(First posted 2/11/2014. I later found this Sonett at the curb, and have updated the article with some of those newer photos)
The Saab Sonett’s impact on the automotive world was somewhat similar to my encounter with this one at an intersection. By the time I heard its distinctive arrhythmic exhaust, turned and expressed my surprise, fumbled for and aimed my camera, the Sonett’s V4 was already revving up, ready to pull away to another obscure footnote to automotive history. But if you’ve ever spent time in one, the memory will not so readily disappear.
Saab’s early history reads more like a fairy tale, with sixteen airplane engineers trying to figure out how to build a car (Saab History here). Well, they did eventually, even if it was a bit unconventional, what with its two stroke engine and front wheel drive. And after they got a taste of its ability to win some rallies, they were quickly hooked on speed. Who wouldn’t be?
The Sonett I (above) was the next step, Saab’s first tentative foray into the world of genuine sports cars. Developed in a barn by a few enthusiasts, the Sonett had a 57.5 hp version of Saab’s new three-cylinder two-stroke. Weighing some 1300 lbs, this was a brisk little barchetta good for 100 mph, nothing to sneeze at in 1955. Racing would have been its purpose in life, had the rules not suddenly changed. Although only a handful were built, it was not forgotten for long.
The Sonett II has a more complicated history, as it’s not a direct evolution of the Sonett I. The primary influence came from a little fiberglass coupe called the MFI-13, which was an evolution of the work initiated by the independent engineer, Björn Karlsröm. He had been toying with various small car ideas for years, trying to get someone interested. A firm called MFI was the first one, but it eventually ended up with Saab, in about 1960 or so, in part because their American dealers were vocally itching for a sports car to sell, during the great boom era for that category.
The full story of the MFI-13 is here, but by 1965, Saab had developed it to the state shown above, a running prototype in need of more development work.
Saab designer Sixten Sason’s “Catherina” from 1965 is also credited as an influence on the production Sonett II, but it’s a bit hard to see just how. I suspect the Catherina was essentially a re-bodied 96, a sporty coupe, whereas the MFI-13 was a pure-bred sports car. The Catherina was a bit more polished stylistically than the MFI-13, and featured a removable roof center section. But the little white troll clearly was the direct predecessor, and its eccentric design perhaps suited its character better than Sason’s attempt, which somewhat foreshadows the Datsun 240Z.
The production Sonett II, also called Saab 97, arrived in 1966, and was undoubtedly the cleanest one of the family, thanks to its still unmolested nose. The Sonett’s body was fiberglass, and sat on a rigid steel box-type chassis and integral structural roll bar, a recipe for good handling. Nevertheless, the idea of a true sports car with FWD was highly unorthodox at the time.
image source: saabworld.net
That smooth hood was due to the very compact 841cc two-stroke triple under it, making 60 hp, and mounted ahead of the front wheels like all Saabs at the time. This is a tiny engine, but it makes itself heard.
The little two-stroke, here on a dyno pull, makes a wonderful sound at full chat, sounding like it’s doing a screaming 10,000 rpm. In terms of firing pulses it essentially is, as a two-stroke of course makes twice as many power pulses as a four-stroke. But two-strokes are actually relatively low-revving; the three-carb “Monte Carlo” engine in the Sonett redlined at a rather modest 5,000 rpm.
Uh oh; the Sonett’s protruding nose is already crossing the starting line; I’d better hurry… Not many two-stroke Sonett IIs were sold in the US, and by the middle of 1967, the Ford Cologne 1500cc V4 had been adapted, as with the 95 and 96.
Rather than redesign the front end, a crude bulge was put in the hood to clear the taller engine. The result was the object of considerable scorn, and even Saab admitted it was a mistake, one they would rectify in the Sonett III (or at least attempt to).
No mistaking what this is; the badge is redundant.
The Sonett’s whole front end flips up, making access to the engine and suspension easy. The Ford V4, originally designed in Detroit for the still-born FWD Cardinal (re-born in Germany as the Taunus 12M), has a 60º cylinder angle, one balance shaft, and non-shared crank pins. All these steps were taken in an effort to minimize the inherent unbalanced design of a V4, and although they certainly helped, this engine will never be associated with the word “smooth”.
