The six best Saabs of all time
Saab is a motoring brand that can be fairly divisive in the car community. On the one hand you have a group that considers it an odd-ball defunct car company that is better off in the history books, and on the other you have a group that will defend Saab with their dying breath.
I’ve recently fallen into the latter group with the purchase of my very own Saab 93 2.0t. There’s just something about the small touches and nods to their aerospace background that sets it apart from its competitors. Now, there are a few Saabs, mainly in the post-GM era that didn’t have that Scandinavian magic, but over the years Saab produced some brilliant cars and I’ve picked out what I consider the best of the bunch. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make you fall in love with the brand as well.
Saab Sonett I
We’re heading back to 1956 to kick things off with this rather special Saab Sonett I. Unofficially known as the Saab 94, the Sonett Super Sport was designed for racing. You may not be familiar with this model as only six were ever built,
It was an attempt by the fairly new arrival into the automotive industry to better their competition with smarter and lighter build. This 70kg monocoque structure was built six years before Colin Chapman’s revolutionary Lotus 25 Formula 1 car.
Saab Sonett III
Another Sonett? You’re gosh darn right I’ve put another Sonett in here. Firstly, just look at it. It’s a beautiful little design that launched way back at the 1970 New York Auto Show.
The performance of the Sonett III isn’t going to blow your socks off, it’ll barely pull skin off some cold custard, but that’s not the point. There’s one phrase that’ll convince you to love it: ‘pop-up headlights.’
Saab 93 Viggen
So far, you’re probably thinking that Saab just made quirky and fun slow cars. Well, let’s put a stop to that notion with the 93 Viggen. With a specially developed 2.3-litre B235R engine, it could indeed pull skin off cold custard. At the time, this was the fastest Saab ever produced and with a top speed of 155mph and 233PS (171kW) it would take some beating.
If you’re wondering what ‘Viggen’ means, the company took the name from the Saab 37 Viggen Thunderbolt fighter jet. So, you’d be correct in thinking that it’s one of the coolest names of all time.
Saab 99 Turbo S
We’re in true cult status territory with the 99 Turbo. This is the car often cited for converting a lot of people into Saab fans, and it’s not hard to see why. Now, Saab wasn’t the first to try its hand with a turbo, but this car made it synonymous with the concept. It may have had copious amounts of turbo lag, but that’s half the fun, right?
The 99 Turbo I wanted to specifically mention is the extremely rare ‘S.’ The Turbo S was the swansong of the 99 model before the 900 replaced it. Saab introduced a water injection cooling system that basically allowed it to turn up the boost to produce 162PS (119kW) making it something that it’s easier to drive looking through the side window.
Saab 900 Aero
The 900 had a lot to live up to with the reputation of its predecessor and it didn’t disappoint. The performance ‘Aero’ model (known as a 900 Turbo SPG in the US) for many, the car that best represents what Saab is all about.
You’ve got the aerospace reference, turbo fun and just look at that styling. If you were brave enough, you could reach a top speed of 135mph using the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
Saab Aero-X concept
I'll finish on a bit of a curve ball. The Saab Aero-X never made it to production, but it'd be a shame not to include one of Saab's concepts as it had some incredible ones over the years.
The party trick of what I consider one of the best looking concepts ever is that it only has one door. The entire top section of the car opens up in spectacular fashion to allow entry into the canopy cockpit. It is unfortunate it never made it to production as we’ve all missed out on witnessing someone attempt to dismount from their Aero-X in a Tesco car park… A true shame.
There are many other Saabs which could have easily made this list, so let us know your favourite in the comments. Also, let us know if we managed to convert you into a Saab fan.
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