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Saab Sonett is the name of a series of automobiles from Saab. The Sonett I was called "Saab 94". Sonett II and III are also known as "Saab 97".
In the 1950s Rolf Mellde suggested that Saab should make a small number of open two seater sport cars as the racing regulations did not allow Saab to tune their cars as much as was needed to be competative. Rolf Mellde designed the car himself and in utter secrecy built it in a barn in Åsaka outside Trollhättan. Only a very limited number of persons working on the project knew about it and it was done in their spare time. The total cost of the project was 75000 Kronor. The name 'Sonett' is derived from an exclamation in Swedish by Rolf Mellde;"So nett den ar", but the name was originally suggested for both the Saab 92 and Saab 93.
Sonett I
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| Saab Sonett I © Martin Bergstrand |
Saab Sonett I VIN #1 |
Saab Sonett I #1 © Martin Hilvers |
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On March 16, 1956 the Saab Sonett Super Sport or Saab 94 (later known as Sonett I) was displayed at Stockholms Bilsalong. Only 6 were made, the original had a hand crafted body and the others were made in Glassfiber Reinforced Polyester (GRP - "fibreglass") using the original car #1 as a model. It had a three cylinder 748 cc two-stroke engine giving 57.5 hp (43 kW). The body design was advanced for its time and was based on aluminium boxes. However the racing rules were changed and since Saab now was allowed to race using tuned up standard cars only six were produced. In September 1996 car number 1 broke the Swedish speed record for cars up to 750 cc with a speed of 159,4 km/h.
Sonett II
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| 1968 Saab Sonett II V4 © Martin Bergstrand |
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In the 1960s Björn Karlström suggested that SAAB should develop a new two seater sports car with two stroke engine, but this time a coupe and not a cabriolet. Two prototypes were developed, the Saab MFI13 by Malmö Flygindustri and the Saab Catherina by Sixten Sason. The MFI13 was the one selected for production. In 1966 the MFI13 was, after some modifications, put into production at ASJ in Arlöv as "Saab 97". The engine was a three cylinder, two-stroke engine giving 60 hp (45 kW). The Sonett II could do 0 to 100 km/h in 12.5 seconds and had a top speed of 150 km/h.
When Saab started using the Ford Taunus V4 engine in their other models, they also wanted to use it in the Sonett II. The car was redesigned to Sonett II V4, with the 1500 cc Ford V4. A new hood was designed by Gunnar A. Sjögren, with a 'bulge', necessary to fit the larger engine. The bulge is slightly to the right so it would not obstruct the view of the driver. The engine produced 65 hp (48 kW) and the Sonett II V4 made 0 to 100 km/h in 12.5 s and had a top speed of 160 km/h.
Sonett III
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| 1973 Saab Sonett III © Martin Bergstrand |
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In the 1970s the Sonett design started to feel a bit outdated and for the redesigned Sonett III Saab called in Sergio Coggiola. It was important that the middle section would be unaltered, but Coggiola ignored that and made a significantly wider car. The Coggiola design was altered by Gunnar A. Sjögren to fit the middle section. Due to demands from the US market the Sonett III had a floor shift instead of the column shift as used in the previous models. It also came with an optional air conditioning, also a request from the US market.
The Sonett III used the same V4 engine, started with 1500 cc, from 1972 with a 1700 version and the type indicator '97' in the chassis number. The engine gave 65 hp (48 kW) and the Sonett III made 0-100 km/h in 13 s and had a top speed of 165 km/h. Production was ended in 1974 due to stricter emission regulations in the USA.
Sonett IV
Sonett IV was planned to be a 2+2 sports car with a 2 litre turbocharged engine, but the project never got very far.
In March 2004 the head of General Motors in Europe, Bob Lutz, stated that he wanted a new Saab Sonett. This time based on the Chevrolet Solstice/Pontiac Solstice [1] (http://www.automotorsport.se/nyhetsmall.asp?version=10372). Another possible platform that has been mentioned is the Subaru B9 Scrambler.
On April 6 2004 AutoWeek wrote that a new Saab will be based on the GM Kappa platform, but that would be difficult to adapt to front wheel drive. Go ahead has already been given to Saturn's Kappa car, based on the Curve concept created by the Saab advanced design team in Gothenburg, Sweden. A Saab source says "That we're exploring a Sonett-inspired two-seater should be no surprise". It is likely it will be revealed on the 2005 Frankfurt auto show. [2] (http://www.autoweek.com/search/search_display.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=carnews&content_code=08579153&Search_Type=STD&Search_ID=2038603&record=1)
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