SAAB 900 Turbo 16 EV-1

    Less than a year after the launch of the Saab 9000, Saabs small but efficient design department in Trollhättan had something else to show: the Saab 900 Turbo 16 EV-1, a 2+2 seater sports coupé based on the Saab 900 Turbo. It was built so that Saab could test interesting future components and study them in detail - not as a prototype for subsequent production. Despite that, the EV-1 (Experimental Vehicle No. 1) is unique as a future design study in that is fully functional and roadworthy. One of the characteristic features of the Saab EV-1 is its futuristic styling - the work of Björn Envall. The upper part is entirely of glass and mounted in the roof are a number of solar cells. These produce electric power for a fan which automatically ventilates the passenger compartment when the car is parked in the sun - thereby doing away with the greenhouse effect. Further, the headlamps are of a new, high-efficiency type which illuminate the road better in spite of their small dimensions.
    The front and rear parts of the body are of aramid fibre reinforced plastic which has the ability to absorb impact and then resume its original shape. They are extremely light. Side collision protection of glass and carbon fibre fitted inside the doors meets the most stringent safety regulations. The rear window is kept from misting up by invisible electric wires, which also melt away ice in the winter. The seats are of injection moulded plastic with electrical operation of the fore-and-aft adjustment, height and tilt (the front seats also feature electrically operated adjustment of seat angle and side supports). They are only half the weight of conventional seats.
    The 16-valve Turbo engine has been tuned to deliver 285 bhp and its maximum speed is 270 km/h. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes 5.9 seconds, 0 to 400 metres 13.9 seconds. This performance - fully comparable with that of the most extreme sports cars - is obtained with components taken directly from the Saab 900. The chassis unit with front wheel suspension and rear axle are Saab 900 Turbo components which have been modified accordingly.