I've always liked Saabs and I'd have a 3.0 V6 Vector in a shot but I was just browsing and found this; (from Wikipedia so it could be wrong I guess)
Saab:
* In 1958, the GT 750 was the first car fitted with headrests as standard.
* In 1962, Saab became the first volume maker to offer diagonally-split dual brake circuits.
* In 1970, Saab introduced a 'world-first' - headlamp wipers and washers.
* In 1971, heated front seats were also introduced that year, the first time in the world that they were fitted as standard.
* In 1971, Saab developed the impact-absorbing, self-repairing bumper.
* In 1972 Saab introduced the concept of side-impact protection bars.
* In 1977, Saab was the first manufacturer to put turbochargers in mass production cars.
* In 1978, another 'world-first' was the passenger compartment air filter.
* In 1980, Saab introduced Automatic Performance Control (APC).
* In 1983 they introduced the 16-valve turbocharged engine and introduced asbestos-free brake pads.
* In 1985 SAAB pioneered direct ignition, which eliminates the distributor and spark plug wires.
* In 1986, the Saab 9000 became the first front-wheel drive car to offer ABS.
* In 1990, the 'light-pressure turbo was introduced.
* in 1991, Saab is the first manufacturer to offer CFC-free air-conditioning.
* In 1992, Saab unveil the 'Trionic' ignition, with a 32-bit micro-processor.
* In 1993 came the 'Sensonic' clutch and the 'Black Panel'.
* In 1993, Saab developed 'Safeseat' rear passenger protection.
* In 1995, Saab presented asymmetric turbo-charging of a V6, at the Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany.
* In 1996, Saab introduce the SAHR (Saab Active Head Restraint) for the seats.
* in 1997, Saab fit ventilated front seats to the 9-5, another world-first in a passenger car.
If true, who'd have thought that it was Saab that developed these technologies! Looking back at some of them, they're still not standard on a lot of cars even now!
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>>who'd have thought that it was Saab that developed these technologies!>>
It's always been known, but Volvo has always shouted the loudest about safety measures and taken much of the limelight.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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You've missed out that they were the first manufacturer other than Ford to use a Transit engine(Ford V4).
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They were first in those things, and I have always admired SAABs
But
The first mas produced turbo cars? indeed - with horrific turbo lag. I had an amusing accident in one, my friend driving his SAAB, the turbo lag threw us into a deep ditch. There we sat looking at each other when the ice warning light went DING!
Yes they were first with that as well, and that had severe lag!
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Was this "friend" really you RF?
I must confess, I thought Volvo came up with all this stuff after seeing 7 and 960's with "SIPS" and "WHIPS" and whatever plastered all over the windows.
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Ah, but Saab did not introduce the quartic steering wheel (BL Allegro) or the 'boot shute' (Renault Modus)!
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Ah the Allegro - what a car. Wasn't this the famous car that allegedly lost its rear window if you jacked it up?
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Don't know about the Allegro but the 1960's Ford Anglia used to lose the rear screen if it was jacked asymmetrically.
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Ah the Allegro - what a car. Wasn't this the famous car that allegedly lost its rear window if you jacked it up?
Only if you put the jack in a stupid place (under the floor at the rear IIRC). Bit more info here : www.austin-rover.co.uk/
Go to 'popular misconceptions'
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....that early Saabs had a freewheel "gear"
that SAAB built and installed Triumph slant 4 engines for a while.
that the first Saabs had two stroke engines and a single headlight,,zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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At least my facts were interesting ;-)
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...and that Abba at one point brought more money into Sweeden. Yes I used to work with a SAABhead.
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Grrr. Don't mention Volvos in front of me. It was a Volvo driver that knocked me off my bike, and one of the enormous older tank-style saloons regularly parks badly outside my house in Leeds, taking up the space of about 18 cars.
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David not the infamous Captain Volvo of Bike Magazine fame ? (Yes I used to read that in Court in the eighties !)
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Where Saab really the first with a Turbo in a production car? I thought the BMW 2002 'obrut' predated them.
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MASS production.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I recall that at one stage you could purchase stickers for your bike/helmet reading "VOLVO-AWARE RIDER".
I suppose that dubious honour - being most motorcycle-unfriendly - has now been taken over by schoolrun 4x4s...
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taking up the space of about 18 cars.
I didn't realise that that model of Volvo was that long. It wouldn't be any good for me because it wouldn't fit in my garage.
--
L\'escargot.
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....that early Saabs had a freewheel "gear"
Lanchester cars had a freewheel in the 1930s, perhaps even earlier.
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L\'escargot.
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It was the Cologne V4 not the Essex V4 as used in the Transit. The German engine was properly engineered, went well and lasted well. Its incresed torque over the two stroke caused a few gearbox failures though.
659.
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Reply to jc2 - gremlins at work.
659.
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Reply to jc2 - gremlins at work. 659.
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reply to 659:
not really. as dynamicdave tells people so often but to no avail, check the threaded view.