Hearing is believing, and this short video of a Sonett III V4 (with warmed-over engine, no doubt) being given a good work-out will help explain the aural appeal of both Sonetts, two-stroke and four-stroke. Maybe they should have called it “Sonata”?
Adding to the Sonett’s idiosyncratic nature, the four speed transmission’s shifter was on the column, also like the other Saabs of the time. It worked surprisingly well, however. The two gauges nearer to the navigator’s seat were for rallying use, which Sonetts were inherently drawn to.
The luggage compartment. The Sonett’s sturdy structural elements are on display in numerous places.
That luggage compartment is accessible via this low door. A bit odd, but what isn’t about the Sonett?
There’s a decidedly home-brew or kit-built quality to the Sonett.
It’s a certified cult.
The Sonett’s distinctive brbrbrrrapping exhaust as it crosses the intersection–with the driver’s hand visible on the gearshift as he moves it into second–takes me back to a memorable ride and short drive in one. Behind the tv station where I worked in West LA, there was a small paved lot across the alley, which became the storage lot and outdoor workshop for the numerous gear-heads there, referred to as KSCI Motors. It’s where I swapped my first Peugeot engine, right between a beat-up Aston Martin DB2 and a Fiat X 1/9 being stripped for racing, and in the company of a (mostly) motley assortment of other imports. One day one of the lighting techs showed up with a sun-bleached Sonett V4. It didn’t stay around very long, like many of the cars out there, but one slow day we escaped the studio into the bright sunshine, and headed for his Sonett.
Since the studio was right next to the 405, by Santa Monica Blvd., our standard test drive involved getting on the freeway for the short run up Sepulveda Pass to Mulholland Drive. The Sonett’s throbbing V4 had us there soon enough, slipping and sliding into the tiniest openings in the four lanes of freeway traffic. After a spirited drive east on Mulholland, the Sonetteer made a U turn, pulled over and handed me the reins.
The four speed column shifter was completely familiar, from my Peugeot 404. The engine pulled eagerly right from the bottom of its rev range, but petered out at a thrashy 5,000 rpm. The 1498cc V4 was rated at 65 hp (or 73 depending on source or rating), only a few more than the two-stroke, but it had a lusty torque band, and could take the little Troll from rest to sixty in some 12 seconds. Laughable now, but from inside the tiny 1500 lb Sonett’s cabin, everything felt like it was happening in fast-forward. And laugh we did…through the many curves of Mulholland Drive, as we eagerly clawed our way through. Or pulled, in the parlance of how the benefits of FWD were described back then.
Yes, the steering wheel transmitted what was happening up there, what with the front wheels, fighting both centrifugal force and torque, but in a good way, mostly. It was certainly different then the chattering and hopping rear end of a Brit sports car in a power-on curve on rough pavement. The low center of gravity only enhanced the Sonett’s planted feeling, and it became easy to see how Saabs became such giant killers at Monte Carlo and such. Of course, Americans don’t generally spend lots of time on tight winding mountain roads. You’d never pick a Sonett for a cross-country trip. Or a commute.
Some of us also laughed when we first saw the 1970 Sonett III, Saab’s attempt to bring it into the seventies. The hood was somewhat cleaner, but it wasn’t exactly organic. I’ll take the original, with all of its warts and lumps. But it did now sport a floor shifter, along with more limited engine access and manually-controlled retractable headlights. Admittedly, this example is also the victim of US bumper regs; the initial version’s nose lacked that protruding black lip.
Sonett sales were always very modest, and the overwhelming majority were sent to the US. Only 1610 Sonett II V4 were ever built, making the one I saw in the street very unexpected. If I’d been in my car, I undoubtedly would have given it chase. At the time, I was disappointed about the brief street-side encounter; now it seems rather fitting.
