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- Herausgeber: Crowood
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
Saab 99 and 900 is a detailed account of the cars that came from Saab, the aeroplane maker, whose first car - the 92 model - set the standard for advanced design epitomized by the 99 and 900 cars. The author delves deep into the cars' design and history, and into the core Saab values that they carried into production. Topics include: detailed design history of the 99 and 900; year-by-year developments; technically detailed engineering overviews; detailed specifications; advice on owning and buying and, finally, coverage of rallying and special models.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011
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Contents
Introduction
1Saab – Before the 99
2Project Gudmund
3Saab 99 – Styling Standpoint
4Strength and Safety
5The 99 Unveiled
Plates
6Turbo Years
7Reincarnation – The 900
8Competition Cars
9Buying a Classic Saab
10Finale
Appendix I: Production Figures and Plant Output
Appendix II: Drawings and Details of the 99 and 900
Appendix III: Summary Buyer’s Guide
Further Reading
For my daughter, Emily
Acknowledgements
This book would not have happened without the help of many people who have given generously of their time, including car designer Bjorn Envall, Chris and Shelagh Day, ColinWallace, Richard Elliot,William Glander, and others in the Saab Owners Club, and enthusiasts’ groups. Thanks are also due to the Gunnel Ekburg and Gunvor Thorson in the Saab press office at Trollhattan, to Per-Borje Elg and Peter Backstrom at Saab, and to other enthusiasts at Saab UK, Newbury/Reading Saab, Red Post Garage Newton Abbot and Just Saab Garage.
Photos are from the Saab Archive and the author.
Introduction
SVENSK BIL MED FLYGKVALITET - SWEDISH CAR WITH AIRCRAFT QUALITY
Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, or Saab, is distinguished among the mainstream European car makers of the 1970s, 80s and 90s as a manufacturer that dared to be different. This aircraft company’s cars ignored the contradictions of perceived wisdom in motor manufacture, capturing the spirit of those who designed and built them.
What is that certain ‘Saabness’? According to Saab enthusiast and car designer Jim Das, the designs of the ‘broad-shouldered Swedes’, the 99 and 900, ‘have a timeless appeal that does not date because they were not a response to a fashion trend, as most car design is’ (Royal College of Art auto design degree presentation, featuring a future vision for Saab). Legendary rally driver Erik Carlsson described the purchase of a Saab as a ‘long-term choice [rather than] a fashion statement’. Saab’s cars always appealed to a certain kind of car buyer - someone who appreciated the excellent engineering, the advanced safety features and aerodynamics, and the unusual character of the design.
The face of Saab — the Classic 900 saloon with the slant nose of 1988.
It was the 99 and 900, especially the turbo models, that put Saab on the map. Daring to be different and yet remaining committed to practicality, strength, safety and reliability, and quality, the Saab company created a unique character. Its personality has endured for more than half a century and today, despite ownership by General Motors, it remains individual. The 900 MkI - the Classic 900 - and the 99, are fine examples of that individualism. They remain icons in the history of the motor car; indeed, the last-of-the-line 900s attained instant classic car status and are now highly sought after.
The Turbo badge and the legendary ‘Inca’ wheels.
Saab 99 & 900: The Complete Story traces the development from the early days of the 99 prototype (or Project Gudmund) to the 900 Turbo 16 ‘Ruby’, which signalled the end of the pure Saab, and the beginning of the next 900 under Saab’s new parent General Motors. It tells the story of the men who were the driving force behind Saab - design genius Sixten Sason, Gunnar Ljungstrom and Rolf Mellde, and others, who created the first Saab car in 1947; Stan Wennlo, who promoted the later turbo cars; and Bjorn Envall, the designer of the 900. It focuses on the safety and the aerodynamics, the engines and the handling of the 900 - all the Saab hallmarks that made the car a worldwide classic - and its survival through to production.
At one time, the Saab car was seen simply as a workhorse for the Swedish people. From these humble beginnings, within a few years, the British and the Americans were seeing Saabs as upmarket cars of a certain class. The Swedish Royal family -from King Gustaf Adolf VI and King Carl Gustaf XVI to Prince Bertil - became Saabists through and through.
