A little more
than ten years after deciding to start making cars,
Saab announced its third model - the Saab 96. The familiar lines were
retained, as the front of the bodywork was left unchanged. But the rear
of the car was completely redesigned and the rear seat was now 25 cm
wider. Apart from that, the most visible changes were the big new rear
window (117 per cent larger) and the large rear lights. On taking the car
out for a test drive, prospective buyers also discovered that the boot
was made various and that the facia had been redesigned.
The Saab 96 quickly gained wide-spread popularity. Production capacity
was increased to 50000 cars a year and the new model also opened up many
new markets for Saab. Under the bonnet was another explanation for its
success: an engine enlarged to 841 cc that developed 38 bhp - and a
fourspeed gearbox.
In 1965, the bonnet line as extended and, with three carburettors, the
standard engine developed 40 bhp. But even greater news was just around
the corner: the 1967 model of the Saab 96 was equipped with a
four-cylinder, four-stroke engine, with the cylinders arranged in a vee
configuration. The Saab 96 V4, with 65 bhp under the bonnet, had come to
stay up to 1980, when production of the old faithful from Trolhättan
finally ceased.
Comments and Questions: H.W. Kroodsma