Celebrating 60 years of independent thinking - 5
2007: Saab's 60th anniversary
Sonett 1 sports car
This is the fifth instalment in the series of 60 little 'gems' paying tribute to the Swedish carmaker's diamond jubilee. These snippets reflect something of the passion and tradition for innovative, independent thinking that continues to inspire the Saab brand and the development of its products today.
41. Senior Saab executives are currently participating in user trials of Saab's AlcoKey, an innovative 'alco-lock' device that immobilises the car if the driver's breath sample reading is found to be over the limit. The Saab volunteers are part of a 100-strong trial programme under way in Sweden.
The device has already won the Swedish Automobile Association's 2006 award for innovations that contribute to improvements in safety or the environment.
42. Saab's core real-life safety philosophy is born from its aviation heritage, where pilot and crew safety is always paramount. Saab's current database of more than 6,100 real-life road accidents, involving Saab cars, goes right back to 1948, the first entry relating to an accident experienced by a Saab test driver.
43. The fastest production Saab ever is the current 9-3 Sport Sedan with a 250 hp, 2.8 V6 turbo engine, also available in SportCombi and Convertible body styles. This sophisticated powerplant represents the state-of-the-art in turbo technology, drawing on Saab's vast experience accumulated over almost 30 years since the launch of the first 99 Turbo.
44. In 1982, Saab was the first car manufacturer to take advantage of new materials to replace asbestos, introducing asbestos-free brake and clutch linings. In 1991, it also led the industry in eliminating CFCs from in-car air-conditioning systems.
45. In 1996, a Sonett 1 sports car from the Saab Museum - with Erik Carlsson at the wheel - set a new Swedish speed record of 159.4 km/h (99 mph) for a 750 cc road car, exactly 40 years after it was built. All six Sonett 1s that were produced still exist today, two of which are at the Saab Museum.
46. The Saab 9-5 BioPower is the only bioethanol-fuelled car in the world to give the driver increased engine power and performance - as well as lower fossil CO2 emissions. That's because its turbocharged engine allows Saab to exploit the higher octane rating of E85 fuel. Flex-fuel cars are able to run on petrol and/or a renewable fuel, such as E85, which is 85 per cent bioethanol and 15 per cent petrol.
47. For good roll-over protection, the windshield pillars and header rail on the current Saab 9-3 Convertible are strong enough to support a total weight of 3.5 tonnes, equivalent to 2.2 times the weight of the car.
48. A Saab car is designed to help you survive hitting a wild moose. Saab's simulated moose crash test, developed in the mid-Eighties, involves the car striking a 350 kg dummy moose head-on at 70 km/h. Hitting one of these large animals is a relatively common occurrence on rural roads in Sweden and the introduction of this demanding test is typical of Saab's real-life safety approach.
49. To win his third RAC Rally in the UK in 1962, Erik Carlsson left a Saab 96 owner rather upset after 'stealing' a rear suspension component from his parked car to replace a broken piece on the rally car. The two became good friends afterwards.
50. The most 'extreme' development of the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan is Per Eklund's 550 bhp entry in the European Rallycross Championship. With all-wheel-drive, it can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 2.2 seconds, as fast as a Formula One car.
(To be continued)
41. Senior Saab executives are currently participating in user trials of Saab's AlcoKey, an innovative 'alco-lock' device that immobilises the car if the driver's breath sample reading is found to be over the limit. The Saab volunteers are part of a 100-strong trial programme under way in Sweden.
The device has already won the Swedish Automobile Association's 2006 award for innovations that contribute to improvements in safety or the environment.
42. Saab's core real-life safety philosophy is born from its aviation heritage, where pilot and crew safety is always paramount. Saab's current database of more than 6,100 real-life road accidents, involving Saab cars, goes right back to 1948, the first entry relating to an accident experienced by a Saab test driver.
43. The fastest production Saab ever is the current 9-3 Sport Sedan with a 250 hp, 2.8 V6 turbo engine, also available in SportCombi and Convertible body styles. This sophisticated powerplant represents the state-of-the-art in turbo technology, drawing on Saab's vast experience accumulated over almost 30 years since the launch of the first 99 Turbo.
44. In 1982, Saab was the first car manufacturer to take advantage of new materials to replace asbestos, introducing asbestos-free brake and clutch linings. In 1991, it also led the industry in eliminating CFCs from in-car air-conditioning systems.
45. In 1996, a Sonett 1 sports car from the Saab Museum - with Erik Carlsson at the wheel - set a new Swedish speed record of 159.4 km/h (99 mph) for a 750 cc road car, exactly 40 years after it was built. All six Sonett 1s that were produced still exist today, two of which are at the Saab Museum.
46. The Saab 9-5 BioPower is the only bioethanol-fuelled car in the world to give the driver increased engine power and performance - as well as lower fossil CO2 emissions. That's because its turbocharged engine allows Saab to exploit the higher octane rating of E85 fuel. Flex-fuel cars are able to run on petrol and/or a renewable fuel, such as E85, which is 85 per cent bioethanol and 15 per cent petrol.
47. For good roll-over protection, the windshield pillars and header rail on the current Saab 9-3 Convertible are strong enough to support a total weight of 3.5 tonnes, equivalent to 2.2 times the weight of the car.
48. A Saab car is designed to help you survive hitting a wild moose. Saab's simulated moose crash test, developed in the mid-Eighties, involves the car striking a 350 kg dummy moose head-on at 70 km/h. Hitting one of these large animals is a relatively common occurrence on rural roads in Sweden and the introduction of this demanding test is typical of Saab's real-life safety approach.
49. To win his third RAC Rally in the UK in 1962, Erik Carlsson left a Saab 96 owner rather upset after 'stealing' a rear suspension component from his parked car to replace a broken piece on the rally car. The two became good friends afterwards.
50. The most 'extreme' development of the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan is Per Eklund's 550 bhp entry in the European Rallycross Championship. With all-wheel-drive, it can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 2.2 seconds, as fast as a Formula One car.
(To be continued)
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