 2004 as a 2005 model year car and remained in production until 2009.

Saab 9-2X (2005)

Although it looked like a Saab, at least from the front, the 9-2X was in fact a 2005 Subaru Impreza Wagon with only minimal input from the Swedish company. The idea came from General Motors, and was abandoned when GM disposed of its stake in Subaru.

Saab Aero-X (2006)

The Aero-X had a carbonfibre body, four-wheel drive and a 400bhp twin-turbo 2.8-litre engine designed to run on ethanol. It won Autocar’s Concept Car of the Year award in 2006, but got no further than that. Saab never put anything remotely like it on the market.

Saab 9-X BioHybrid (2008)

This adventurous concept had keyless entry, cameras instead of rear-view mirrors and a 1.4-litre turbo engine which could run on either ordinary petrol or E85 biofuel. This car and the 9-X Air convertible version were displayed at international motor shows in 2008, but never reached production.

Saab 9-3X (2009)

From the Ursaab onwards, almost every non-SUV production Saab was front-wheel drive. The 9-3X launched in 2009 was one of the very rare exceptions. A rival to the Audi A4 allroad, it was a 9-3 estate with increased ride height, extra body protection and, if fitted with a petrol engine, four-wheel drive.

Saab 9-4X (2010)

Another four-wheel drive Saab went on sale a year after the 9-3X. The 9-4X SUV shared a platform with the Cadillac SRX but did not last nearly as long. For business reasons related to the forthcoming sale of Saab, General Motors canned the project less than two years after the car appeared on the market.

Saab 9-5 second generation (2010)

The second-generation 9-5 went into full production in 2010, just as Saab was heading towards its final collapse. Perceived by some as not quite finished before it entered production, the car was built for less than a year before the company’s financial situation became impossible. 62 years after the 92 made its debut, Saab’s last car became a historical oddity.

11,280 second generation 9-5s were built, including a handful of the SportWagon estate variant.

Saab PhoeniX (2011)

Saab’s final concept car was the PhoeniX two-door coupe. Its name was sadly ironic. When the PhoeniX made its debut at the 2011 Geneva Show, Saab had been bought from General Motors by Spyker and almost immediately fell into bankruptcy. The brand did not rise from the ashes in the way the mythical Phoenix did.

NEVS (2012)

NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden) acquired Saab Automotive’s assets in 2012 and was the last company to produce Saab-badged cars. These electric vehicles were based on the second-generation 9-3.

NEVS now uses its own badge rather than the Saab one, and the Saab name continues in the defence company that gave the world Saab cars in the first place.

Remembering greatness

To celebrate its centenary in 2008, GM produced a list of its all-time top ten cars. Perhaps the most surprising was the Saab 92, which went into production 40 years before GM began to invest in the company. Despite the later troubles, GM was clearly proud of its association with the ingenious Swedes.

Some car companies die and are not much mourned. The ever-innovative and individual Saab is definitely not one of them; it produced approximately 4.5 million cars in its life, and the owners’ clubs that blossom around the world are testament to its cars continuing appeal.