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"....that early Saabs had a freewheel "gear" "
- as did those solid tank-like 1940's Rovers (the P2 and P3, before the 'granny' P4s.
Maybe someone can tell us what the freewheel did that (should you wish to coast) simply changing into neutral didn't?
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I've really no idea ! As I said I worked with a SAAB anorak for a while and he succesfully put me off them for life. Mind you I laughed my head off when his acclaimed unstealable car (due to the unique locking gear selector don't you know) got nicked. Apparantly his Granpa worked on the Titanic.
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Arrrgh, just remembered he was also into Traveller's France - (Arthur Eporon) in the eighties, put me off France with that.
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Maybe someone can tell us what the freewheel did that (should you wish to coast) simply changing into neutral didn't?
Probably nothing in principle. But it did it without any action on the part of the driver other than lifting one's right foot.
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L\'escargot.
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This free wheeling thingy, was'nt it a throw back to the 2 stroke SAAB's. If you were coasting down a hill, the throttle would not be open thus no petrol oil mixture to lube the engine.
This assumes that it was petrol & two stroke oil mixture type of engine, and not oil injection two stroke sysytem
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The 'Black Panel' must be the most useless of all of the innovations listed by Adam.
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IanS
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The 'Black Panel' must be the most useless of all of the innovations listed by Adam. _______ IanS
In the nicest possible way, i disagree. Our Citroen C3 has it, and on an unlit road it is brillant - just the speedo shows.
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Saab may well have been the first manufacturer to fit heated seats as standard, but they are now optional and when you price up Saabs, spec for spec with the competition, I'd rather have almost anything else...it makes Saabs look very expensive.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Ah but SAAB are just reclothed GM designs these days, which is not good news for those of us that liked SAABs!
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Ah but SAAB are just reclothed GM designs these days, which is not good news for those of us that liked SAABs!
Try driving one, not only is it very different to a Vectra with the same engine the current 9-3 is at least on a par with anything else in its class in terms of comfort and general driveability IMHO.
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Ah but SAAB are just reclothed GM designs these days, which is not good news for those of us that liked SAABs!
You've been listening to too many motoring critics who are too biased against Vauxhall and tar Saab with the same brush that they wrongly tar Vauxhall with.
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Not just the motoring critics, I've had a few Vauxhalls & known friends with quite a few. Enough to know I'd never ever buy another one, rubbish belt idler systems that crack & break up, cracked heads, dodgy brakes that dealers can't fix & at one point poor immobiliser systems (on a Vectra) that meant it could be stolen very simply, so obviously a child could have seen it was wrong!
SAABs used to be bullet proof as well as fairly unique like old 900's & 9000's now they're just another car.
Car Mechanics had a Vectra based 900 a little while ago & some of the things they had to fix were typical Vauxhall issues, even they admitted it wasn't a patch on the earlier 900 for build quality & handling.
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Yes the freewheel was for the protection of the 2 stroke lump & you added oil to the petrol same as a Wartburg.
The other thing was the SAAB 96 was allowed to compete in the UK without a rool-cage as it's existing structure was deemed strong enough to do without. That was a first as well.
Used to go out with a girl who's father had owned the SAAB dealership in Basingstoke before he sold to Tourist Trophy in Farnham so know a bit about SAABs!
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The freewheel fitted until the '70s allowed clutchless gear changes once on the move but did mean there was no engine braking. I did manage to adjust one or two of my 8-10 V4 SAABs so that I could select 1st gear without using the clutch but wouldn't really recommend it. The gearbox on the V4s was strengthened a couple of years after the demise of the two-stroke.
I would hazard a guess that the SAAB 95 estate of the 1960s was one of the first to give a completely flat floor and the option of a flat floor in the middle of the car with two rear facing seats still available at the back!
SAAB also consistently fitted brake and fuel lines inside the car protected from flying gravel on those Swedish minor roads. I don't know if they still do with the corporate designs that have followed their independence.
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I never said it was the Essex V4;it was the FOG V4 as used in FOG Transits.
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Wasn't it the same engine as in the Ford Corsair ?
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Yup the Essex v4 was used in the Transit & Corsair & the Mk Zephyr & Zodiac, it wasn't a bad engine for a V4, needed balance shafts because a V4 is naturally out of balance though.
The German V4 was afaik only used in the Tanus which was the german equivalent to the Cortina.
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v4 had a major problem with distributer drive shaft which also drove the oil pump on the bottom end ,the hex shaft used to lose its corners and seizure was very close behind as the oil pump stopped .does anyone else remember this with this engine.
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I wasn't but I'll pass this on to a pal who's managed to acquire a one owner Mk1 Capri with this engine, with 14k warranted miles!
Was there a fix? IIRC correctly the much vaunted 2000E gearbox had one 'weak' bearing which could be replaced with a larger diameter bearing which solved the problem?
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Yup I'd forgotten the Capri which used the V4 for a shortwhile. Yes the hex drive is common with V6 & Cologne V4 & V6 engines as well. Burton Engineering sell an uprated one which is hardened & solves the problem.
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