10:35 - you are correct, those are C-pillar (exhaust) vents for the "flow-through" ventilation, designed to let stale/humid air escape the interior and be replaced by fresh air coming out of the HVAC system. They are located on the pillars because an area of low pressure is created in that region when the car is moving, "helping" the air to get out. Modern cars have similar vents, but they are usually located behind the rear bumper, because placing them on the pillar usually let the moisture to collect in the trunk, and have flaps for valves, apparently to prevent backflow.
My mother had a 1973 v4 96. I have fond memories of that car. My brother & I both learnt to drive and passed our driving tests first time in the 96, taught only by our father in the 80's. Great cars, odd ball and built like a tank.
My parents owned a 1959 model 92 in black and a 1968 model 96 2 stroke. The 1968 had 3 Solex carburetors and I loved that car. Sadly the attendant at the gas station didn’t add the oil when he put in the 8 gallons of gas. My mom left the station and drove a few miles only to have the motor seize up. I walked down to the gas station to talk with them and sure enough the can of oil was there on top of the fuel pump unopened. Back then that’s how the story ended with just an apology. I think of that car often and the loss my parents took with it. It was the first new car my dad had ever bought and it cost him $1800.00 at Gaston Aundrey in Watertown MA. I remember the ride home in it from the dealer. I loved it!
Jack in Cape Town South Africa Owned the 93 (750cc)and the 96 (850cc) 3 strokes loved them !! The V4 motor was added late in the 60's I am 6ft 2 inch (1.88m) tall Nobody mentiones that you move the front seats forward and tilt its backrests , lift out the back seat and undo the wooden toggle inside the trunk holding the bsck rest im place Lie the backrest where the sest was , slide removed seat in behind front sests and...girlfriend and i could " sleep " in comfort This conversion wsd mentioned in the owners manuall Build and paint superb Thanks for the feature
The Scoop you're referring to is the air outlet for the flow-through ventilation system. My wife and I had a 1967 SAAB 96 two stroke, and I can tell you, it was decades ahead of most of the rest of the automotive industry! The V 4 was introduced in 1967 as an optional powerplant, but the two stroke was available through 1968 models in the U.S. Those tail light lenses were used from 1960. The plastic triangles on the windows were for airflow. They practically eliminated any buffeting. You could drive with the windows down, yet the car's interior was quite and serene. If my comments make me appear prejudiced in favor of the SAAB, it's because I am. My SAAB 96 two stroke is one of my favorite cars I've ever owned. We bought it mainly for its incredible safety features. That IS the factory location for the radio. Under the rear seat is a wooden cam shaft, which allows 3 different settings for seat height & angle. As to the trunk, SAAB used to advertise using it as a sleeping space for two adults when camping. The SAAB 96 was a really amazing car, and even though it's been out of production since 1980, in my opinion, it's more advanced technologically than a lot of today's George Jetson cars. In all those scenarios...SAAB!
@@What.its.like. Thank you for all the happy memories your video brought up. The SAAB 96 was a truly wonderful car, decades ahead of its time. That's especially true of the two stroke SAAB. I would love the chance to drive a SAAB 96 again, especially a two stroke, but the v 4 would definitely bring a smile to my face. My SAAB looked almost identical to the one in your video, except it was gray, and didn't have V 4 badges.
My 2nd SAAB was a 1968 GT Monte Carlo - LUVed that car! 4-speed column shift with an oil reservoir to meter the oil into the fuel instead of adding oil to the gas tank.
I saw that they had a four speed on the column I was a bit skeptical that’s why I didn’t list the transmissions that I found because I only knew of a three speed on the column. Do you have any really cool memories of that car
@@What.its.like. It was quirky, it was fun especially going to a service station and the attendant could never find the dip stick.."What did you do with it? 'm certain there was one when I drove in.". The rear seat folded flat - kind'a like a hatch back. I was headed home in a snow storm and got rear-ended by a drunk - ruined the car. My 1st SAAB was a 1960 - had a key on the dash with a pull handle just under to activate the starter. When I bought my 1st new car - 1964 Chrysler convertible - my brother took the SAAB and raced it.
@@What.its.like. There was also a 1977 Lancia Beta that was taken in a similar fashion at 6 months old. Sitting at a red light, changing the radio channel when there was a flash of light, like someone with a flashlight, then BANG! The car was knocked across 4 lanes of traffic, the rear bumper was in front of the rear wheels, roof split at the sunroof opening and I ended up with a ruptured disc and right shoulder muscles torn. 60 years being licensed and I've never hit anything, but seemed to have a 'bull's eye' on my back.
Between 1978 and 1985, I lived in New England, and owned a 1969 Saab 96 that I must have put easily 100,000 + miles on a well used car already. When I was about to leave school (RISD) to attend grad school in NYC I decided to sell it, and placed an ad on a builtin board somewhere. What happened next was remarkable; three students got in a bidding war that catapulted my intended price to well over what I had paid for it almost eight years before.
I have two Saabs in my collection. A 1966 Mod 96 Monte Carlo 850 (841 cc two stroke) tribute model to Saabs racing and rally racing heritage. And a early 1968 Sonett 2 V4. They are fantastic little gems of a car. A ton of fun to drive. Miles of smiles! Great overview video.
I want this '68! Such a cool little vehicle, always admired and seen a couple over the years. I've never seen the '59s and, like u Jay, prefer the cleaner, tear drop shape! Saab was one of the better quality auto makes, too.
They didn’t last though. For safety I had a spare engine in the garage, in case the present motor would say good bye to me. It didn’t cost much to buy a spare. (I suppose I drove the little car a bit too ”heavy”) I loved that car though, especially during our Swedish winters.
Fenders and quarters are separate as most cars. I remember seeing these the the 1968 Auto Expo at the Los Angeles sports arena with my dad. The Expo was the annual foreign car show held in May at that time.
Interesting that SAAB ..and also Spyker who bought them in the end game both had Aero themes , albeit more extravagant in the Spyker. The dash knobs in question would be 1.rheostat for the dash lights .....2. headlights Now that your a YT star Jay ...time for new rounded specs and maybe a Goatee.🤓
I wouldn’t say I’m a CZcams star I’m just a regular guy I absolutely hate change but I was looking really homeless I should’ve took a picture of what I looked like lol I look like that again in a couple months I’ll take a picture lol Thank you so much for filling us in on with those other two button do
After the second world war there was labour at SAAB aeronautical that weren’t needed anymore. Sweden needed inexpensive cars. So engineers that had engineered planes constructed a car. Of course they were influenced by their aeronautical knowledge. Hence the stream lined shape of the car.
Hello from Wales. A late friend, a garage/repair shop owner and mechanic had a V4 96. I'd love a 93, but fitted with an 1100cc two stroke triple from TSS in Australia. 240 BHP ! They did fit one of those engines in a Kawasaki ZX10R motorbike some years ago.
I can remember how the three-stroke sounded like as it idled. The v-4 was a great innovation, one didn't have to monitor or add oil. to the gasoline. Great in snow, I owned several in Maine. The doors used to open toward the front. hinges next to the back of the driver seat. Owned one in high school, one after the army, and one in college.
Nobody cared about emissions until in the seventies. The two stroke engine had only 42 hp. A two stroke engine takes a lot more gas than a four stroke. The Ford V4 engine was a small wonderful engine. I remember driving my moms V4 from Gothenburg to Stockholm with full load. We drove between 140 and 160 all the say (450 kilometers) and the car was just purring like a cat.
‘Way back then’ I met a Swedish girl who drove a 1957 SAAB 93 with a split windscreen.She visited me in England with her car and we bought bottles of SAAB two stroke oil using one for each tank of petrol.The unfortunate bit was the amount of exhaust on start ups,as someone said it was like fog ! Otherwise it was a lovely little car and it tackled those winding country lanes without any problem.
