SAAB

The Swedish vehicle manufacturer SAAB produced the mid-range car with the designation SAAB 96 at the main plant in Trollhättan from the beginning of the 1960s. Just like its predecessors SAAB 92 and 93, its body was based on the so-called “Ursaab” with its streamlined, optimized shape. The drive was initially a water-cooled 3-cylinder two-stroke engine, later models with 4-cylinder V-engines from the Ford Taunus were added. The SAAB 96 was produced from 1960 to 1980 in multiple revised form and technology. It gained international fame not only through its characteristic design and high level of suitability for everyday use, but above all through the racing successes of Erik Carlsson at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1962 and 1963.

One strawberry cup, please.

My SAAB 96 belongs to the first generation of the model and can be recognized by the round bonnet, the round headlights and the oval radiator grille and is therefore called “bullnose”. It was the restoration project of a SAAB fan from Dresden who had bought the car unseen in Sweden. After delivery, he noticed numerous rust perforations and other defects, so that registration of the otherwise well-preserved specimen was initially not possible. After the car had been dismantled in the underground car park under the apartment building and the damaged body parts had been dry-ice blasted, the restoration came to a standstill and finally – after two years of downtime – he decided to give up the entire project. I took the puzzle out of the Dresden underground car park and assembled it in my workshop within two days. The SAAB drives, shifts, steers and makes a tiny little blue cloud. As soon as the body has been welded, the brake lines replaced and the chassis completed, we can use it to go on a summer trip to the ice cream parlor.

#saab #saab96 #saab95 #saab93 #saabtwostroke #saablove #saabnation