The Toad

    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.