Saab introduced the 95 wagon before redesigning the 93 sedan to the successor 96. Among the engineering updates, the 95 got a four-speed column shift transmission and if memory serves, the 748 two-stroke engine was upsized to 841 ccs. The emissions handwriting was on the wall for the two-strokes and the Ford V4 and its cooling system wouldn't fit in the first-generation 95/96 models, so Saab redesigned the nose moving the radiator from the rear by the firewall to the front by the grille around 1966, if I remember right. . Another peculiarity was that the V4 models got a taller windshield with the mirror mounted from the windshield header while the three-cylinder windshield and mirror were unchanged. Whichever engine you get, they are fun, if not particularly fast. The scoops by the backlight are ducts for the flow-through ventilation. Map pocket? Keep a couple of extra cans of oil for the two-stroke in the bin? Trash bin? The plastic piece at the rear corner of the doors is a deflector allowing you yo crack the window without letting the blizzard in. or the vallhund out. 12:08 No mention of the T-handle through the firewall just right of center. Push it in, it allows the car to coast in free-wheeling mode, a leftover from the two-stroke engine. Pull the handle and it locks the freewheel in direct drive. Why, the only engine oiling in the two-stroke models was the oil mixed in the gasoline, usually at the tank, though some later examples got oil injection. Riding the compression downhill would mean the engine is running fast without lubrication. Instrument lights and headlights? That is the factory location for the radio. there was a delete plate when it was needed.
The reverse scoops on the upper body sides are indeed cabin air extractors. The formerly clear plastic pieces on the upper doors are draft and rain deflectors. They are necessary due to the unusual way in which the door windows roll down.
I had '67 that looks like the '68 except for the window deflectors and the scoops on the window pillars. Mine had the 2-stroke, and that car was great fun to drive, it was 2 or 3 years old when I bought it but it was like brand new. That car was great fun to drive, thank you for another great memory!
@@What.its.like. I don't remember what the mileage was, but it was about the same as a beetle. I bought the car from my brother who was sent to Thailand and I only drove if for a couple of years before being sent to Vietnam. The car was like a rally car in the snow, great fun! I sold it to a friend who absolutely loved it, and is still a great friend!
Such an interesting car. I was sad when they stopped making the convertibles - i always wanted to get one for a mid life crisis. Now I am too old. I hope you feel better soon, Jay. Great job as always. Second coming of Christ LMFAO‼
I had a 96 and I loved it. Fun car to drive. Passed everything on the road on a snowy day and many cars that slid off the road due to the weather. The clutchless shifting due to the free wheeling made it easy to drive. Only had to use the clutch to start out and reverse. Great car.
Free wheeling was necessary for the 2 cycle engine becaust engine braking or slowing down would cause damage to the engine because it would not be getting liberation from the 2 cycle gas oil mixed fuel. I'm not sure if they continued with the free wheeling with the v4 engine. I'm sure they didn't in the later models. Saab was a great car. Too bad what happened to it, all models were excellent cars.
I'll take the Saab, the karmann ghia had lousy heaters.The saab heaters were excellent. You also skipped over the free-wheeling device, the pull cord to the right of the gas pedal. That allowed the motor to drop to an idle so the car could coast, greatly improving gas mileage.
A girlfriend had a 1965 2-stroke, mixing motor oil with the gas when we filled up. Four-speed on the tree. It was fun driving in the heavy snows faster than most anyone else. That was the space for the original radio which had it's own door within the door for the glove box originally, but it was for just a small AM radio. I remember the straight 4 cylinder in the Saab model 99 had the engine installed backwards.
I saw that transmission option said for speed on column and I was a bit skeptical and that’s why I didn’t list the transmissions because I was never aware that such a transmission existed I always thought they only made three on the tree. Thank you for telling me that it is a four speed on the column that is something I never knew and something that I just learned
11:40 There is a wind deflector at the trailing edge of the window frame. Note the outlet vents around the package shelf. 12:10 I notice you overlooked the T-handle to the right of the pedals. You pulled it to lock out the freewheel mechanism in the transmission. No mention, either of the four-speed column shift and the funky reverse shift. Pull the shift lever about a quarter-inch to the right from the column, back toward you, and down. 13:50 The turn-switch is the instrument light dimmer, the "Second Coming" knob is headlights. 14:40 All Saabs model 95 and 96 came with a cut-out for the radio to be mounted in the glove box. If you wanted a radio they took out a body-color delete plate.
Thank you so much for all of that added information I honestly didn’t know what the T-handle did, I scoured the Internet and I couldn’t find anything on it
Sorry to sound so negative, but I see a lot of videos that get basic SAAB information wrong. I have grown up with SAABs all my life and even worked at a SAAB dealership so certain things jump out at me when they aren't technically correct. Thanks for making the video anyway. SAAB should never be forgotten since they were a very unique company that was often ahead of its time.
This was one of the harder ones to do because the information was so conflicting, that’s why I personally don’t do foreign cars that much because the information is really spotty at best I haven’t found a good source to get some information for some exotic cars I got to exotic cars in the pipeline that I’ve been putting off one is in Mercedes Benz unimog The other ones in 1976 Lancia i’m not sure what information I’ll be able to find on either of those I love a challenge but I don’t like spreading misinformation I try to be as factual correct as possible..
The bodies were built unibody, like the VW type 1 Beetle. Also like the Beetle, the fenders, doors, bonnet and boot covers were all bolt-on. The bodies were very strong and protective in a roll-over. Those vents on the "C" pillars are for air to escape creating the flow-thru ventilation. Those plastic pieces on the windows were air-deflectors so you could drive with the windows down and not affect the aerodynamics much. In modern cars, it takes more horsepower to drive with the windows open than driving with the A/C on and the windows rolled up. Because the V4's which SAAB used had the same bore as the Ford Cologne 2600 V6 used in the Capri here, when I built the 1700 V4's the owners would have me install the pistons out of the 2600 V6. They felt that raised the compression. The engine/transaxle configuration put the engine behind the transaxle. Other cars of this era, like Citroen, used this configuration With the SAAB 99, they bought 4 cyl. engines from Triumph(we got them here in the TR7). With this engine, SAAB put it on top of the transaxle. SAAB licensed this engine from Triumph and built them for themselves. Interestingly, these SAAB's had freewheeling clutches, and would freewheel when you took your foot off the accelerator pedal. The Sonnetts were fun to drive and very lightweight due to their fiberglass bodies. Styling wise, I like the Sonnett III the best, which had the 1700 V6.
"The engine/transaxle configuration put the engine behind the transaxle." Huh? What car are you talking about? No Saab I ever drove starting from 1966 was like that. The strokers and V4s were way up front.
@@saabyurk You are right. I was thinking about the SAAB 99, where the engine was mounted backwards and on top of the transaxle. Conveniently, the clutch could be replaced in the car without pulling the engines. The transaxle was also the oil pan for the engines. With the SAAB 95, 96 and 97, I had replaced the timing gear set 0f the V4 in the car without pulling the engine. When I had overhauled the V4, the engines were brought to me and I didn't have to remove them myself. I had thought that they were like the 99's for position. Other cars I remember with the engines mounted backwards were the Citroens.
@@automatedelectronics6062 Funny I forgot about the 99 engine sitting backwards on top of the transmission with clutch in front. I replaced several clutches on my own 99s of which I had 3.😄
The scoop behind the rear window is to release air pressure when you slam the door. The first gen Toyota 4Runner had the same vent. I owned a Gen 1 4Runner.
The vent is there to minimize the "thump-thump-thump" noise that comes with opening the windows at higher speeds, I think. The reason the gas cap is on the "wrong" side (i.e the driver's) is that back then we used to have left hand driving in Sweden. (I know, in left hand drive cars, crazy). The reason for the gas cap being better situated on the passenger side, is that if you run out of fuel on say a highway, you don't want to be standing in the middle of traffic while putting gas in your car.
What look like "Air scoops" behind the rear side windows were air vent outlets to promote through flow ventilation. Lots of saloon cars of the era introduced similar ventilation outlets. I had a 1972 model and the back seat could be tipped forward and the seat back hinged down making a much larger flat floor for long loads, almost like a semi estate. I actually slept in the back with the seat down on a few occasions when needed. The spare wheel was under the boot, or in American "Trunk", floor there was quite a lot of useful space around the side of the spare wheel for small spare parts, tools and other bits and pieces. From memory I think the wheel jack was also located in the space but cannot remember the exact details if it was kept inside or outside the spare wheel as it was many years ago since I owned the car. The was a useful volume of space under the back seat where I stored food supplies for camping trips. We spent a lot of time in the remote highlands of Scotland where shops were not always plentiful without driving long distances on narrow, twisty single track roads that were the norm in those days. The SAAB was brilliant in the winter snow that was frequently covering the roads in Scotland before increased global warming made such occurrences a rarity. The body shape had very low drag. I always used the "Freewheel" facility and could cost for miles down some of the longer descending roads in Scotland. After the SAAB I bought a Volvo 340 and the vehicle would not coast down those same hills with increasing speed like the SAAB did, but needed power input to keep going. There was no power assistance so the steering was quite heavy at parking speeds and the large steering wheel was necessary.