Saabs may have gone from workhorses to luxury cars, but the essential qualities of the originals were never forgotten. Volvo may have benefited from a certain ‘Scandinavian’ identity later on in its history, but its original designs were hardly innovative. All those years ago, it was Saab that came up with a car that was unique, advanced and daring - yet was still a car for the masses. The 92 was a real feat of engineering and advanced design, yet it did not achieve the same sort of publicity as, for example, the Mini. At the time of the 92, Issigonis was still turning out leaf-sprung, rear-driven cars, such as the Morris Minor 1000. Europe’s car makers were following all sorts of different design routes. British company Alvis of Coventry had experimented with front-wheel drive, with a front-driven grand prix racer in 1926 and a road-going version of the same, with all-round independent suspension, in 1928; Cord, Adler and DKW had also tried front-wheel drive from 1930 to 1935; Citroen may have launched front-wheel drive in the 1934 Traction Avant, but it was Saab that pioneered the front-drive concept for mass use in a medium-sized car. (The 2CV was something else entirely!)
Saab 99 & 900 Evolution
Note: Saab models for next model year were announced in the last week of August or the first week of September the preceding year. Revised model production began late in same year (November/December), with new model year cars arriving in showrooms after Christmas.
22 November 1967:99 unveiled to the press29 November 1967:British press previews the 991967–68:99’s year-long development programme; cars placed with evaluation customers1968:99 two-door launched on to LHD European marketApril 1969:American 99 sales launched1 November 1969:RHD British cars on sale13 April 1970new four-door body style for 99 launched (the first four-door Saab). New Finnish factory builds some 99s. Spec of early 99s improved. Automatic 99 EA launched in Sweden and Europe then UK with fuel injection; American cars get manual box with fuel injection1971revised dashboard and instrument panel design; larger 1854cc engine1972:‘rubber bumper’ cars – styling revisions to 99 chrome grille and bumpers changed; headlamp wipers; side-impact doorbars added1973:1.7-litre engine phased out. 2-litre Swedish-built revised engine offered in 99 EMS sports model, with electronic rather than mechanical injection. Base model X7 99 launched with unique bumpers and trim1 January 1974:three-door Combi Coupe 99 launched; ‘Wagon Back’ in USA1975:Belgian production plant starts building 99sMarch 1976:five-door body shell launchedSpring 1976:luxury GLE 99 models launchedSpring 1977:EMS-Turbo pre-production carsDecember 1977:Turbo models of 1978 model year cars launched. All 99s receive styling changes – revised lamps/indicator units and trim upgrades. Assembly in Arlov and Uusikaupunki, Finland. Technical spec revisions. Turbo model achieves worldwide fame and sales. Three- then two-door Turbos. Five-door Turbos made for UK market in very small numbers (fewer than 50 cars)May 1978:900 launched; sales begin at end of 1978 for 1979 model year. 900 based on 99 but with new front end, major revisions to drivetrain, suspension, fittings and trim, and entirely new interior. Three- and five-door shells1979:900 model debuts on European and American LHD markets; 99 range slimmed down. Trim items added to 900. Most UK 99s have 2-litre engine. Extra 99s produced for UK due to a delay to RHD 900s. Limited edition two-door 99 Turbos in Acacia Green sold in mainland Europe only1980:99 continues; 900 gets new seats1981:special 99 with direct-injection 118hp engine and luxury trim for Nordic area only. Kerosene-powered special 99 for Finnish market. 900 gets new seats and a new four-door saloon body optionSummer 1982:all 99s get revised H-series engine. Economy special model 99s for Nordic market; narrow-profile tyres, five-speed box. APC system fitted to 900sSummer 1983:revised 99 with 900 trim additions and centre console. 900 two-tone cars debut. 900 EMS trim tag ends, replaced by GLi1984:final 99 model year. Finnish-built cars only; many sold in UK15 March 1985:last UK delivery of 99. 900 Turbo 16s – Aero’ – in mainland Europe and latterly in the UK after T16s badge tagSummer 1985:revised 99 launched as Saab 90 – 99 two-door with new 900 two-door rear end replacing original 99 rear body. Trim and spec upgrades. Revisions to 900. Saab-Scania badging1986:minor changes to 90. 900 16-valve engines expanded in range1987:90 model withdrawn. 900 gets new sloping nose styling. 900 convertible on sale worldwide1988:engineering changes to turbo units in 900s1989:900 8-valve ends production. 900 range revised1990:all 900s are made with 16 valves1991:uprated 2119cc engine introduced on certain markets1992:anti-lock brakes on all 900s1993:final 900s, ‘Ruby’ model, with special trim, uprated bhp. No body kit26 March 1993:900 production ends after 15 years, with 908,817 cars producedSaab Innovations
