Concealing the
transistion from a three-cylinder
two-stroke to a four-cylinder four-stroke engine in the Saab 96 posed no
problems whatsoever. There was plenty of space under the bonnet of the restyled
Saab
96. A more difficult problem was road testing the Saab 99 without it
being prematurely revealed. In 1966, it was no longer enough to just test
components and systems in ordinary 96s. A complete chassis with engine
and everything for the new car had to be driven on the open roads.
Saabs solution to the problem of secrecy was to build the Toad - a Saab
96 body widened by 20 cm and mounted on a Saab 99 floor
pan. Numerous Swedish motorists have encountered this car without noticing anything
remarkable about it. To be on the safe side, the Toad was driven mostly
at night, but it still proved impossible to keep it secret for any length
of time. Unwisely, a similar Saab followed behind the Toad while it was
on test. Similar - well, it was an ordinary 96 model of the same colour
and the difference was noticed by the newspaper Expressen. Seen side by
side, the two cars are obviously not the same. What Expressen didnt know
was that there were as many as four Toads. And that the new car, the Saab
99, would be ready for its official unveiling within only two years. The
Toad in the museum is the only one left.