The 99 didn't start out with a turbo, but it launched the turbo revolution
50 years ago this month the Saab 99 made its inaugural debut at the
Teknorama auto show in Sweden, ushering in a new era for an automaker
that, until that point in time, was best known for its droplet-shaped cars, two-stroke power and aviation parentage. The 99 changed all that over time, if not overnight, and eventually pioneered the use of turbocharging in production cars.At
its debut, the wedge-shaped 99 was powered by a 1.7-liter OHC
four-cylinder shared with Britain's Triumph, but it was the handling,
versatility and design that that got the new model noticed right away.
The fact that the car was front-wheel drive permitted Saab
to mount the engine "backwards," with the clutch ahead of the engine
itself. Penned by Swedish industrial design legend Sixten Sason, the 99
offered a spacious interior and a "wraparound" windshield, which was
quite unusual for the time and remained a trademark Saab feature. The
1.7-liter engine didn't stay in the 99 long, as the company quickly
moved up to 1.85- and 2.0-liter engines early on in the model's
production cycle, making a lot of small tweaks to just about everything
along the way.
Did we mention turbocharging? In 1978 the 99 Turbo debuted after a pilot series of turbocharged versions were "beta-tested" around the world the previous year. Coupled with the 2.0-liter engine, the turbo whooshed out an impressive 143 hp, boasting a top speed of 124 mph and transforming the 99 from a nice-handling-but-not-too-fast car into nothing short of a hot hatch. The 99 effectively ushered in a whole era of turbocharging and made its successor, the 900 Turbo, a legend at home and overseas. It still seems a little unusual that such a significant breakthrough came toward the end of the 99's production life, rather than at the beginning.
For Saab it was the 99 that allowed it to gain a foothold in
many foreign countries, including the U.S. The 99 debuted at the 1969 New York auto show
and made its way to the States with four round headlights, which is why
surviving examples of the car in the U.S. look different from those in
other markets.
The 99 remains a futuristic car, combining an aerodynamic exterior with a sporty, ergonomic interior layout and what today would be called "efficient packaging." It was also quite different from many European and American cars of the day, hence all subsequent uses of the word "quirky" in countless reviews by car magazines, offering modest exterior dimensions along with thrifty engines and sharp handling. The 99 also effectively determined the look of Saab cars for decades -- all subsequent Saab models looked to the design of the 99 for guidance -- down to the very last models that rolled out of the factory in the closing weeks of 2011 just as the automaker was coming apart.
Did we mention turbocharging? In 1978 the 99 Turbo debuted after a pilot series of turbocharged versions were "beta-tested" around the world the previous year. Coupled with the 2.0-liter engine, the turbo whooshed out an impressive 143 hp, boasting a top speed of 124 mph and transforming the 99 from a nice-handling-but-not-too-fast car into nothing short of a hot hatch. The 99 effectively ushered in a whole era of turbocharging and made its successor, the 900 Turbo, a legend at home and overseas. It still seems a little unusual that such a significant breakthrough came toward the end of the 99's production life, rather than at the beginning.
The
99 evolved over its relatively long production lifespan, but it did not
gain a turbocharger until 1978. Its successor, the 900, was designed
with the U.S. market in mind.
Classic Cars
A new Saab museum is taking shape in an unexpected place
Sturgis, South Dakota, may not be the first locale that pops to mind when you think "classic Saabs," but that's exactly where a new Saab museum is being created. Racer and Saab collector ...The 99 remains a futuristic car, combining an aerodynamic exterior with a sporty, ergonomic interior layout and what today would be called "efficient packaging." It was also quite different from many European and American cars of the day, hence all subsequent uses of the word "quirky" in countless reviews by car magazines, offering modest exterior dimensions along with thrifty engines and sharp handling. The 99 also effectively determined the look of Saab cars for decades -- all subsequent Saab models looked to the design of the 99 for guidance -- down to the very last models that rolled out of the factory in the closing weeks of 2011 just as the automaker was coming apart.
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