Hot Foot at Talladega: Record setting in the Saab 900
“For my next act, I will set myself on fire.” So said Craig Breedlove after one of his speed records went awry. That was what I did not want to do when Saab invited me – along with 119 other…
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Saab Quantum: Saab said no
Despite literally hundreds of letters requesting that Saab put the Sonett Super Sport and production, the company would have none of it. This frustrated Ralph Millet, president of Saab Motors, the US distributor. Millet figured the Sonett would be a…
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Saab The Monster: Saab goes double or nothing
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…
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1967-73 Saab 96 Sport & Rally: Swedes maximize potency of “stunt plane for the road”
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…
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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…
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1990 Saab 9000S 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…
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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…
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1-3 2-stroke | 1961-1970 | Saab | Sweden
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….
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2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4: Om du bygger det
Contemporary review originally published in examiner.com December 2010 Om du bygger det, så kommer de. Or translating the Swedish into English, if you build it, they will come. The “it” in this case is Saab, particularly for this car review,…
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Saab Sonett I: The open sports car the Swedes should have produced
Originally published in VW & Porsche, June 1990 The winter nights around Trollhattan are cold and long and snow is always on the ground. But, in January 1955, in a rented barn a few kilometers out of town, a group…
