SAAB Sonett II

    By the winter of 1966 the MFI 13/ Saab 97 project had made such progress that the new sports car could be put on show earlier than expected - and on its home ground in Stockholm, not in New York as originally planned. The show car was a pre-production unit and it had to come no closer to full-scale production even when the Saab Sonett II made its international debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1966.
    The basic shape of the MFI 13 was very much in evidence, only the front had been slightly lengthened and given a somewhat more agressive look. The entire front part of the car tilted up to provide access service and maintenance - a more easily repairable car would be difficult to find.
    The engine was taken from the Monte Carlo model and developed 60 bhp, partly due to three carburettors. Production at the ASJ (railway equipment) workshops in Arlov started late in 1966. Altogether, only 28 Saab Sonett II cars were made that year - three pre-production cars and 25 production models which were also practically hand-built.
    Not very many more twostroke Saab Sonetts were made, because when the Saab 96 was fitted with the V4 engine, the Sonett II was also modified to accomodate the more potent power unit. The result was a larger bulge in the bonnet which, while telling all and sundry that this was a Saab Sonett with the new engine, rather spoilt the lines of the car.