1947:Saab’s first car, the 92 model, a front-drive, aerodynamically tuned, flat-floored car launched with reinforced body shell built on aeronautical design theories. Transverse engine of two-stroke design. Independent suspension1953:factory-fitted front seatbelts1960:airflow-tuned cabin ventilation and extraction system1961:first use of rear window aerofoil ‘slicer’ to clean vertical rear windscreen on an estate car body1963:diagonal spilt braking system1967:Saab 99 with advanced safety-cage body, tuned aerodynamics, crushable steering column, starter switch between seats for safety reasons (removes key from leg impact area on fascia); front-driven via 15in wheels1969:headrests of proper safety design, rather than just for comfort1971:self-repairing cell-construction 5mph rubber bumpers; headlamp wipers and washers as standard; heated front seats1972:proper side-impact protection via box-section steel support beam linked to lateral compression panels; impact-absorbing roof linings1976:USA-spec cars get catalysts1977:birth of the Saab Turbo – mass-market application of unique Saab-designed waste-gate turbocharger design in 99 model. 900 model launched – notable for unique cabin air filter system and safety body design, and turbocharging refinements. Automatic Performance Control: Saab-designed APC system to fine-tune engine under its own self-management system1982:asbestos-free brake pads on all Saabs1983:16-valve 2-litre engine with unusual cylinder head design to promote combustion and fuel efficiency1985:direct ignition system; automatic seatbelt tensioners1986:Saab 9000 becomes the first front-driven car in the world to have ABS1990:900 cars get the pioneering Saab light-pressure turbo unit1991:Saab launches first CFC-free air-conditioning system1993:first clutchless manual/auto gearbox via Saab ‘Sensonic’ design. Night vision dashboard display1996:active headrest – safety-enhancing head restraint adaptive system1997:ventilated front seats with in-built fanSaab’s teardrop-shaped car, with its front drive, transverse engine and mono-coque safety body, was a major milestone in the history of car design. Yet the achievement of Sason, Mellde and Ljungstrom did not receive the public recognition it deserved. Perhaps it was because they were unassuming Swedes, rather than fashionable Italians.
Tucked away in Scandinavia, Saab was hardly a household name elsewhere in the world. Yet this small company from a small country did not ignore world markets. The company created the 92 model for its own home market, but the car turned out to be so good that it sold successfully worldwide. A marque was created that led to the creation of the 99 and the 900, the high point of all that was Saab.
Saab reached all corners of the world -in the late 1980s, in Aspen, Colorado, USA, the sheriff, the entire police force, and large numbers of the locals were driving Saab 900s. In Solvang, California, USA, the whole town is built in Swedish style, the high street is packed with Saabs and the local garage deals day in, day out with Saabs old and new. Saabs found their way to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, and there is a dynamic Saab owners’ club in Japan. All over Europe, every country has a network of owners’ clubs and groups of dedicated Saab fanatics, or ‘Saabists’.
In late 1979, the black 99 Turbo, with its ‘Inca’ wheels, was the car to be seen in in London. In the early 1980s, the stylish black, dark blue or dark green metallic 900 Turbo – classless yet classy – was enormously popular in London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Stockholm. It became a thinking person’s urban style icon, yet different versions of the 99 and 900 were equally at home in a rural environment. Some Saabs became ‘must-have’ cars on the eastern seaboard of the USA, while in Tokyo, the 900 became a design icon, a real mark of being different.