The amazing SAAB 96, winner of many car rally's, beating much more powerful and exotic cars from all around Europe. I watched a documentary about the Saab's, and very much a beloved car by all its owners. The championship driver of the Saab looked a most unlikely candidate, he must have been 6"8' and 140KG. A real bear of a man. So he had to fit, and his navigator just yelled out the turns to him over the screams of the engine, while he reacted in blind faith and kept the thing on the road in the snowy conditions. Masterful. Have you seen the ice bikes they race? And the giant wheeled 4WD vehicles they modify with giant scoop tyres, and they have a really fast run up and drive straight over the top of a lake. Really. The swedes are remarkable for such a small population. Your comments about European cars, or at least an awful lot of them, are the ones that found a particular niche, and became much loved, were retained, with some improvements periodically arising. Pretty much every nation in Europe with car manufacturing did this. The concept of consumerism was an American way of life, much reviled by some Europeans as wasteful. (Remember, the whole place was a wasteland following WWII) They started out with motorbikes with sidecars, then midget cars with room for two, and went from there. For them anything was an improvement, and it takes a long time to recover mentally physically and financially from such a devastating war, where everything needed rebuilding. Just getting food and water was a bonus for many years, so it should be no surprise that they hung back a little, and waited. Just you look at them now, though. They are the champs for cars, along with the Japanese. Ford and GM are still well represented, but they are locally designed and built, to suit the conditions and the tastes of their market. (Ford & GM were building vehicles for the German war effort too, if you recall?) The SKF ball bearing plant in Schweinfurt, in which so many Americans lost their lives, was an American company too, as was Coca-Cola and many others. After the allies blew the crap out of these factories, they were paid restitution by the US government. Sorry about blowing you up, it was war, you know? Weird really. An awful lot of accountants are needed for wars, lots of double entry bookkeeping. 1X Ford factory, 1300000000 reichsmarks. Of course IBM made the German war machine so efficient, with their tabulators being smuggled in through Switzerland by IBM's agents, which got the trains running and kept a tally on the undesirables who needed transport to camps. A war crime, we sort of don't worry about too much.
@@What.its.like. No Sweden was not bombed during ww2 SKF was a Swedish company Svenska kullager fabriken (Swedish Ballbearing Factory )located in Sweden and wss newer owned by Americans back then Saab stands for Swenska aeroplan aktiebolaget (Swedish airplane company )and was a manufacturer of airplanes -for the Swedish military and started in 1938 but started to build cars as well right after ww2 wended with the first model in 1947 since the demand for airplanes dropped and demands for cars was high and Sweden was unique since our factories was still intact after the war witch gave us a great advantage over other European countries
At 12:00 you failed to mention the "T" handle to the right of the gas pedal. That lever is the free-wheel. When engaged, it allowing the car to 'coast' without engine braking. It was supposed to increase fuel mileage; however, what you saved in fuel you paid for in brake pads.
my neighbors had a 1964. I rode in it many times in the front passenger seat. The way that my friend's dad drove it, I felt like I was in a rally race. The sound of the engine, the smell of the 2 stroke exhaust. The car was extremely agile, and safe. First in safety, it had lap, and shoulder belts, boron in the steel body to make it extremely stiff, and durable. It seemed to handle like it was riding on rails, like I was on a car thrill ride! I was way too young to drive it.
The mystery switch next to the headlights is the panel lights. Wiper and washer are on the steering column. The 2 switches next to the clock are just extra switches.
I didn’t know they made a four-speed on the tree until this car I thought that was miss information so I didn’t say it because I was always told that three speed on the tree was the only shift selection for that type of transmission shift, turns out that I was taught wrong.
Hi, Jay! Thanks for your hands on approach to the car that I bought for $300 from a professor in 1985, and kept through 2013, then moved to Netherlands, switched to bicycles, and never wanted another car again, unless it were a Hertz/Avis/Budget rented at an airport. I see that your questions are mostly answered, but if curious, please let me know, and I'll do my best as I know every bolt, every cog. Enough about me. A lot is made clear that SAAB were the first, or amongst the first, to do wind tunnel testing on a car whilst in development, and in refinement over the years. The car was optimised and had a very low drag coefficient. SAAB knew all the high and low pressure areas, and so, were able to design things like the "ears" over the C-pillar exhaust vents, to provide passive airflow and keep the rain out. The same explanation holds true for those sun-clouded plastic or acrylic inserts at the top rear of each window. And yes, the unibody construction was quite advanced for its time, the major components stamped out in dies, then welded together into a really strong unibody. Somewhere you may find a video of someone being rolled down a ski slope in a SAAB 96, and then at the bottom of the slope, starts the car and drives away.
Thank you so much for sharing all that added information I really appreciate it.. i’ll have to see if I can find that footage of it going on the ski slope that sounds really interesting 🤔 =)
The 2stroke with freewheel was genius, and a great idea for today's cars. The v4 was comfy, reliable, economical, and incredibly safe. It was a true classic, not just the 92,95,96 but also the 900. The gm and on cars were rubbish.
, I luved my 96 soo much I bought a 900t when they first came out. The 96 was the 2stroke 3 and it was a tiger. I ate BMW 2002s up through 3rd gear. It reved to 12k! Had free wheeling and auto shutoff when the oil (2 stroke) ran low. A real kickasscar UNLKE the 99 non turbocharger. The 900t was a fitting replacement for the 96
@10:40 the vent scoops help pull air out from the holes in the parcelshelf in the back window - they made a big deal about "through ventilation". A very nice thing in a moist cold winter day, you don't need cracked open windows to keep mist-free - the moisture is sucked out at the back, and fresh heated air is coming in at the front defroster and on the floor.
In the 70s I had a '67 (96) Monte Carlo 850, 3cyl 2stroke, 3 carbs, great car, 15 mpg. Cushy seats w adjustable lumbar support, wood rim aluminum steering wheel, automatic oiling.
Chevy Corvair! Take a look at it. The 2 buttons on the left side are for the lights, the first is for the panel lights and the other is for the headlights.! The 2 buttons on the left side are for the lights, the first is for the panel lights and the other is for the headlights.
1968 Saab 96 and the Alfa Romeo. The lines of the 93 may flow more nicely, but that is not enough to overcome its disadvantages. The Saab two-stroke engines had poor idling characteristics and tended to not last. When Saab offered replacements, they wound up replacing almost all of them (though it was cheap). The Ford engine originally from Cologne's Taunus 12M was from the Cardinal project, which was a U.S. development shoved onto Germany when the Falcon was preferred (it was even cheaper). That engine had four separate crank throws like the Lancia V4, but had a 60-degree angle between the cylinder banks, and had a balance shaft running at engine speed. It was vastly superior but far more expensive than the two-stroke. By the way, the initial Saab engine was a two-cylinder two-stroke even cheaper than the three. As I understand it, the three was 850cc. Saab originally used the contemporary DKW as a model to start from, but as an airplane company, went for streamlining.
6:05 The vents behind the side windows were exactly that, vents to exhaust stale air from the passenger cabin. Fresh air in through the cowl vents, stale air out the rear vents. If I remember correctly, the corresponding vents in the model 95 were in a sort of spoiler over the tailgate.
Love that haircut! The Swedes really changed thinking about automobiles in the late 60s and early 70s. This was not only true for safety features, but the whole concept about how to manufacture a vehicle. If you ever come across a 142 Volvo from 1972, the high point of what I am talking about, review it. Amazing what you will find.
There is something we call ”saabish” in Sweden. Saab put pride in finding other, hopefully better ways to construct their cars. For instance SAAB was the first manufacturer to put a turbo in a private car. The SAAB Turbo was extra!
