The 5 Greatest Saabs Ever Built

Well, Saab is no longer with us, but its legacy still lives on through the people that drive them everyday, and all the chat boards online dedicated just to Saab vehicles. They’re lucky too… getting OEM Saab parts should be relatively easy since the company was pretty big and has a well thought out distribution parts center which will allow these cars can stay on the road for years to come, unlike my 1974 Datsun. I’ve always been a fan of the Saab jets and nobody in our family has ever owned a Saab, but I always appreciated their cars when I would see them on the road. Their styling is always unique, and you just don’t see them as often as the big guys.

So on that note, and in no particular order, below are five of my favorite Saab cars from different time periods. I’ll show a nice picture, provide some details, and at the end we chat about *your* favorite Saabs.

Saab 92

The Saab 92 was the company’s first production vehicle and was considered very aerodynamic for its time with a drag coefficient of 0.30. The car was made out of one single sheet metal and then areas were chopped out to accommodate the doors and windows. This little guy only pumped out 25 horsepower and had a top speed of 65mph. Most of the earlier Saabs were all green and word on the street is that the company had a surplus of paint from the wartime production of aircraft.

Saab Sonett I

The Saab Sonett I was produced between 1955-57 and its main purpose was to compete in the European circuit races. The 748cc two-stroke motor produced 57.5hp, was an advanced lightweight two seat race car which many people projected to dominate any races it competed in. But the Sonett didn’t see much action as racing regulations changed which allowed for modified production cars to enter instead of purpose built race cars. A total of six Sonetts were made.

Saab Sonett V4

Nope, that’s not an old school Porsche you see here. The Sonett V4 was made between 1966 and 1969. The vehicle was powered by a 1.5-liter Ford Taunus V4 engine making 65hp. The vehicle was constructed out of lightweight fiberglass and featured goodies from the factory that other vehicles did not offer at the time such as a roll bar, high-back bucket seats, and a three-point seat harness.

Saab 93 Viggen

I’ve seen some pretty nice Saab 93 Viggen’s on the road. This car was release during the height of the tuner car scene so there are lots of aftermarket toys available for this particular Saab although it looks great in stock form. This was produced between 199-2002 and powered by a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine developing 227 horsepower. This vehicle was developed to keep pace with other European manufacturers who were introducing performance oriented sedans.

Saab Turbo X

This is probably one of my favorite sedans from the mid-2000’s era. The Saab Turbo X features performance and sex appeal. This vehicle was produced between 2005 to 2006 and it was powered by a 280 horsepower turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 engine.

So, that’s my list of Saab vehicles that really stick out to me. What do you think, any suggestions of your own? Feel free to comment below and let us know which Saab vehicles you loved most or even actually own.

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eddie

Eddie is a writer covering men's lifestyle topics for Unfinished Man. With a business degree and passion for writing, he provides reviews on the latest cars, gadgets, and other interests for today's man. Eddie crafts entertaining and informative articles aimed at helping readers live their best lives.

3 comments on “The 5 Greatest Saabs Ever Built”

  1. I found you site Tuesday, like what I see and now you have an article on a favorite car of mine…the SAAB. We have four in the family. A “78” 99, “86” 900,
    “2000” Aero and a “2009” Aero. Great article however I would have liked to see the 900 turbo on the list.
    Thanks and keep up the great site. John
    P.S. Where are you folks based out of ?

    Reply
    • I was going to do a list of Top 10. Maybe “The 5 Greatest Saabs” will have a part II? We are based in Vancouver, British Columbia and Montreal, Quebec.

      Reply
  2. Nice post. I had the pleasure of driving an ’87 900 SPG for a couple years. Someday I want to restore one, everything about it was so well thought out.

    Reply

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