The Sonett III didn’t sell much better; despite more aggressive advertising, some 8,368 were made. The Sonett had always been an outsider in the sports car market; the warty little oddball with FWD in a world dominated by MG, Triumph, Porsche and such. And after Datsun’s revolutionary 240Z appeared in 1971, the sports car world was forever “restructured.” The Z car offered three times the horsepower (and styling) for less money; by 1974, it was all over. A sonnet has 14 lines; the Sonett only made it to through (year) nine.
And there it goes, a mere blip on the screen of automotive history. My Sonett encounter was only a few seconds long, although I could still hear its raspy song as it went out of sight. But not out of mind.
A fascinating car I had never heard about.
From watching both videos, I agree, both sound terrific. If I had to choose based upon sound, I favor the V4. I have never even seen one of these engines, but they have always been fascinating.
Well done! I have read bits and pieces about these before, but never really had a handle on what they really were. Now I do. I particularly enjoyed the videos. I have kind of a thing for the unique sounds of a given car. Both that 2 cycle and that V4 are aural delights.
I also had no idea that these were so rare, so kudos on your sharp eye and speedy camera as well.
That V4 engine sounds at idle like a mix between a Harley and a Chevy SB.
The Catherina front end always reminds me of a cross between an Alfa and the 240Z. They’re all pretty awkward looking, but the Sonett I looks like fun.
A friend of mine, much older than me, was really into these. About 2 yrs or so before he died of cancer, he scrapped 3, more or less complete cars, and a pile of V4 engines. Wish I would have known then how few were made. R.I.P Dean, miss you!
The only thing as much fun as a Sonett was a Saab 96. A friend had one, a Sonett II, and it was a gas. I remember that climbing in was a chore because of the roll bars, but once in, it was a delight.
I remember these from the 1960’s .
There’s a So. Cal. Enthusiast Group that drives a brace of these up the Angeles Crest Highway most weekends , always nice to see them parked near Newcombs Ranch Sunday mornings .
-Nate
Living in Erie, PA at the time, the Saab franchise was covered by Porreco Datsun up on Peach Street nearby the two bicycle shops I worked at. I really, really wanted a Sonnet III, but figured that trading in the Vega GT dad gave me as a graduation gift the year before would have caused some major problems with home.
Every time I see an Alfa Romeo Zagato Junior I think it’s a Sonett III. Is there a relation in the designs? Does anybody know?
I know the Alfa you mean and I can see the link. I don’t think there was a direct influence but I too would love to hear from someone who could demonstrate otherwise.
The Sonett III was styled by Sergio Coggiola.
My cousin has a Sonnet III in pieces in his basement. “One of these days” he’s going to restore it. At least it’s out of the weather.
Someday, in my dream world, I want a 96 with a V4…they sound great!
It’s got a kit car/TVR look.I’m not a sports car fan but I quite like it,column shift sports car,highly illogical captain.
I lusted after the Sonnet III when I was a kid. I got the brochures at the Saab dealer when Dad would (frequently) bring our 95 in for service. I don’t recall seeing one in real life until much later though, as the dealer was small. I vaguely remember that it was also the Yamaha motorcycle dealer.?
A couple of the V4 engined Saab 96s in regular use where I live. They were fairly popular in UK. A while ago I heard one- long before I saw it- going really rather slowly! sounded like a bunch of group A rally cars having a fight. The only other V4 that comes to mind is that in the Lancia Fulvia, thats a kitten in comparison, at least in noise terms.
Theres a V4 96 roaming the roads here but its very quiet compared to that Sonett, Saabs of this era are very scarce and I cant recall ever seeing one.
Oh man, another car from my childhood! My dad had a yellow Sonnet II for a time back in the early Seventies. I so loved riding in that little gocart! And you mention the “Monte Carlo” 3 cylinder, well, at the same time my dad also had a ’67 96 wagon with that engine. It was so much fun growing up amongst weird cars!
The 96 was the sedan, the 95 was the wagon, and the 97 was the Sonett.
I remember Car & Driver wrote, “People would come up to us and say, ‘Wow, did you build that car yourself?'”
Ah yes, Mulholland Drive. I took my father for a ride from Sepulveda to Hollywood last week.