Think the author is simplifying the evolution of car designs quite a lot, the 93 and 96 have very few common parts. Just by comparison them side by side shows totally diffent roofline, rear window, front (including hood and fenders) door size and more. The Saab designer (Karl-Erik Sixten Sason) wanted to maintain the original look of the 93 through the 96 it being a Saab signature. Another "influence" is the global vehicle specific legal requirements evolving mandating lights (front/rear), safety requirements, and emissions. All of this influences and restricts vehicle manufacturers design. Another Swedish car manufacturer, Volvo, did exactly the same with their 140 and 240 series. Though being totally different vehicles beneath the exterior was kept as a signature or brand identification.
the 96 has a backlight similar to the 1964 Barracuda. Looks notchy-er than the earlier models, which look somewhat like the early 356 Porsches from the side
The vents in the rear pillars are for 'flow through ventilation'. The 60s were when carmakers started taking heating and ventilation seriously. So you got air vents in the dashboard, which this car has, and the vents in the back pillars to give the air somewhere to exit. Now every car has it, so 'flow through ventilation' is no longer mentioned. The thingies in the doors are probably part of it too, so you could crack your window open for even more ventilation without rain coming in. I don't know for sure, but this car does look as though fenders would detach.
Jay Leno featured a 2 cycle Saab on his channel some time ago. The engine sounded like a moped that I drove once, for it had a cute high-pitched whine like a rapidly spinning top and a constant wispy sputter like a mad bee hive. I don’t know about the V-4 but the 2 cycle was supposed be great In subzero weather.
Erik Carlsson. Born in Trollhattan! Same as the cars. Re-nowned rally driver. The bins next to your legs would be map cases. At least was always my thinking. And all Saab owners had a special affinity for their looks. But Saab Man Rick here in Oregon said cops would ticket because they thought they were ugly. Heh.
@@What.its.like. Rick also said, as far as the driving experience..you were one with the road. Man, so true. Hey, the car you featured? Absolutely cherry. Quite impressive.
Probably a wind deflector. The 900 had optional window surround deflectors and even one for the sun roof. All 900 sunroofs had a small integral wind deflector.
The 1958 thru 1960 Ford Thunderbird was all one unit. Made for an ultra strong body shell. I'm going to stick my neck out and say the Chevrolet Corvair was also a single unit. Please let me know if I'm wrong. You did a nice job on this vide. SAABs are unique automobiles.
Thank you ! I've always been a fan of these cars. Early Saabs can be many things for many people, but there's one thing that is quite certain - they are nothing if not distinctive. Unlike the more recent products from this make, unfortunately... P.S. I'd rather have this '68 because I like the frontal styling more. The V4 is kind of a bummer, but at least a more practical choice than the two-stroke. Karmann-Ghia is too small for me to fit into, and the Alfa is just not my cup o'tea.
@@What.its.like. this was back in 1982. It was all I could afford. It ran. 80 mph top speed. I was nearly killed by the freewheel device going downhill - I had thought it was the bonnet catch!
One of the quirky things about Saabs & I am npt sure if this model had it or not was the starter button & sometimes the ignition were placed between the front seats on the floor.
Hey Jay, what an odd motorcycle engine. 2T 750 cubic centimetre, water cooled in line 3 cylinder. The only thing to quieten the buzzy engine would have been the water jackets. Though why SAAB didn't use air cooling beats me. The miserable winters would have presented challenges with a water jacket. VW got it to work with the engine in the rear, and theirs was in the front, so it should have been easier. I guess that Swedish thinking and engineering is unique, though. Their SAAB Grippen fighter, is so unconventional it shouldn't work, yet it is superior in so many ways to the western aircraft. I know that the SAAB racing/rallying team had a huge bear of a man, who consistently won rallies with a navigator, so many times in this model. It was almost magic, when you hold it up against its competition. As someone who rode motorcycles before driving cars, that engine would have been amazing with 3 carburettors, and the power figures would have gone up considerably, at the cost of fuel consumption though. I have ridden 2T bikes with the same or greater HP figures for between 350~500cc ranges. With the model changes not effecting sales in Sweden, I suspect the Swedes are a practical people, and it was great for what it needed to achieve. The models only needed to be dressed up to become a global seller, yet it was that which created their problems.
As you pointed out, Steve, the Swedes ARE tactical people ... and want heat in their cars during their long winters ... thus the water cooled engine. Big heaters in these little cars. Did you ever drive in an an air cooled VW during cold winter?
You got the Alfa Romeo's name right, Juliette, the last E is also pronounced. Italians. I love the shape of it, and for resale the Karmen Ghia is the best, however despite the absolute inherent beauty of the earlier Saab, the 4 stroke would be more convenient and offers more power, so that is my choice. Ever the pragmatist.
Glad I finally got one right for once lol I honestly wouldn’t mind any of them I owned a 73 Karman Ghia at one point it was a great car only thing I didn’t like about it was it lost its art deco charm and it went to more of a utilitarian style interior I wanted to put the ivory white we were in but found out that you can’t do that unless you switch the whole steering wheel shaft which I thought was stupid why would they implement that design. Two years before cancellation?? I guess there were stranger things that happened
@@What.its.like. Well Jay, I really love your show, and the levels of information you reveal. The nice thing is you aren't giving a spec sheet, but an assessment of it, from a human perspective, which is nicer.
Saabs seem to have an almost cult-like following among some automobile owners. Personally, I've always found the cars kind of cute, quirky, and odd and usually associated with say, a Midwest university professor of medieval Irish history who attends wine and cheese tastings. I vote for the Alfa Romeo. I always did have a thing for tempermental Italians.
My professor drove an Austin Healy Sprite with no top or windows. Kinda cold in the winter. My first Saab I noticed was a 99 at school parked in the same place every day. I marveled as to how it could be so big inside.
I don't know what it is, but there's always something about these small, quirky, yet very distinct looking European cars, that always have such a strange appeal to me. I think I would without a doubt choose the '59 Alfa Romeo Julianne or whatever. That's one of my favorite Christmas songs, probably because it was one of my mother's favorite s, mostly because of Bing Crosby singing it because he was one of her favorites Take care!
Hi all... just a few bits of info for you: The "Ursaab" 92 , number 001 that started SAAB's car manufacture was hand built, sheet metal was formed into a monocoque body that was also the safety cell, by men that built railway coaches and locomotives, if I remember right. The following models had replaceable fenders. Tom Donney is one of the best men that knows these SAABS. He drove one or more 2-stroke engined ones into the record books for speed, et al.
The knobs to the left of the steering wheel, on the bottom, are (left) panel lights, and (right) headlights. I don't know what the knobs on either side of the clock are. I think the scoops behind the rear side windows are for ventilation (note that the car has no vent windows and no air conditioning). I owned a Saab 900 (later, bigger model). I was constantly having trouble with it and I sold it a couple of years later.
Thank you so much for sharing what those buttons do, Europeans put weird hieroglyphics on their buttons here in a america just label them idk it’s just weird, I reviewed an alpha last year that was a lot like that
Thank you so much I shot this yesterday I went to classic auto Mall and when I got there it’s like a 5 Hour Drive to go there. I started not to feel so great and I was like well this stinks I was able to shoot 10 cars but I was a little bit disappointed I guess because I generally go there and shoot 2530 cars but yesterday I was only there for five hours so 10 cars and five hours is pretty good I guess
Scenario 1, the 96. Scenario 2, none of the above. LOL... Back in the 70's, my cousins used to ice race (race cars on a frozen lake) and I would guess to say that 90% of the cars raced were Saab's. They'd be stripped down and these Mad Max looking spiked tires mounted on them. Interesting thing? Almost all of the were green.
The fact is that when the V4-engine was launched in 1967, the two-stroke engines quickly became extremely obsolete even though it was still possible to buy a 96/95 two-stroke until 1968. As a matter of fact, merely 28 new Saabs with two-stroke engines were sold in Sweden in 1968 and only one of these is still in traffic today. So it would definitely be very interesting to know how many 1968 two-strokes that are still in existence in the US!
Wow, I didn’t know there were so few two stroke 96 from 68. I owned one of them. That was my first car as a 18 year old, going in Swedish high school. (You have to be 18 years old to get a drivers licence in Sweden.)
