Saab has never been an ordinary car company. Most obviously in that it wasn't founded to be a car company at all. It was an airplane maker that opened its doors in 1937 and, about a decade later, went into the car business. Saabs were built around that unique engineering heritage.
And now Saab is just about dead, again. Just like Pontiac, Plymouth and American Motors, Saab will probably be put out of its misery very soon.
But Saab wasn't always miserable. The Swedish company had its highlights. From the day the first 92 two-door ran off the company's Trollhättan assembly line in 1949 until General Motors purchased controlling interest in 1990, Saabs were epically quirky. Wonderfully so. And it's by those standards that each individual model's relative greatness can be judged. After all, this is the company that put the ignition key between the front seats, and insisted on keeping it there for over 50 years.
Choosing the best five Saabs of all time wasn't exactly easy, but it wasn't like choosing the five best Ferraris either.
One thing's for sure, if Saab does go down, it will be missed.
- Saab's first car, the 1950 model 92, was different in almost every way, from its suicide doors to its two-stroke engine
- Saab's first car, the 1950 model 92, was different in almost every way, from its suicide doors to its two-stroke engine
- With the 1978 debut of the 99 Turbo, suddenly Saabs were alternatives to the BMW 3 Series. Saab's commitment to turbocharging never waned.
- Erik "On the Roof" Carlsson puts the 1963 GT850 through a dusty section of a rally. Carlsson was the master of keeping the two-stroke engine revving through insane circumstances
-Built to race, Saab only built six Sonett I roadsters between 1955 and 1957. But it was a car that hinted at what the small company could do given some resources
- This is Saab at its peak: the 1991 900 Turbo Convertible APG with 175 horsepower. It's the best-looking topless Swede this side of Malin Akerman.
Saab n'a jamais été une compagnie de voiture ordinaire. C'est d'autant plus évident qu'elle n'a pas été fondée pour être une compagnie de voiture du tout. Saab était un fabricant d'avions qui a ouvert ses portes en 1937 et, environ une décennie plus tard, entra dans le secteur automobile. Les Saab ont été construites autour de ce patrimoine d'ingénierie unique.- Erik "On the Roof" Carlsson puts the 1963 GT850 through a dusty section of a rally. Carlsson was the master of keeping the two-stroke engine revving through insane circumstances
-Built to race, Saab only built six Sonett I roadsters between 1955 and 1957. But it was a car that hinted at what the small company could do given some resources
- This is Saab at its peak: the 1991 900 Turbo Convertible APG with 175 horsepower. It's the best-looking topless Swede this side of Malin Akerman.
Et maintenant, Saab est à peu près morte, encore une fois. Tout comme Pontiac, Plymouth et American Motors, Saab va probablement être enterré.
Mais Saab n'a pas toujours été malheureuse. La société suédoise avait ses points forts. Depuis le jour où les premières 92 à deux portes sont sorties des lignes de montage de l'entreprise de Trollhättan en 1949 jusqu'à la prise de contrôle de General Motors en 1990, les Saab ont été d'épiques excentriques. Merveilleusement . Et c'est par ces normes que la grandeur relative de chaque modèle individuel peut être jugé. Après tout, c'est la société qui a mis la clé de contact entre les sièges avant, et a continué à l'y maintenir pendant plus de 50 ans.
Choisir les cinq meilleures Saab de tous les temps n'était pas vraiment facile, mais ce n'était pas comme choisir les cinq meilleures Ferrari .
Une chose est sûre, si Saab disparait, Saab va nous manquer.
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