History originally published in AutoWeek July 19, 1999; republished by the author It looks so innocent, like any other Saab 93 there in the Saab Bilmuseum. But with its hood lifted off and set aside, something appears amiss. Saab aficionados recognize that the engine is not longitudinal but transverse. And more: Six spark plugs are […]
1967-73 Saab 96 Sport & Rally: Swedes maximize potency of “stunt plane for the road”
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek July 22, 1991 Eager and alert and minus only wings, tail structure and propeller, this Saab 96 resembles a stunt plane, striking in brilliant red paint, contours rounded and aerodynamic, fat tires stuffed into spat-like fenders. The analogy goes beyond external appearances: The doors are light and the interior […]
Saab 93B: The Saab America loved first
History/driving impressions originally published in European Car August 1995; republished by the author The first Saab to come to America, at least officially, was a 93. It was an unusual addition to the automotive landscape. To a continent rife with aircraft-inspired automobiles came a truly aerodynamic automobile, and one made by an aircraft manufacturer, no […]
1990 Saab 9000 2.3: John Matras traveled to the deep South – Talladega – to test the new engine from the far north
Contemporary review originally published in VW & Porsche and European Automobiles in August 1990 Talladega’s Turn One rises ahead like a 40-footer at the Banzai Pipeline curling off to the left, a ramp of black asphalt with a concrete crest thundering in at 140 mph. It is a deliberate intellectual decision to hold the throttle […]
1950 Saab 92: Simple two-stroke served as bridge from aircraft to cars
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek August 23, 1993 Whirring like an Evinrude, the little Saab gathers up velocity hand over hand. There’s no tachometer, so shift points come by ear. The column-mounted lever moves with typical reluctance, shafts and levers falling into place. Up, forward and up, first gear slides into second. Down on […]
Saab Sonett II: Different strokes from Swedish folks
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek June 9, 1986 Bound in this white plastic projectile I dance on the offset pedals and coax the stubborn column shifter from gear to gear, surrounded by the peculiar note of the two-stroke triple. I brake early for the corners and then slither through the corners at full throttle, […]
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