The spirit of Saab, the unassuming car maker, is part of its appeal. BMW and Mercedes may be more famous, Volvo may be bigger these days, Citroen may have returned to daring to be different, but Saab will always be unique. The breadth of its cars’ design and its engineering achievements remained unheralded for so long. This is the first book dedicated to the modern-day Saabs that were also the last of the old, purists’ Saabs – the amazing Saab story is well worth telling.
Lance Cole, Wiltshire
1 Saab – Before the 99
COMPANY ROOTS
Car marketing people today aim to give many brands an allure of history or heritage. In truth, few manufacturers can claim roots as illustrious and relevant as the adverts imply. Saab’s lineage, however, stands head and shoulders above the rest. These days, Saab may trade heavily upon its aviation history in its marketing, yet there really is aeronautical design in all of its cars. Saab was (and still is) a maker of aeroplanes; its name, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, translates literally as ‘Swedish Aeroplane Company Ltd’. In 1957, the firm’s car-making arm became simply Saab Aktiebolaget, dispensing with the Aeroplan’. Aerodynamics, and structure and function allied to form, are a vital part of the Saab design story.
Saab’s roots lay in the industrial town of Trollhättan, where, in the 1920s and 30s, a number of small firms were involved in light and heavy engineering. There was a ready and skilled workforce, and the Gota river was an important hydroelectric resource. Members of a prominent family called Wallenberg recognized the need for a workhorse car that could handle Sweden’s weather, and would sell well in the post-war economic environment. Gunnar Philipson, head of the Philipsons Automobil AB garage chain, contributed substantial funds towards Saab’s first car project. (In return, Philipson was granted sales rights, which were later taken back in-house by Saab.)
The Saab team: (left to right) Svante Holm, Trggve Holm, Gunnar Ljungstrom, Sixten Sason, Rolf Mellde, the men who directed and designed the first Saab car in 1946.
By the mid-1930s, Sweden was becoming concerned about industrial strength and rearmament. In 1936, a combined aircraft company was created by the Swedish government, with the merger of a number of small aircraft makers. All based near Linköping and Trollhättan, they had mostly been involved in building German, British and French aircraft designs and engines under licence. Aeroplanvarvet I Skane (AVIS, later AETA-AB), set up by Dr Enoch Thulin, dated back to 1914. AETA-AB had become a serious engine and air-frame builder, turning out nearly a hundred aircraft, but by the late 1920s, Sweden’s aviation business had declined. Among the other companies involved in the combined company were ASJA (Swedish Railway Works), Nohab (Nydqvist and Holm), Svenska Aero (licence-building German airframe parts), and Flygindustri from Malmo, which had links with Junkers. Armament manufacturer Bofors also played a role in expanding the sector between the wars; eventually, Saab Aero was to buy Bofors. But it was AETA that had produced aircraft engines in large numbers up to the 1920s and even designed and built its first Swedish aircraft type at that time. A reserve of aeronautical engineering was well established in this part of Sweden and the new company represented the true beginning of Saab.
During the 1920s and 30s, success for these firms came and went. By 1937, most of the big fish had absorbed the smaller ones; with the threat of war, a government decree created a larger aviation enterprise from the merger of companies owned by Bofors and Nohab. The Swedish Air Force needed to be re-equipped, yet, because of Sweden’s uncertain position in Europe, the German, British and American aviation industries were unable to continue their involvement. The Swedish aviation industry had to start from scratch. In 1937, Gunnar Dellner headed the umbrella company of Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, under Chairman Torsten Nothin and President Ragnar Wahrgren. The amalgamation in April 1937 also involved engine makers, and the remaining aviation division of railway engineering firm ASJA of Linköping. The complex set-up was clarified under Axel Wenner-Gren in 1939, with a reorganization of the various groups and their spheres of influence. Saab took control of the ASJA interests, and was itself later sold off to the Wallenbergs.
