The toughest ever high-speed endurance test for standard cars was tackled
by Saab on October 7, 1986. The starters flag dropped for three Saab 9000
Turbo cars at the Alabama International Speedway in Talladega, Alabamam
U.S.A. - the worlds fastest race track. And the chequered flag lay 100000
full throttle kilometres away!
Twenty drivers took turns at driving the cars. Every hour, they pulled
into the pits for fuel and for changing the tyres, when necessary. True
to the Service Manual, each car received regular service every 10000
kilometres. the rest of the time, the cars sped at full throttle, with
the speedometer hovering around 230 km/h (143 mph). The cars were in
perfectly standard trim, picked out of the production line by
representatives of the international motor sport federation (FISA) and
checked by a notary public. To be allowed to attempt the test, the cars
had to be equipped with roll cages and competition-type seat belts. In
addition, each of the cars was equipped with one, two or three lamps in
the left-hand rear side window, so that they could be distinguised for
the lap-counting at night.
After almost three weeks of continuous motoring, the three cars chalked
up two world records and 21 international records - the most impressive
being the average speed of 213.299 km/h over a distance of 100000
kilometres - set by the car in the Saab museum. The second car is still
in the United States, and the third is at the Technical Development
Department.