CarBrandLogos archive · Saab · 1978
A stretched nose, a wraparound screen, and the most Saab of all the Saabs.
Discover the storyPhoto: Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0
The story
Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Saab 900, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.
01
The 900 began as a way to keep the 99 competitive. American impact regulations and the desire for more crush space meant a longer front end, so Saab extended the nose ahead of the front axle, added a deeply wrapped windscreen, sloped the bonnet and produced a car that looked considerably more distinctive than the sum of its changes. It went on sale in 1978.
1985-SAAB900CD-front · Liftarn · CC BY-SA 3.0
02
The layout was unchanged: engine longitudinal and tilted, gearbox underneath, front-wheel drive, a very strong passenger cell, and a driving position with a curved dashboard and a windscreen that seemed to start somewhere behind the driver. The three-door and five-door Combi Coupe outsold the saloons heavily.
1985-SAAB900CD-rear · Liftarn · CC BY-SA 3.0
03
The Turbo models did the reputation. The 900 Turbo of 1979 and, more importantly, the Turbo 16 with a sixteen-valve head and Automatic Performance Control, which used a knock sensor to allow more boost on good fuel and pull it back on bad, made turbocharging both faster and more tolerant. Saab put an unusual amount of engineering into making a forced-induction engine behave predictably, and it is why these cars still have advocates.
1981 Saab 900 Safari · Niels de Wit from Lunteren, The Netherlands · CC BY 2.0
04
The convertible, launched in 1986 and developed with American Sunroof Corporation before being built at Valmet in Finland, became the model's commercial saviour in the United States and accounted for a large share of later production. General Motors took control in 1990, and in 1993 the original car ended, replaced by a new 900 built on the Opel Vectra platform, which is why the earlier cars are always called the classic 900. Production of the GM-based car ran to 1998. The 900 remains what most people picture when they think of the brand, and the point at which Saab's peculiarities were still choices rather than costs to be eliminated.
At a glance
Produced
1978–1998Technical specification
Badge at launch
This is the marque emblem that accompanied the Saab 900's era. The full identity timeline is documented in the brand archive.
Explore the logo history →Lineage
Contemporaries from the 1970s
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