I’ve seen this blue Saab 96 for years; it’s the nicest one in town, and the Sonnett wheels make it extra-distinctive. Does it live here, or juts come to visit the blue house?
I just noticed that the front and rear wheels are different. Are the both from different vintage Sonnetts, or? Our Saabophiles will tell us. I also see that the paint on top is peeling off; seems like only yesterday that it was new. This is a daily driver, and as such, is hardly immune to the forces of entropy. But it looks like it has lots of life in it yet.
Related reading:
Ah, Eugene. There aren’t a whole lot of places where you can describe a 2-stroke or V4 Saab as the “nicest one in town” – implying there’s more than one!
That was my first thought when I read this. I think the front wheels are the same minus the blackout paint.
Blue house, blue car, blue smoke…
Nice ;
Pops bought a new SAAB Wagon in…’66 (?) he didn’t understand a thing about cars then or now so it was an unreliable POC , I imagine it *could* have been a nice car , certainly it did very well in the snow and had a great heater , when it was running .’
-Nate
My parents bought a 95 wagon in 1967, to replace a Volvo PV544 that the family had outgrown. It was a great car for a young Europhile (really Swede-ophile) family … when it ran. The big problem was the engine electrics – if it was the least bit wet it would die. I recall seeing him open the hood in the garage one night and turn off the lights, and you could see several blue arcs around the engine compartment. And it’s pretty hard to find aftermarket electrics for a 3-cylinder car! But what finally killed it was the transmission.
(At that point they were done with European cars, so he bought a new 72 Vega wagon, which soon used as much oil as the 2 stroke…)
In Googling to find a picture of the 95, I came across this museum:
http://www.lanemotormuseum.org/collection/cars/item/saab-95-station-wagon-1967
Have any CCers been there? Looks like a fascinatingly random collection.
I was hoping that was here in Lane County, but nope.
Don’t know if my grandparents ever owned a 96, but they did own at least one 95 and I do not know if they had any when they moved to Marathon, NY. Gramps has told me that there was a rusting problem with the 95s or 96s and that they were good cars. In the early 1980s my Uncle drove a Sonnet from New York through Arkansas on his way to college in SoCal which is an impressive feat in my eyes.
Honestly, I find myself still having a hard time getting over the heartbreak re SAAB’s fate.
I’ll say this though: I am never ever buying another General Motors vehicle. Won’t even rent one if I can help it.
From the research article “Who Killed Saab?”: Many will claim that Saab’s demise is a consequence of brand mismanagement by GM. This is too simplistic. To GM’s credit, it supported Saab despite making losses in almost every year of its 20 year ownership of Saab (with the exception of 1994, 1995 and 2001).
As a Saabophile and owner of a beautiful 9-3 Aero convertible, I was pissed at GM for mismanaging the brand as well. But the truth is far more complex.
Great article if you have some time:
http://www.business-school.ed.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/43768/Who-killed-Saab-Automobile-Final-Report-December-19-2011.pdf
Regarding the front and rear wheels: I think the front wheel has grey paint where the rear is black, otherwise the wheels look the same as far as I can tell. Perhaps the black is peeling on the front?
Anyone with the guts to sell a 2 stroke car in the United States has got to have something going for it. I prefer two strokes in my bikes but never owned a 2 stroke car. I did own a SAAB and it’s only kept from being my worst by my purchase of an Olds Bravada and a Saturn Vue. Notice the GM connection?
The only older Saab I see here is that model in red plenty of later models about.
Talk about CC Effect. Just saw this exact car yesterday.
I’ve been wanting to put this car on the list for a while now…I think I’ll have to see if I’m still infatuated with it in a year or so. I can’t help but like something so unorthodox…even with a V4 it’s crazy!
The two chrome strips on the side identify this one as a Saab Special, an upgraded model midway between the regular sedan and the Monte Carlo.
I had one identical to this one, same color exactly.
Unfortunately, heavy snow loads on the roof of my then derelict storage barn caused collapse with heavy damage to ole blue.
Twenty five years later and I still sell an occasional part salvaged from this car!
That is not the first time you hit on a house-car color match.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake-1976-toyota-pickup-another-cc-moves-into-one-of-my-rentals/
Remembering the day as a kid maybe in 1974-1975 at Belgrade Auto Fair and the promo movie at the stand about crash test of this Saab which showed how safe it was at those times… Safer than many other makes…