Saab Sonett
| Sonett I | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Also called | Saab 94, Super Sport prototypes |
| Production | 1955–57 |
| Designer | Sixten Sason |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door and 2-seat roadster, RHD |
| Layout | MF layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 748cc three-cylinder Saab two-stroke |
| Dimensions | |
| Curb weight | 600 kg (1,323 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Saab Sonett II |
| Sonett II and V4 | |
|---|---|
Sonett V4 (1968)
|
|
| Overview | |
| Also called | Saab 97 |
| Production | 1966-1969 |
| Designer | Björn Karlström |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | coupé, LHD |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 841 cc Saab two-stroke I3 1,498 cc Ford Taunus V4 engine |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Saab Sonett I |
| Successor | Saab Sonett III |
| Saab Sonett III | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Also called | Saab 97 |
| Production | 1970-1974 |
| Designer | Sergio Coggiola, Gunnar A. Sjögren |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | coupé, LHD |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Related | Saab Sonett II |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Ford Taunus V4 engine |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | ~2,150 mm (85 in) |
| Length | 3,900 mm (150 in) |
| Width | 1,500 mm (59 in) |
| Curb weight | 880 kg (1,940 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Saab Sonett V4 (Sonett II body with Ford V4 engine) |
The Saab Sonett is an automobile manufactured between 1955 and 1957 and again between 1966 and 1974 by Saab of Sweden. Sonetts shared engines and other components with Saab 96s and 95s of the same era.
The first prototype, now known as the Sonett I, was a two-seat, open-top, lightweight roadster racer which, ten years later, evolved into the commercially distributed Sonett models II, V4, and III.
In the 1950s, Rolf Mellde—a Saab engine developer and race enthusiast—along with Lars Olov Olsson, Olle Linkdvist, and Gotta Svensson, designed a two-seat roadster prototype in a barn in Åsaka, near Trollhättan (the site of the main Saab manufacturing facility). The limited research-and-development project, with a total budget of only 75,000 Swedish kronor, became known as the Sonett, a name derived from the Swedish phrase Så nätt den är ("how neat it is", or more literally "it's so neat").
The Saab Sonett, also called the Super Sport or Saab 94, was introduced on 16 March 1956 at 's Bilsalong (motor show). Featuring a three-cylinder 748 cc two-stroke engine generating 57.5 horsepower (42.9 kW) and a 70 kilograms (150 lb) aluminium box-style chassis from Swedish designer Sixten Sason, the Sonett I was an advanced low-weight 600 kg (1,323 lb) racer based on aircraft design concepts.
With a projected top speed of 120 mph (190 km/h), the Sonett I had the prospect of success on the European race circuit, and a production run of 2,000 units was planned for 1957. However, race competition rules changed, permitting modified production cars into race classes that Saab had envisioned for its purpose-built Sonett, and the economic and marketing viability of the project faded.
Only six Sonett I vehicles were made between 1955 and early 1957, all RHD. The original prototype, known as "#1" and built with a manually crafted glass-reinforced plastic (GRP, or "fiberglass") body, served as the reference model for the other five cars. An extremely rare vehicle, only two Sonetts I exist in the United States; one was in the GM Heritage Center collection.
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Wikipedia