![1967 Saab 96 2 Stroke [3 Cylinder - 46 HORSEPOWER!!!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kzL4K9Kuwvk/mqdefault.jpg)
Day After Day - Badfinger
Yeah buddy you got it =)
Tune in Thursday @ 430 for 1964 olds starfire
I almost said George Harrison, always mixed them up
That song sounds like a lot of other songs especially in the beginning
10:35 - you are correct, those are C-pillar (exhaust) vents for the "flow-through" ventilation, designed to let stale/humid air escape the interior and be replaced by fresh air coming out of the HVAC system. They are located on the pillars because an area of low pressure is created in that region when the car is moving, "helping" the air to get out. Modern cars have similar vents, but they are usually located behind the rear bumper, because placing them on the pillar usually let the moisture to collect in the trunk, and have flaps for valves, apparently to prevent backflow.
Thank you so much for sharing all of that insight =)
My mother had a 1973 v4 96. I have fond memories of that car. My brother & I both learnt to drive and passed our driving tests first time in the 96, taught only by our father in the 80's. Great cars, odd ball and built like a tank.
Awesome thank you for sharing those memories =)
My parents owned a 1959 model 92 in black and a 1968 model 96 2 stroke. The 1968 had 3 Solex carburetors and I loved that car. Sadly the attendant at the gas station didn’t add the oil when he put in the 8 gallons of gas. My mom left the station and drove a few miles only to have the motor seize up. I walked down to the gas station to talk with them and sure enough the can of oil was there on top of the fuel pump unopened. Back then that’s how the story ended with just an apology. I think of that car often and the loss my parents took with it. It was the first new car my dad had ever bought and it cost him $1800.00 at Gaston Aundrey in Watertown MA. I remember the ride home in it from the dealer. I loved it!
I’m sorry that happened to you. Thank you so much for sharing that story.
Saabs are such unique vehicles!!! Thanks Jay for reviewing this one!! 👍👍🙂
=)
Jack in Cape Town South Africa Owned the 93 (750cc)and the 96 (850cc) 3 strokes loved them !!
The V4 motor was added late in the 60's I am 6ft 2 inch (1.88m) tall Nobody mentiones that you move the front seats forward and tilt its backrests , lift out the back seat and undo the wooden toggle inside the trunk holding the bsck rest im place Lie the backrest where the sest was , slide removed seat in behind front sests and...girlfriend and i could
" sleep " in comfort This conversion wsd mentioned in the owners manuall Build and paint superb Thanks for the feature
Thank you so much for sharing all that insight and information as well as stories =)
The Scoop you're referring to is the air outlet for the flow-through ventilation system. My wife and I had a 1967 SAAB 96 two stroke, and I can tell you, it was decades ahead of most of the rest of the automotive industry! The V 4 was introduced in 1967 as an optional powerplant, but the two stroke was available through 1968 models in the U.S. Those tail light lenses were used from 1960. The plastic triangles on the windows were for airflow. They practically eliminated any buffeting. You could drive with the windows down, yet the car's interior was quite and serene. If my comments make me appear prejudiced in favor of the SAAB, it's because I am. My SAAB 96 two stroke is one of my favorite cars I've ever owned. We bought it mainly for its incredible safety features. That IS the factory location for the radio. Under the rear seat is a wooden cam shaft, which allows 3 different settings for seat height & angle. As to the trunk, SAAB used to advertise using it as a sleeping space for two adults when camping. The SAAB 96 was a really amazing car, and even though it's been out of production since 1980, in my opinion, it's more advanced technologically than a lot of today's George Jetson cars. In all those scenarios...SAAB!
Awesome thank you so much for sharing all of that insight and information really appreciate it =)
@@What.its.like. Thank you for all the happy memories your video brought up. The SAAB 96 was a truly wonderful car, decades ahead of its time. That's especially true of the two stroke SAAB. I would love the chance to drive a SAAB 96 again, especially a two stroke, but the v 4 would definitely bring a smile to my face. My SAAB looked almost identical to the one in your video, except it was gray, and didn't have V 4 badges.
My 2nd SAAB was a 1968 GT Monte Carlo - LUVed that car!
4-speed column shift with an oil reservoir to meter the oil
into the fuel instead of adding oil to the gas tank.
I saw that they had a four speed on the column I was a bit skeptical that’s why I didn’t list the transmissions that I found because I only knew of a three speed on the column.
Do you have any really cool memories of that car
@@What.its.like. It was quirky, it was fun especially going to a service station and the attendant
could never find the dip stick.."What did you do with it? 'm certain there was one when I drove in.".
The rear seat folded flat - kind'a like a hatch back.
I was headed home in a snow storm and got rear-ended by a drunk - ruined the car.
My 1st SAAB was a 1960 - had a key on the dash with a pull handle just under to activate the starter.
When I bought my 1st new car - 1964 Chrysler convertible - my brother took the SAAB and raced it.
Thank you so much for sharing those stories I’m sorry it got totally, lots of cars stories end with a drunk driver
@@What.its.like. There was also a 1977 Lancia Beta that was taken in a similar fashion at 6 months old.
Sitting at a red light, changing the radio channel when there was a flash of light, like someone with a flashlight,
then BANG! The car was knocked across 4 lanes of traffic, the rear bumper was in front of the rear wheels,
roof split at the sunroof opening and I ended up with a ruptured disc and right shoulder muscles torn.
60 years being licensed and I've never hit anything, but seemed to have a 'bull's eye' on my back.
Between 1978 and 1985, I lived in New England, and owned a 1969 Saab 96 that I must have put easily 100,000 + miles on a well used car already. When I was about to leave school (RISD) to attend grad school in NYC I decided to sell it, and placed an ad on a builtin board somewhere. What happened next was remarkable; three students got in a bidding war that catapulted my intended price to well over what I had paid for it almost eight years before.
I have two Saabs in my collection.
A 1966 Mod 96 Monte Carlo 850
(841 cc two stroke) tribute model to Saabs racing and rally racing heritage.
And a early 1968 Sonett 2 V4. They are fantastic little gems of a car. A ton of fun to drive.
Miles of smiles!
Great overview video.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing your cars they sound really cool 😎 glad you dig this episode =)
I had a 67 Monte Carlo. We are lucky guys..
One of my best friends in high school had one of these and I remember helping him recarpet it.
I'm 69 now so this was quite a few years ago..🤠
Any cool stories of that car
I want this '68! Such a cool little vehicle, always admired and seen a couple over the years. I've never seen the '59s and, like u Jay, prefer the cleaner, tear drop shape! Saab was one of the better quality auto makes, too.
My neighbor had a 65 with a two stroke engine. Sounded like a chain saw when it ran. Actually a nice car.
2 stoke engine would be interesting, I’m all about different driving experiences
They didn’t last though. For safety I had a spare engine in the garage, in case the present motor would say good bye to me. It didn’t cost much to buy a spare. (I suppose I drove the little car a bit too ”heavy”) I loved that car though, especially during our Swedish winters.
Fenders and quarters are separate as most cars.
I remember seeing these the the 1968 Auto Expo at the Los Angeles sports arena with my dad. The Expo was the annual foreign car show held in May at that time.
Sweet I wasn’t 100% sure about that thank you so much for filling us in =)
Interesting that SAAB ..and also Spyker who bought them in the end game both had Aero themes , albeit more extravagant in the Spyker.
The dash knobs in question would be 1.rheostat for the dash lights .....2. headlights
Now that your a YT star Jay ...time for new rounded specs and maybe a Goatee.🤓
I wouldn’t say I’m a CZcams star I’m just a regular guy
I absolutely hate change but I was looking really homeless I should’ve took a picture of what I looked like lol
I look like that again in a couple months I’ll take a picture lol
Thank you so much for filling us in on with those other two button do
After the second world war there was labour at SAAB aeronautical that weren’t needed anymore. Sweden needed inexpensive cars. So engineers that had engineered planes constructed a car. Of course they were influenced by their aeronautical knowledge. Hence the stream lined shape of the car.
