SWEDE DREAM
181 MOTORING We look back at the history of Saab’s iconic, game-changing 900 as it celebrates its 40th birthday,
THE Saab 900 was not your typical mid-sized executive car. The Saab 900 was not your typical anything really. Wrap-around windscreens, floor-mounted ignition keys, clam-shell bonnets... the 900 was full of strange and, in some cases, just downright daft features that only Saab had thought of. Only Saab could have thought of them because Saab, nestled in the small city of Trollhättan in south-western Sweden, always did things differently.
Celebrating its 40th birthday this year, the original 900 was based on the basic architecture of the smaller 99 but with longer nose and tail sections to for better crash performance with one eye on the American market. Originally launched with a Triumph-designed carburettor-fed 99hp engine, the new 900 also came with twin-carb, fuel-injected and turbocharged versions putting out 143hp, making it one of the most powerful front-wheel drives of the time. Body styles were the classic three-door coupé and the similar five-door body style.
Saab made much of the whole connection they had with the aviation industry. Jet fighters made by Saab’s aviation division featured heavily in their advertising. Whether or not any of this twaddle translated into a 99hp front-wheel-drive hatchback is debatable, but the wrap-around windscreen and the curved dashboard drew from aviation design.
Saab’s obsession with safety meant that the company subjected prototypes to crash testing even the safety obsessives over at Volvo didn’t think of. The ignition key sat in the centre console so in a head on collision you wouldn’t hit your knee off of it. The clam-shell bonnet, which slid forward and then folded, was stronger, less inclined to strike the windscreen and wouldn’t fly open readily in a rollover crash.
The 900 was a slow burner for Saab but the company stuck with it. They redesigned the H-engine, calling it the B-engine, and released it into the 900 in 1980. This engine would gain a reputation for legendary toughness and durability, with examples running around with 150,000 miles to this day. A 100,000-mile 900 was considered just run-in. 1980 also saw the popular four-door saloon variant introduced. Not the happiest-looking version of an odd-looking range of cars, the saloon was actually demanded by dealers and nevertheless sold well. The 900 gained some unexpected publicity in 1981 when a Turbo model, dubbed the Silver Mist, was used by James Bond in the John Gardner novel Licenced Renewed. While never seen on screen, a version of Bond’s modified 900 was used in publicity and now lives in the Saab museum.
In 1982 APC, a form of knock sensor which allowed the car to run on different grades of fuel without damage, was introduced. In 1983, asbestos-free brake linings were introduced, which was a world first, while fuel injection became widespread.
One of most celebrated versions of the 900 was the convertible, which rolled out in 1986. Based on the twodoor coupé, the convertible version might have come from a company with no previous experience of building such cars but it was a smash hit. The 900 drop-top outsold even the mighty BMW 3-Series Cabrio in major markets such as the UK. Despite the extra weight and the scuttle shake, it would remain a mainstay of the 900 range.
By the mid-Eighties, the 900 had gotten into its stride. Specification improvements as well as detail changes such as posher grilles kept the showroom appeal. The excellent build quality and clever design attracted discerning customers who appreciated the thoughtfulness of the way the car was designed while new 16-valve heads made for a cleaner and more powerful engine.
In 1987, Saab gave their best-seller a mild facelift. Now supplanted by the new, marginally more conventional 9000 model, the smaller 900 got mild cosmetic tweaks along with detail mechanical improvements. The bigger wheel-arches accommodated larger wheels while the turbo gained oil- and water-cooling in an attempt the curb one of the few weak spots of the 900 — the turbo-charger’s short life span. Turbo S models were, by this stage, churning out 175hp and were genuinely fast cars.
Two months shy of its 15th birthday, the last classic 900 rolled off the assembly line in March 1993. Legend has it that General Motors, miffed at being beaten by Ford to ownership of Jaguar in 1988, moved on Saab, rescuing the Swedes from almost certain bankruptcy in 1989 before taking full ownership in 2000. The new 900 was based on the GM9000 platform, which it shared with the Opel Vectra. This gave Saab a modern, well-received replacement for the ancient 900 but as time has shuffled on enthusiasm for the original classic 900 has not waned. With the collapse of Saab in 2011, renewed interest in the original 900 has seen clean examples become collectable and now it is considered Saab’s
magnum opus.