When I have a buddy in town, I always perform the “Automotive Enthusiast Test.” It’s a simple test- I just ask them if they want to take a drive on Mulholland Drive. If they respond with “Sure!,” we have a winner.
Of course, those who respond with a blank stare are going lose a little enthusiast credibility, but I try not to judge too harshly.
You’re right Dave, Mulholland is certainly a good test of an enthusiast. Even as a visitor from the former penal colonies of Australia I’ve done Supulveda to Hollywood many times. I also enjoy Malibu Canyon to Thousand Oaks.
KJ
With all of seven moving parts, the 2-stroke engines were about the epitome of engineering simplicity.
When I lived in Eastport ME there was a house on the south end of the island with 3 or 4 of these in the driveway. My family is not much for story telling but I do remember my Dad saying my Mom was driving around in my grandfathers 2 stroke sonett in the mid 60’s when they met. I gather my grandfather (a school superintendent) was in to odd european cars and owned several 2 stroke sabbs over the years.
I know exactly where that house is. It’s not far from the new (or newer) seafood place down by the water. It’s still there, as are a couple of Sonnetts and two or three newer Saabs as of two summers ago.
Indeed! The 2-stroke is so much better than a 4-stroke in many ways. Could they be made to run cleaner with modern tech?
Not easily at least. The Orbital engine company was working on an injection system that used a stratified direct injection charge for emissions and supercharging to ensure full scavenging about 20 years ago, but it seems to have disappeared without trace.
There was a 2-stroke Saab 96 rally car/replica at the Geelong Revival Sprints last year with a really highly-worked engine, it sounded incredible.
Yes, modern snowmobiles and outboards use direct injection.
http://www.ski-doo.com/technologies/engine-technologies/2-strokes
I don’t believe it’s clean enough to meet automotive emission standards though, although they could certainly save a lot of weight.
“Every time I see an Alfa Romeo Zagato Junior I think it’s a Sonett III. Is there a relation in the designs? Does anybody know?”
There’s an Italian design connection in that Italian designer Sergio Coggiola made the redesign of the Sonett III. So, that front end is definitely Italian…
Though Sasons “Catherina” is only a prototype, I think it could’ve been developed into a rather smart looking car. It’s only a first attempt, after all. And I think the fuzziness is a result of that. The roof section fits nicely in the luggage compartment, like the Honda Del Sol, and the whole car is designed around that concept.
I think it’s interesting comparing the Catherina to the Sonett II, because the Catherina is obviously designed by a car designer, while the Sonett II looks like a sports car designed by somebody that had never designed a car. Which is true. The Catherina is more mature in it’s styling cues, though not to everybodys taste. The Sonett II looks exactly what it is, a local attempt at cashing in on the 60’s fiberglass sports car craze. As said, Sason was Saabs main designer, and he was rather stumped they chose the inferior MFI project over his attempt.
And on the Sonett I, not only is it incredibly light, it’s extraordinary balanced as well. The engine is turned 180 degrees, with the engine behind the front axle. So it really is a front-mid engined car. And fabously beautiful to boot.
Certainly an apocryphal story, but like Lamborghini Countach it was also named on the spot. When management saw the car for the first time, someone proclaimed it was “So neat!” A clever wordplay as the words are pronounced the same in Swedish.
Cheers for Coggiola note.
Great write up by Paul on a little known or seen classic sports car. I’m loving that sound track of the 2 stroke Sonnet, a low budget Formula 1 sound! And that V4 sounds much tougher then my Cologne V6 Bronco II ever did.
I’ve always found these cars ugly in an attractive way. I was thrilled to see one in person for the first time at the BMW Eurofest in Spartanburg, SC. I guess it’s their quirkiness that I dig. I’d definitely like to have one, one day.
I love that 2-stroke, it sounds like a snowmobile.
My family inherited my grandfather’s Sonett II V4 (virtually identical to the white one featured at the top of the article, but in red like the one on the dyno; if memory serves it’s a 1969 MY). It was drivable when we brought it home but it needed a ton of work. Over the course of several years my father restored it to showroom condition, even going so far as to replace large swaths of structural steel. The only element that wasn’t saved was the transmission’s flywheel feature.
It’s an incredibly fun car to ride in–as a kid I’d pester my grandfather for rides over the hills of upstate New York–and it definitely attracts a ton of attention. It’s also terrifying to ride in as you are both very close to the ground, and you have practically nothing to protect you in the event of an accident.
You said “the transmission’s flywheel feature”. I think you meant “freewheel feature”. 🙂
Column-shifted manual? In a late-sixties two-seater sportster? Seriously, Saab? I mean, are you guys really from Sweden, and not from somewhere behind the Iron Curtain?
Wonderful exhaust note (both engines) on a weird, ugly little car. As Shakespeare would no doubt agree, Sonetts should be heard and not seen.
Column shift is the most direct path from shifter to transmission in a front-drive car. Arguably superior to floor shift with the shifter close to the steering hand. Form follows function.
Column shift doesn’t seem to have slowed down Erik Carlsson.
PS: “This became an increasing rarity in the auto industry during the 1960s and ’70s, but was an appreciated feature among rally drivers who could change gears faster than with a floor-mounted lever.” (Wikipedia)
I’ve got a Sonett III (a rough example somewhat the worse for wear from SCCA rallycross) so enjoyed this perspective. Yes, the exhaust note is great, although the two-stroke versions handle better thanks to more equal weight distribution.
Sales of the Sonett III actually rose every year of its production, with the final 1974 version approaching 2,500 cars — which was the capacity limit for ASJ, the railcar company that made the fiberglass a Sonett bodies as a sideline, so there couldn’t have been more even if it had become more popular.
Hang on, that two-stroker has two radiators? Ahead and behind the three-pot? Two radiator caps. Is the rear radiator ducted out the cowl? Here’s another look. Wow.
No, that crossmember doubles as the radiator expansion tank. The single radiator was up front behind the grill on the Sonett II, V4 and Sonett III. I’m not sure whether the Sonett I even had a radiator, if it did, it may have been behind the engine. There was a thermostatically controlled fan mounted in front of the radiator, first application I’m aware of in a car (then again, I’m only aware of Saabs)
Right, I can see it now. It reminded me of the Saab 96’s thermosyphon radiator.
I just came across a wonderful cutaway, this picture’s cropped from it. The whole 4100×1800 is here:
http://atomictoasters.com/wp-content/gallery/exploded-views-and-cutaways/saab-96_1961_04.jpg
Very much like the DKW, not surprisingly.
I’ve been staring at that cutaway, noticing all these fascinating details.
1) Looks like some sort of venetian blind cord and pulleys just behind the grille. For better heating in Arctic weather?
2) Note how the shift linkage follows the steering column straight down to the transmission.
3) Check out the hoses between the radiator and the heater core. Coolant flows down through the radiator as it cools, but it looks like the heater core is plumbed the other way around. Which way is its flow? Also see the heat control valve next to the radiator, with its control cable to the dash, and a return tube for the bypassed coolant.
I could study cutaways like this all day.
“Looks like some sort of venetian blind cord and pulleys just behind the grille. For better heating in Arctic weather?”
It’s actually a problem in the nordic countries, that during the winter, it’s actually too cold to use the radiator full time, as it cools the engine too much. Besides, in start up, you want the engine block warmed up, not cooled down. Thus the need for inbuilt engine block heaters. With a cord attatched to the power supply, those were put on timers to warm the block for an hour or so in the morning, or otherwise you might not get to work in time.
But yes, when I grew up, people put on aprons in front of the radiators in the winter. If you block the airstream to the radiator, the engine will heat up faster. With dirigble flaps, you could open or close the flaps as needed to control the airflow. So, I guess that venetian blind cord and pulley is needed to restrict the airflow to the radiator during winter.
As most heaters were essentially heat exchangers coupled to the radiator, if you put the heater up too fast, it would cool the engine down too much. Thus, it was essential to get the engine up to working temperature, then using that heat too heat up the cabin. I don’t know about the long term consequences for the engine, but that was what people did up north.