I had a Swedish friend with one of these 96 Saabs. The "pocket" that called your attention on the driver's side was used to keep an umbrella
Sweet
Hello from Wales. A late friend, a garage/repair shop owner and mechanic had a V4 96. I'd love a 93, but fitted with an 1100cc two stroke triple from TSS in Australia. 240 BHP ! They did fit one of those engines in a Kawasaki ZX10R motorbike some years ago.
Hello from west Pennsylvania awesome information thank you so much for sharing =)
I can remember how the three-stroke sounded like as it idled. The v-4 was a great innovation, one didn't have to monitor or add oil. to the gasoline. Great in snow, I owned several in Maine. The doors used to open toward the front. hinges next to the back of the driver seat. Owned one in high school, one after the army, and one in college.
That was a 3 cylinder 2 stroke engine. They got rid of the suicide doors on the 96.
I expect one reason for the change to the v-4 is the difficulty or perhaps impossibility of making a two stroke meet emissions standards for 1968.
That makes total sense V4 is still an interesting engine configuration =)
It was very low powered.
Nobody cared about emissions until in the seventies. The two stroke engine had only 42 hp. A two stroke engine takes a lot more gas than a four stroke. The Ford V4 engine was a small wonderful engine. I remember driving my moms V4 from Gothenburg to Stockholm with full load. We drove between 140 and 160 all the say (450 kilometers) and the car was just purring like a cat.
‘Way back then’ I met a Swedish girl who drove a 1957 SAAB 93 with a split windscreen.She visited me in England with her car and we bought bottles of SAAB two stroke oil using one for each tank of petrol.The unfortunate bit was the amount of exhaust on start ups,as someone said it was like fog ! Otherwise it was a lovely little car and it tackled those winding country lanes without any problem.
Saab introduced the 95 wagon before redesigning the 93 sedan to the successor 96. Among the engineering updates, the 95 got a four-speed column shift transmission and if memory serves, the 748 two-stroke engine was upsized to 841 ccs.
The emissions handwriting was on the wall for the two-strokes and the Ford V4 and its cooling system wouldn't fit in the first-generation 95/96 models, so Saab redesigned the nose moving the radiator from the rear by the firewall to the front by the grille around 1966, if I remember right. .
Another peculiarity was that the V4 models got a taller windshield with the mirror mounted from the windshield header while the three-cylinder windshield and mirror were unchanged.
Whichever engine you get, they are fun, if not particularly fast.
The scoops by the backlight are ducts for the flow-through ventilation.
Map pocket? Keep a couple of extra cans of oil for the two-stroke in the bin? Trash bin?
The plastic piece at the rear corner of the doors is a deflector allowing you yo crack the window without letting the blizzard in. or the vallhund out.
12:08 No mention of the T-handle through the firewall just right of center. Push it in, it allows the car to coast in free-wheeling mode, a leftover from the two-stroke engine. Pull the handle and it locks the freewheel in direct drive. Why, the only engine oiling in the two-stroke models was the oil mixed in the gasoline, usually at the tank, though some later examples got oil injection. Riding the compression downhill would mean the engine is running fast without lubrication.
Instrument lights and headlights?
That is the factory location for the radio. there was a delete plate when it was needed.
The reverse scoops on the upper body sides are indeed cabin air extractors. The formerly clear plastic pieces on the upper doors are draft and rain deflectors. They are necessary due to the unusual way in which the door windows roll down.
Thank you so much for sharing all that information =)
@@What.its.like. you are welcome. B T W, I think that you nailed the knobs.
I had '67 that looks like the '68 except for the window deflectors and the scoops on the window pillars. Mine had the 2-stroke, and that car was great fun to drive, it was 2 or 3 years old when I bought it but it was like brand new. That car was great fun to drive, thank you for another great memory!
Thank you so much for sharing that memory with us =) did you get decent gas mileage? Any cool stories of your Saab
@@What.its.like. I don't remember what the mileage was, but it was about the same as a beetle. I bought the car from my brother who was sent to Thailand and I only drove if for a couple of years before being sent to Vietnam. The car was like a rally car in the snow, great fun! I sold it to a friend who absolutely loved it, and is still a great friend!
Wow that’s great 😁
@@raymondsprengelmeyer1278 ❤
Such an interesting car. I was sad when they stopped making the convertibles - i always wanted to get one for a mid life crisis. Now I am too old. I hope you feel better soon, Jay. Great job as always. Second coming of Christ LMFAO‼
Haha I don’t know any other bing songs. That’s the only time I can hit those low notes when under the weather =)
I had a 96 and I loved it. Fun car to drive. Passed everything on the road on a snowy day and many cars that slid off the road due to the weather. The clutchless shifting due to the free wheeling made it easy to drive. Only had to use the clutch to start out and reverse. Great car.
I'd forgotten all about the free-wheeling feature.
Free wheeling was necessary for the 2 cycle engine becaust engine braking or slowing down would cause damage to the engine because it would not be getting liberation from the 2 cycle gas oil mixed fuel. I'm not sure if they continued with the free wheeling with the v4 engine. I'm sure they didn't in the later models. Saab was a great car. Too bad what happened to it, all models were excellent cars.
I'll take the Saab, the karmann ghia had lousy heaters.The saab heaters were excellent. You also skipped over the free-wheeling device, the pull cord to the right of the gas pedal. That allowed the motor to drop to an idle so the car could coast, greatly improving gas mileage.
I had no idea what that did, when we cover another one I’ll know
Love the free-wheeling. It also allows you to shift gear without using the clutch.
A girlfriend had a 1965 2-stroke, mixing motor oil with the gas when we filled up. Four-speed on the tree. It was fun driving in the heavy snows faster than most anyone else. That was the space for the original radio which had it's own door within the door for the glove box originally, but it was for just a small AM radio. I remember the straight 4 cylinder in the Saab model 99 had the engine installed backwards.
I saw that transmission option said for speed on column and I was a bit skeptical and that’s why I didn’t list the transmissions because I was never aware that such a transmission existed I always thought they only made three on the tree. Thank you for telling me that it is a four speed on the column that is something I never knew and something that I just learned
@@What.its.like. Glad to! Saab made some of the quirkiest. I had a 1973 Pontiac Ventura at the same time that had a 3 on the floor.
Yep, had a couple of 99s, and dad had a few of them too. Easiest clutch replacement you could imagine!
If memory serves me, later SAABs had the ignition between the front seats in the console.
Your memory is correct …
Not on the 96
11:40 There is a wind deflector at the trailing edge of the window frame. Note the outlet vents around the package shelf.
12:10 I notice you overlooked the T-handle to the right of the pedals. You pulled it to lock out the freewheel mechanism in the transmission.
No mention, either of the four-speed column shift and the funky reverse shift. Pull the shift lever about a quarter-inch to the right from the column, back toward you, and down.
13:50 The turn-switch is the instrument light dimmer, the "Second Coming" knob is headlights.
14:40 All Saabs model 95 and 96 came with a cut-out for the radio to be mounted in the glove box. If you wanted a radio they took out a body-color delete plate.
Thank you so much for all of that added information I honestly didn’t know what the T-handle did, I scoured the Internet and I couldn’t find anything on it
V4's are my favorite engine config of all time. they sound so good!! it's like a baby V8
Super interesting little engine
What a cute little car , i would drive that in a heart beat !
Me too I’m all about different driving experiences =)
Sorry to sound so negative, but I see a lot of videos that get basic SAAB information wrong. I have grown up with SAABs all my life and even worked at a SAAB dealership so certain things jump out at me when they aren't technically correct. Thanks for making the video anyway. SAAB should never be forgotten since they were a very unique company that was often ahead of its time.
This was one of the harder ones to do because the information was so conflicting, that’s why I personally don’t do foreign cars that much because the information is really spotty at best I haven’t found a good source to get some information for some exotic cars I got to exotic cars in the pipeline that I’ve been putting off one is in Mercedes Benz unimog The other ones in 1976 Lancia i’m not sure what information I’ll be able to find on either of those I love a challenge but I don’t like spreading misinformation I try to be as factual correct as possible..
The bodies were built unibody, like the VW type 1 Beetle. Also like the Beetle, the fenders, doors, bonnet and boot covers were all bolt-on. The bodies were very strong and protective in a roll-over.
