Design review Saab 900: ‘There was really something unique’

Saab was founded in 1937 as Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget to build aircraft for the Swedish Air Force during World War II. After the war, Saab started experimenting with cars. That started with the X9248 project that eventually became the avant-garde designed UrSaab. A car with many inventions from the aircraft industry.

The production car was named 92 when it appeared on the market in December 1949. That was Saab logic, because the company’s previous vehicle was the 91; a single-engine training aircraft. Like the UrSaab, the 92 design was also revolutionary. Particularly due to its aerodynamic air coefficient of 0.30.

In 1966, after a number of prototypes called Sonett, Saab released the Sonett II. A downright unpleasant looking coupe with a fiberglass body. Its successor Sonett III was an evolutionary design and, if possible, made the eyes bleed even harder.

So move on quickly. In 1967, Saab received a much-needed financial injection that allowed it to develop the first entirely new product in 19 years. That became the 99. This design once again clearly showed Saab’s aviation roots. Smart concepts, such as the curved Visor windscreen that improved all-round visibility, a unique door design that wrapped under the car to keep out dirt and ease entry and exit and an aerodynamically sloping rear made this Saab a real Saab again. . Subtle revisions kept the 99 design fresh for over a decade and nearly 600,000 copies were sold.

The 99 evolved into the 900 in 1978. Although the exterior design did not differ greatly from its predecessor, the 900 demonstrated Saab’s aircraft ideas, especially in the interior. The instrument panel curved around the pilot was designed to provide easy access to all controls. They were positioned based on their frequency of use. The 900 with a so-called style nose was made until the late 1980s.

The 900 was then updated with a more rounded front and shield bumpers that covered the entire nose and rear. This latest facelift is also called the salmon nose. It made the 900 even more striking and undeniably more modern. The new nose is beautifully complementary to the special windscreen due to its rich rounding and surface tension. The clamshell hood, which closes over the fenders, is very typical visor Day Light Opening, a proportional statement among thousands with large overhangs at the front and rear and a sloping roofline: this is truly something unique. Also the Down the Road Graphic is extremely recognizable as being Saab.

In the mid-1980s, Saab became considerably more popular, although the Swedes were still no competitor to BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Saab was seen as the stylish alternative to these manufacturers. The choice for the intelligent self-employed: the doctor, notary or lawyer.

Things went downhill soon after. General Motors became a shareholder, eventually full owner, and put innovation on hold. It sold a clinically dead Saab to Spyker in 2010. In 2011, the Chinese company National Electric Vehicle Sweden seemed to be the savior with a range of electric vehicles, but that too became defunct. In May 2014, the last Saab left the production line in Trollhättan under the NEVS flag – definitively – a 9-3 Aero Sport Sedan.