Vintage Saab Parts

What makes the car called the Saab, especially its early prototypes, different from every car there is?

 

There is a simple answer to that question, and the answer is this - Saab prototypes were first developed by aircraft engineers, as Saab is short for Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, a Swedish company which manufactures military aircrafts.

 

No wonder the earliest prototype, which was presented to the press in 1947, was exceptional in every way. It had a streamlined, stressed-skin steel body, a front wheel drive, a transversely installed two stroke engine mounted ahead of the front axle, an exceptionally strong safety cage created to protect passengers in case of accidents, and the aerodynamic shape of a wing. This rather unconventional design was a result of the aircraft engineers' lack of experience in car design which proved to be advantageous, because there was novelty in the look of the prototype dubbed the Saab 92.

The Saab 93 of 1955 was radically redesigned. It had a three cylinder engine, new transmission and tubeless tires. The sports car series called the Sonetts I, II and III, which were intended for competition, had fiberglass bodies, whereas the Saab GT 750 of 1958 had factory fitted seat belts, twin carburettor and 57 hp which was fast during that day and age. In 1961, an air slicer for the Saab 95 was introduced, and two years later the diagonally divided brake system with double brake circuits for all 1964 Saabs followed suit.

 

Over the years, the Saab has evolved and has added many other features to its already impressive range of car parts. Among these are double-jointed steering columns, starter switches on the floor between the front seats, unique compartment air and pollen filter, automatic gearboxes, electronic fuel injections, lambda sensors, glass-fibre headlinings, asbestos-free brake linings, a direct-ignition system, a freon-free air-conditioning system and ventilated front seats. Nowadays, vintage parts no longer supplied by Saab can be availed of in the market. These, however, are not exact replacements for the original parts, but are merely improvements of them.

 

Some people have attested to the fact that their lives have been saved from car accidents as a result of choosing a Saab to drive. This can be explained by the fact that the Saab was one of the first cars ever designed for safety with the passengers' protection in mind. And with the evolution it is always undergoing, it becomes better with each change and with each new part.