Those vents on the "C" pillars are for air to escape creating the flow-thru ventilation. Those plastic pieces on the windows were air-deflectors so you could drive with the windows down and not affect the aerodynamics much. In modern cars, it takes more horsepower to drive with the windows open than driving with the A/C on and the windows rolled up.
Because the V4's which SAAB used had the same bore as the Ford Cologne 2600 V6 used in the Capri here, when I built the 1700 V4's the owners would have me install the pistons out of the 2600 V6. They felt that raised the compression.
The engine/transaxle configuration put the engine behind the transaxle. Other cars of this era, like Citroen, used this configuration
With the SAAB 99, they bought 4 cyl. engines from Triumph(we got them here in the TR7). With this engine, SAAB put it on top of the transaxle. SAAB licensed this engine from Triumph and built them for themselves.
Interestingly, these SAAB's had freewheeling clutches, and would freewheel when you took your foot off the accelerator pedal.
The Sonnetts were fun to drive and very lightweight due to their fiberglass bodies. Styling wise, I like the Sonnett III the best, which had the 1700 V6.
Thank you so much for taking the time and adding all that information and insight greatly appreciate it =)
"The engine/transaxle configuration put the engine behind the transaxle." Huh? What car are you talking about? No Saab I ever drove starting from 1966 was like that. The strokers and V4s were way up front.
@@saabyurk You are right. I was thinking about the SAAB 99, where the engine was mounted backwards and on top of the transaxle. Conveniently, the clutch could be replaced in the car without pulling the engines. The transaxle was also the oil pan for the engines.
With the SAAB 95, 96 and 97, I had replaced the timing gear set 0f the V4 in the car without pulling the engine. When I had overhauled the V4, the engines were brought to me and I didn't have to remove them myself. I had thought that they were like the 99's for position.
Other cars I remember with the engines mounted backwards were the Citroens.
@@automatedelectronics6062 Funny I forgot about the 99 engine sitting backwards on top of the transmission with clutch in front. I replaced several clutches on my own 99s of which I had 3.😄
The scoop behind the rear window is to release air pressure when you slam the door. The first gen Toyota 4Runner had the same vent. I owned a Gen 1 4Runner.
The vent is there to minimize the "thump-thump-thump" noise that comes with opening the windows at higher speeds, I think. The reason the gas cap is on the "wrong" side (i.e the driver's) is that back then we used to have left hand driving in Sweden. (I know, in left hand drive cars, crazy). The reason for the gas cap being better situated on the passenger side, is that if you run out of fuel on say a highway, you don't want to be standing in the middle of traffic while putting gas in your car.
Great information thank you so much for sharing that
What look like "Air scoops" behind the rear side windows were air vent outlets to promote through flow ventilation. Lots of saloon cars of the era introduced similar ventilation outlets. I had a 1972 model and the back seat could be tipped forward and the seat back hinged down making a much larger flat floor for long loads, almost like a semi estate. I actually slept in the back with the seat down on a few occasions when needed. The spare wheel was under the boot, or in American "Trunk", floor there was quite a lot of useful space around the side of the spare wheel for small spare parts, tools and other bits and pieces. From memory I think the wheel jack was also located in the space but cannot remember the exact details if it was kept inside or outside the spare wheel as it was many years ago since I owned the car. The was a useful volume of space under the back seat where I stored food supplies for camping trips. We spent a lot of time in the remote highlands of Scotland where shops were not always plentiful without driving long distances on narrow, twisty single track roads that were the norm in those days. The SAAB was brilliant in the winter snow that was frequently covering the roads in Scotland before increased global warming made such occurrences a rarity. The body shape had very low drag. I always used the "Freewheel" facility and could cost for miles down some of the longer descending roads in Scotland. After the SAAB I bought a Volvo 340 and the vehicle would not coast down those same hills with increasing speed like the SAAB did, but needed power input to keep going. There was no power assistance so the steering was quite heavy at parking speeds and the large steering wheel was necessary.
Awesome thank you so much fir that information =)
Saab 3 cylinder 2 stroke was almost a direct copy of a DKW engine.
I will have to find one that has a three cylinder Super interesting engine very compact
It was designed by DKW engineers anxious to get out of Germany in 1945.
The amazing SAAB 96, winner of many car rally's, beating much more powerful and exotic cars from all around Europe. I watched a documentary about the Saab's, and very much a beloved car by all its owners. The championship driver of the Saab looked a most unlikely candidate, he must have been 6"8' and 140KG. A real bear of a man. So he had to fit, and his navigator just yelled out the turns to him over the screams of the engine, while he reacted in blind faith and kept the thing on the road in the snowy conditions. Masterful. Have you seen the ice bikes they race? And the giant wheeled 4WD vehicles they modify with giant scoop tyres, and they have a really fast run up and drive straight over the top of a lake. Really. The swedes are remarkable for such a small population. Your comments about European cars, or at least an awful lot of them, are the ones that found a particular niche, and became much loved, were retained, with some improvements periodically arising. Pretty much every nation in Europe with car manufacturing did this. The concept of consumerism was an American way of life, much reviled by some Europeans as wasteful. (Remember, the whole place was a wasteland following WWII) They started out with motorbikes with sidecars, then midget cars with room for two, and went from there. For them anything was an improvement, and it takes a long time to recover mentally physically and financially from such a devastating war, where everything needed rebuilding. Just getting food and water was a bonus for many years, so it should be no surprise that they hung back a little, and waited. Just you look at them now, though. They are the champs for cars, along with the Japanese. Ford and GM are still well represented, but they are locally designed and built, to suit the conditions and the tastes of their market. (Ford & GM were building vehicles for the German war effort too, if you recall?) The SKF ball bearing plant in Schweinfurt, in which so many Americans lost their lives, was an American company too, as was Coca-Cola and many others. After the allies blew the crap out of these factories, they were paid restitution by the US government. Sorry about blowing you up, it was war, you know? Weird really. An awful lot of accountants are needed for wars, lots of double entry bookkeeping. 1X Ford factory, 1300000000 reichsmarks. Of course IBM made the German war machine so efficient, with their tabulators being smuggled in through Switzerland by IBM's agents, which got the trains running and kept a tally on the undesirables who needed transport to camps. A war crime, we sort of don't worry about too much.
Thank you so much for sharing all of that added information and insight greatly appreciate it =)
@@What.its.like. No Sweden was not bombed during ww2
SKF was a Swedish company Svenska kullager fabriken (Swedish Ballbearing Factory )located in Sweden and wss newer owned by Americans back then
Saab stands for Swenska aeroplan aktiebolaget (Swedish airplane company )and was a manufacturer of airplanes -for the Swedish military and started in 1938 but started to build cars as well right after ww2 wended with the first model in 1947 since the demand for airplanes dropped and demands for cars was high and Sweden was unique since our factories was still intact after the war witch gave us a great advantage over other European countries
At 12:00 you failed to mention the "T" handle to the right of the gas pedal. That lever is the free-wheel. When engaged, it allowing the car to 'coast' without engine braking. It was supposed to increase fuel mileage; however, what you saved in fuel you paid for in brake pads.
my neighbors had a 1964. I rode in it many times in the front passenger seat. The way that my friend's dad drove it, I felt like I was in a rally race. The sound of the engine, the smell of the 2 stroke exhaust. The car was extremely agile, and safe. First in safety, it had lap, and shoulder belts, boron in the steel body to make it extremely stiff, and durable. It seemed to handle like it was riding on rails, like I was on a car thrill ride! I was way too young to drive it.
Awesome story thank you so much for sharing those memories with us it would’ve been a totally cool car to drive that’s for sure and different
I owned two of them. Not at the same time,though. Got me through my 20’s.
What did you think about the car
I would rather have a Karmann Ghia in a heartbeat. My father in law drove a 69 Ghia, I loved the car. So sorry we sold it when he passed away.
They were great cars I owned a 73 got great gas mileage I always told people it was like driving a 4 cylinder lawn mower
The mystery switch next to the headlights is the panel lights. Wiper and washer are on the steering column. The 2 switches next to the clock are just extra switches.
Thank you so much for adding that crucial information highly appreciate it =)
The 96 looks kind of like a '70s
Super Beetlle from the back (the window, taillights, wheels, etc.).