AERONAUTICAL HERITAGE
Ragnar Wahrgren headed Saab from 1939–50 and was one of the Saab men who approved the first Saab car project. Frid Wanstrom, who headed the Saab research division and was responsible for the advanced aerodynamics that distinguished Saab’s early aeroplanes, along with Lars Brising, Eric Bratt, A.J Andersson, Hans Eric Lofkvist, gave Saab aircraft swept wings, leading-edge slats, double delta profiles and a highly efficient structure. All the new features were checked out by Saab’s designers in the company’s own wind tunnels. Saab aeroplanes were known for their efficiency of design, their superb handling and aerodynamics and their general ‘feel’ -just like the cars bred from them.
Sweden’s aeronautical industry benefited from the vision of forward-looking men who were eager to turn their engineering skills to modification of successful designs, and to innovation, creating in the process their own motifs. These impressive skills represent a core theme in the history of Saab aeroplane and car manufacture. Much of Saab’s aeronautical work is carried out in conjunction with the design of its cars. Geographically isolated, employees at Saab’s aircraft design centre at Linköping toiled away, developing advanced aerodynamics and structures, and airframes offering superb handling. It was many years before their genius was recognized worldwide.
The Saab J29 ‘Tunnan’ – Saab’s advanced swept wing jet fighter of the late 1950s, a fine example of Saab’s aviation design skills.
Major revisions 93-96 models
Longitudinal-mounted 748cc three-cylinder engine (1955)
Updated 841cc unit (1960)
V4 1498cc (1967)
Coil springs (1955)
First revised nose styling 1956 (93 model)
Restyled doors and rear end with larger rear windscreen 96 model (1960)
Longer bonnet and new nose (1965)
Interior updates and trim changes
The earliest Saab-built aircraft, such as the B3 and B5, were licence-built variants of modified designs from American and German manufacturers. Saab’s first aircraft built to its own design, in 1937, was the prop-powered, single-engined Saab 17, followed by the Saab twin-engined bomber (the 18 model). The next move was an intriguing twin-boomed affair with pusher prop – the 21 fighter – which was re- engineered into a jet-powered version named the 21R. After the war came the Saab Scandia airliner, a sort of twin-engined Swedish competitor to the Douglas DC-3. The Scandia was so advanced and so well engineered that many remained in airline service into the 1960s. Two highly successful light trainers – the 91 Safir and the Saab 105 jet trainer – followed in the 1950s, but it was the Saab Lansen, Draken and Tunnan jet aircraft that really made Saab’s mark in the aviation world. Their features were advanced; the Draken was notable for its double delta-wing shape and high speed, the Tunnan for its early use of a swept wing, and the Lansen for its handling. In terms of design, they were leading-edge aeroplanes. More recently, the Viggen jet fighter, the 340 model airliner and the Gripen fighter of the late 1980s underlined Saab’s reputation as an aircraft builder.
Saab 92 (series production begun December 1949)
Engine:
Type:
two-cylinder, two-stroke, oil/petrol mix lubrication; transverse-mounted
Bore:
3.15in (80mm)
Stroke:
3in (76mm)
Capacity:
764cc
Compression ratio:
6.6/1
Fuel supply:
carburettor
Max power:
25bhp at 3,800rpm
Transmission:
Three-speed gearbox via driveshafts
Column-mounted shift lever
Manual freewheel economy device
Suspension and Steering:
Independent all round with shock absorbers and rear torsion bar Rack and pinion steering
Brakes:
Four drums on 15in wheels
Body:
Two-door style unit construction all welded hull
Steel tube and section reinforcements to roof pillars and sill members
Strong centre monocoque hull section
Aerodynamic low drag design
Co-efficient of drag (inc cooling resistance) 0.35 CD
Dimensions:
Track, front and rear 46.5in (1.18m)
Wheelbase 97.2in (2.47m)
Length 154in (3.92m)
Width 64in (1.62m)
Height 56in (1.42m)
Gunnar Ljungstrom, father of the Saab car.
Gunnar Ljungstrom: Father of the First Saab Car
In late 1945 - just months after the end of the Second World War - Saab began the process of becoming a car maker. Instructed by the vice-president of Saab’s aero division, Sven Otterback, a small department was set up. Twenty draughtsmen and skilled aero engineers were dedicated to creating a prototype. The man appointed to head this new venture was aero engineer and wing stressman Gunnar Ljungstrom.