I’ve tried desperately to get a picture, they were most common on Mercedeses when I grew up, courtesy of the large radiator. The aprons for those cars were of course more fancy looking, MB-patterned and with buttoned flaps.
But here is a winter dressed Citroen:
http://cx.zapto.org/albums/album141/Untitled_1_copy.jpg
I actually own both a 2- stroke and V4 Sonett. I love the smell of 2- stroke in the morning while the V4 (balanced cam and dual carbs) has the extra pep I need for L.A. traffic. Both get plenty of looks no matter where I go.
The 2- stroke is my favorite as my parents bought it brand new back in 1967. I also grew up with Berkeley’s and Citroën’s as a kid.
I have been known to join the Saab group on Angeles Crest on occasion.
Pops bought _two_ 1966 Saab Station Wagons , both two-smokers .
One new @ Gaston Andre (SP ?) the Boston Saab Dealer in the 1960’s , it had the bad habit of quitting randomly and their Mechanic wrecked it really badly against a lamp post trying to figure out why ~ he hit the post *so* hard the engine was ejected underneath the car , Pops took me to view it and said ” this is why I bought it ~ good , _safe_ engineering ” .
Once I grew to ride and work on two – smoker engines I realized Pops lugged that poor thing mercilessly and it prolly stopped from fouled spark plugs .
He bought another one used (both were red) in 1969 and sold it about a year later .
Saab U.S.A. used to offer an extra co$t lifetime engine warranty but they’d get you with $800 worth of ancillary parts every time .
-Nate
That was the “Shrike”.
Glenn, what number is your car? I had Sonett II #000198 for 16 years, sadly replaced with 3 small chlldren. Not sad about the now grown children, sad I lost the car at the time…
00897 – Red
Thor – I own #000161 in silver (like the picture in the article). I have a pic of myself standing next to this car as a kid.
I also owned #000114 before selling it to a gentleman in the Netherlands. He also has #000005.
P.S. I restored the car first then had kids. Wife married me and the car as a package deal.
My 198 was originally silver but was yellow by the time I got it. I autocrossed the whee out of it in the mid/late ’70s, it was untouchable in the right hands (not mine). http://www.webmiscellany.net/saab/thors/000198b.jpg
“Wife married me and the car as a package deal.”
Exactly right! Many of our first dates were in that car and as often as not we ended up on a flatbed late at night in the middle of the winter (pre-cell phone, pre-AAA). That’s how I knew she was the real deal. Even today, she’ll only drive a Saab, no automatics, though she now insists on heated seats…
Thor – “Wife married me and the car as a package deal.” My wife married me despite my fascination with Sonett’s and other unusual cars. She appreciates the importance of Sonett #000161 to me. Here is a pic of my current collection.
Sweet Sonetts, and first time I’ve seen such a nice looking Berkley! Nice collection you have there…
I never knew of these until one day about 10 years ago, when I took a walk around a neighborhood a couple miles away from my own. I saw an unusual sports car parked in a driveway that I’d never seen before, and noted the SAAB badges. Google helped me discover what it was (a Sonett III, as it turns out) and discover some of the details. Cool cars, and I saw that one again in the driveway and once in front of the house, but never on the road and I’ve not seen another since. Thanks for an interesting write-up!
Look what I found, when out for a Saturday walk in my neighborhood.
Saab Sonett II V4
One more 🙂
I bought a Saab Sonnett III in 1978, in Southern Calif. I believe it was a 1972 or ’74. Yellow in color. Loved that car. Had it for a number of years. Would love to have it back again.
I regularly drove a ’74 Sonett III from 1982 to 1997 that belonged to my father. It was the orange-red color and it made for a great date car. Unfortunately, the Ohio weather took its toll on the both the chassis and the body and it was in need of major chassis repair. I finally got rid of it in 2010 as my son liked to “help” me restore it! The engine purred like a kitten and it shifted well even as it was put up on the trailer to haul away.
I loved that car as did my wife. Still do. Always looking…
I’ve had several SAABs over the years, to his day I still own three Sonetts. They were great from the factory and got better with modification. Ice raced them, autocrossed them. A really fun little car.
