1956 Saab Sonett
Six produced.
The Sonett represents Saab's first sports car. It has a top speed of 160 km/hr. Perhaps too advanced for its time; only six were ever produced.
The name sounds like a song. But in fact, the Saab Sonett sports car was originally named after the Swedish expression “sanätt”, meaning “so neat”.
Half a century after the launch of the first generation, the Sonett is known the world over as Saab’s quintessential two-seat sport car.
The Saab Sonett I “Super Sport” was first unveiled at the 1956 Stockholm Auto Show, and made its North American debut later that year in New York. Originally designed to compete in a racing series that eventually never materialized, Saab only built 6 first-generation Sonetts - which all remain in existence today.
Using contemporary Saab aircraft practices, the Sonett chassis was formed by a riveted aluminum box carrying a fiberglass roadster body. Utilizing the “high-performance” (57.5 bhp) version of the 3-cylinder 750cc 2-stroke engine found in the Saab model 93, the drivetrain was “reversed” so that the engine is behind the transmission and front wheel drive is retained. The 2-stroke engine rotates in the opposite direction from the production Saab sedans of the era to accommodate this reverse transmission layout.
(source: Saab)
The Sonett represents Saab's first sports car. It has a top speed of 160 km/hr. Perhaps too advanced for its time; only six were ever produced.
1956 Saab Sonett, only six produced. (image source: Trollhattan Saab).
In 1956, Saab introduced the first Sonett Supert Sport, also known as
the Saab Sonett 1, 2006 was the 50th anniversary of the Sonett.The name sounds like a song. But in fact, the Saab Sonett sports car was originally named after the Swedish expression “sanätt”, meaning “so neat”.
Half a century after the launch of the first generation, the Sonett is known the world over as Saab’s quintessential two-seat sport car.
The Saab Sonett I “Super Sport” was first unveiled at the 1956 Stockholm Auto Show, and made its North American debut later that year in New York. Originally designed to compete in a racing series that eventually never materialized, Saab only built 6 first-generation Sonetts - which all remain in existence today.
Using contemporary Saab aircraft practices, the Sonett chassis was formed by a riveted aluminum box carrying a fiberglass roadster body. Utilizing the “high-performance” (57.5 bhp) version of the 3-cylinder 750cc 2-stroke engine found in the Saab model 93, the drivetrain was “reversed” so that the engine is behind the transmission and front wheel drive is retained. The 2-stroke engine rotates in the opposite direction from the production Saab sedans of the era to accommodate this reverse transmission layout.
(source: Saab)
0 comments: