Myth Buster

Saab 900

Debunking the most common old wives’ tales SAAB 900 1 ‘SAAB’ SHOULD BE CAPITALISED

No it shouldn’t. Granted, the name originally came from the Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolag (Swedish Aeroplane Company Ltd.) in 1937. But ‘Saab’ replaced ‘SAAB’ in common use in around 1950 and the firm officially became ‘Saab AB’ in 1965 because of its diverse activities. As with Fiat (also originally an acronym), there’s no need for capitals now.

2 IT WAS THE FIRST CAR WITH A CABIN FILTER

This ‘fact’ has been published in books, but it’s not true. Nash’s Weather Eye fresh air system was the first car with a disposable cabin filter, way back in 1938, 40 years before the 900 appeared.

3 THE WHEELS WERE INSPIRED BY TURBO BLADES

Early 900 Turbos’ Inca wheels reputedly took their inspiration from South American architecture, but they do also mimic turbocharger blades, and made their first appearance on the 99 Turbo in 1977. The option was deleted in 1982.

4 IT HAS TERRIBLE TORQUE STEER

Turbocharged front-wheel drive cars are often prone to torque steer, but the 900’s is nowhere near as bad as believed. A main cause of torque steer is unequal length driveshafts, but the 900’s gearbox is actually mounted centrally, so it has equal length driveshafts, and therefore much better behaviour.

5 THERE WAS A 007-THEMED MODEL

In 1986, there was – allegedly – a James Bond ‘Silver Beast’ UK special edition with trim upgrades and special decals to mark the 900 Turbo’s use in John Gardener’s 007 novels, but nobody seems to have ever seen one, let alone bought one. Did it really exist?