I have 2 sonettv4’s and one iii. I drive the 3 quite a bit. This trick shot taken in the Maryland country side.
I also drove Sonett v4s in the early 80s back in college. Great cars and I dove the wheels off them!
Back around 75 I lived in apartment building close to San Jose State U. Another tenant and friend had a “III” version and I did have an opportunity ride in it twice. Very memorable and fun. But being a Detroit boy (and poor) I never got the “wants” for one, happy enough with my $40.00 ’60 Ford Falcon.
I had three 95 or 96 V4’s. The engine may not have been naturally balanced, hence the balance shaft, but it wasn’t uneven-firing. The terminals for the plug wires were evenly spaced around the distributor cap.
There was a little bracket under the dash that held the handle you used to raise and lower the Venetian blind. The Venetian blind wasn’t carried over to the V4, but the bracket was.
For a while in the late ‘70s I was living in North Hollywood and working in West Hollywood, and I enjoyed the Mulholland Drive portion of the commute. My commute took me past the Chemosphere:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemosphere
I didn’t say it was uneven-firing. They just sound like they are. 🙂
My first ever car was a ’68 95 V4, so I had no standard of comparison. 🙂
i live in new england and cant even recall the last time I saw a sonett of any kind.
I like the III better. There’s a charm to this little poor man’s wedge shape. As they’re very light and have a very distinct designign, I have for years toyed with the idea of one day converting one to electricity. It would be a cool little commuter car.
That V4 sounds healthy the only Ford V4s ive had anything to do with were in MK1 Ford Transit vans and they were shaky noisy and slow, two sizes 1700cc and 2.0L A housemate had a 1700cc version ex post office, it could hit 50mph on level ground and no head wind but it was a van not sporty in the least it had also been well thrashed by government employees long before he got it, Another guy I knew managed to shoehorn a 2.0 V4 into a 105E Ford Anglia but it met its fate with a large tree before I got a ride that could have been termed sporty.
The Essex V4 (in your flatmate’s van) and the Cologne V4 were different engines.
Never seen one in England. Weird isn’t it when Americans have more knowledge of a European car than us. Car culture exists in bubbles, which is one of the things that makes this site so interesting. Drove a 2 stroke Saab 96 with the freewheel one time, which was an interesting experience. Did the Sonnetts have free wheels?
Did the Sonnetts have free wheels?
Well, they were actually included in the price of the car…:)
Yes, it did have freewheeling; same transmission as the 93/96.
My dad had a white ’68 like the one in your newest pix when it was new. I was 10 and I recall being able to crawl in the rear hatch with a friend for rides. (Lucky we were never rear-ended!) Later, I learned how to drive a manual with that 4-on-the-tree… and amaze my friends with front wheel burnouts. (FWD was unusual in the early 70s.) I remember my dad doing a valve job on the v4 in place and cursing the “contortionists” who built it. (!) Sadly, he rolled out of a row in a department store parking lot at less than 5 mph and got crunched by a Ford Falcon. The one-piece front end got shoved through the windshield. No one was hurt, but the insurance company totaled his Sonett due to the price of the front piece. (One piece, but half the body!) Glad he never had an accident at speed!
It’s been several years, but last I checked that fiberglass front end was $4500. I still have a ’68, ’70, and a ’71 Sonnet. My brother sold his ’74 recently.
This is my ’68 (stock) and my ’70 (highly modified).
Hey, that’s me in that white ’68 Sonett V4!! It’s the first car I ever owned, bought in ’83, and I still drive it. Runs like a top. Really enjoyed your well written story on my car, and I’m sorry it was such a quick fly-by. If you want to see the car again – I just had a ton of work done on it – I’m in Eugene, OR often. I grew up here. Cheers, Tom Abbott
Thanks, Tom.
Actually, I did run into your car at the curb some years later and added those shots to the post.
Enjoy your Sonett!
Here’s a pic.
Images need to be reduced to attach; about 1200 pixels width or less.
Trying again.
Another..
Last one..