It definitely looks German that’s for sure there are a lot of similarities between this car in Volkswagen products
I had a white 1969 96 w/ a v4. Loved it! 4 speed on the column. Great handler/performer. Kicked myself for selling it.
I didn’t know they made a four-speed on the tree until this car I thought that was miss information so I didn’t say it because I was always told that three speed on the tree was the only shift selection for that type of transmission shift, turns out that I was taught wrong.
I had that same car. Kicked myself for selling it. I was the second owner.
Hi, Jay! Thanks for your hands on approach to the car that I bought for $300 from a professor in 1985, and kept through 2013, then moved to Netherlands, switched to bicycles, and never wanted another car again, unless it were a Hertz/Avis/Budget rented at an airport. I see that your questions are mostly answered, but if curious, please let me know, and I'll do my best as I know every bolt, every cog. Enough about me. A lot is made clear that SAAB were the first, or amongst the first, to do wind tunnel testing on a car whilst in development, and in refinement over the years. The car was optimised and had a very low drag coefficient. SAAB knew all the high and low pressure areas, and so, were able to design things like the "ears" over the C-pillar exhaust vents, to provide passive airflow and keep the rain out. The same explanation holds true for those sun-clouded plastic or acrylic inserts at the top rear of each window.
And yes, the unibody construction was quite advanced for its time, the major components stamped out in dies, then welded together into a really strong unibody. Somewhere you may find a video of someone being rolled down a ski slope in a SAAB 96, and then at the bottom of the slope, starts the car and drives away.
Thank you so much for sharing all that added information I really appreciate it.. i’ll have to see if I can find that footage of it going on the ski slope that sounds really interesting 🤔 =)
Owned several...also owned a station wagon, wanted a sonnet. One variable was they way the doors opened.
I need to look for the wagon
The 2stroke with freewheel was genius, and a great idea for today's cars. The v4 was comfy, reliable, economical, and incredibly safe. It was a true classic, not just the 92,95,96 but also the 900. The gm and on cars were rubbish.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing that insight =)
@13:53 The lower left knob is the rheostat dimmer for the instrument lights. lower right is headlights.
My first car was a ‘64 3 cylinder 2 stroke and then a ‘68 V4. I loved those cars.
Sweet memories =)
, I luved my 96 soo much I bought a 900t when they first came out. The 96 was the 2stroke 3 and it was a tiger. I ate BMW 2002s up through 3rd gear. It reved to 12k! Had free wheeling and auto shutoff when the oil (2 stroke) ran low. A real kickasscar UNLKE the 99 non turbocharger. The 900t was a fitting replacement for the 96
What an awesome memory thank you so much for sharing that memory
So being under the weather is the only time you can sing in a "Bing Crosby "tone!
Yeah go figure lol
I can hit the low notes I just it takes way more energy to hit them when I’m not sick. =)
@10:40 the vent scoops help pull air out from the holes in the parcelshelf in the back window - they made a big deal about "through ventilation". A very nice thing in a moist cold winter day, you don't need cracked open windows to keep mist-free - the moisture is sucked out at the back, and fresh heated air is coming in at the front defroster and on the floor.
This is a SAAB story...
Hahaha that it is
Oh man that would you rather between this, the ghia and the giulietta is tough!
11.55 It is a wind deflector,
It whorks very well. You can have the windows down and it is almost silent. I have is on my 96 here in Sweden.
Awesome that’s great to know =)
In the 70s I had a '67 (96) Monte Carlo 850, 3cyl 2stroke, 3 carbs, great car, 15 mpg. Cushy seats w adjustable lumbar support, wood rim aluminum steering wheel, automatic oiling.
Chevy Corvair! Take a look at it. The 2 buttons on the left side are for the lights, the first is for the panel lights and the other is for the headlights.! The 2 buttons on the left side are for the lights, the first is for the panel lights and the other is for the headlights.
Did one I have a friend who has a 62 I’ll cover that in summer =)
czcams.com/video/CJw7s9Jj5aw/video.html
Saab were still associated with wind tunnels, and applied the principles to their cars.
Saab 96 was very funny and nice to drive - specially clutch and shifting gears. I miss to drive that again some day
96 all around awkward, brittle tail section. Original, brilliant and simple. Thanks for this all new to me vid.
Thank you so much for enjoying this episode =)
Olds Starfire, of yeah. The front 3/4 top-down view suggests a 67 Valiant, every time I see it.
Oh yes,these '93 is wonderful
1968 Saab 96 and the Alfa Romeo. The lines of the 93 may flow more nicely, but that is not enough to overcome its disadvantages. The Saab two-stroke engines had poor idling characteristics and tended to not last. When Saab offered replacements, they wound up replacing almost all of them (though it was cheap). The Ford engine originally from Cologne's Taunus 12M was from the Cardinal project, which was a U.S. development shoved onto Germany when the Falcon was preferred (it was even cheaper). That engine had four separate crank throws like the Lancia V4, but had a 60-degree angle between the cylinder banks, and had a balance shaft running at engine speed. It was vastly superior but far more expensive than the two-stroke. By the way, the initial Saab engine was a two-cylinder two-stroke even cheaper than the three. As I understand it, the three was 850cc. Saab originally used the contemporary DKW as a model to start from, but as an airplane company, went for streamlining.
Thank you so much for sharing all that added information as well as insight really learned a lot =)
6:05 The vents behind the side windows were exactly that, vents to exhaust stale air from the passenger cabin. Fresh air in through the cowl vents, stale air out the rear vents. If I remember correctly, the corresponding vents in the model 95 were in a sort of spoiler over the tailgate.
Love that haircut!
The Swedes really changed thinking about automobiles in the late 60s and early 70s. This was not only true for safety features, but the whole concept about how to manufacture a vehicle. If you ever come across a 142 Volvo from 1972, the high point of what I am talking about, review it. Amazing what you will find.
Thank you I want to definitely hit some Volvo’s this year p1800 is at the top of the list
There is something we call ”saabish” in Sweden. Saab put pride in finding other, hopefully better ways to construct their cars. For instance SAAB was the first manufacturer to put a turbo in a private car. The SAAB Turbo was extra!
Think the author is simplifying the evolution of car designs quite a lot, the 93 and 96 have very few common parts. Just by comparison them side by side shows totally diffent roofline, rear window, front (including hood and fenders) door size and more.
The Saab designer (Karl-Erik Sixten Sason) wanted to maintain the original look of the 93 through the 96 it being a Saab signature.
Another "influence" is the global vehicle specific legal requirements evolving mandating lights (front/rear), safety requirements, and emissions. All of this influences and restricts vehicle manufacturers design.
Another Swedish car manufacturer, Volvo, did exactly the same with their 140 and 240 series. Though being totally different vehicles beneath the exterior was kept as a signature or brand identification.
The way the back window is shaped around the body sort of reminds me of a 50s Citroën DS
You’re totally right I see it too I really want to feature one of those cars this year =) with the adjustable ride
Who knows how many people were living a SAAB story in that car when it was in its prime?
Hahaha
the 96 has a backlight similar to the 1964 Barracuda. Looks notchy-er than the earlier models, which look somewhat like the early 356 Porsches from the side
I totally agree. They do look like a 356 Porsche from the side.
The vents in the rear pillars are for 'flow through ventilation'. The 60s were when carmakers started taking heating and ventilation seriously. So you got air vents in the dashboard, which this car has, and the vents in the back pillars to give the air somewhere to exit. Now every car has it, so 'flow through ventilation' is no longer mentioned. The thingies in the doors are probably part of it too, so you could crack your window open for even more ventilation without rain coming in. I don't know for sure, but this car does look as though fenders would detach.
Awesome thank you so much for that information=)
The little plastic visors set into the door windows are there to allow you to drop the window a little and not get a draft on your neck
Awesome thank you so much =) I see them on some cars but mostly European cars if I see them at all
Jay Leno featured a 2 cycle Saab on his channel some time ago. The engine sounded like a moped that I drove once, for it had a cute high-pitched whine like a rapidly spinning top and a constant wispy sputter like a mad bee hive. I don’t know about the V-4 but the 2 cycle was supposed be great In subzero weather.
The V4 was a time-proven engine, and much cleaner than that 2-stroke.
IMO, it was an upgrade …
@@sking2173 Had the 2 litre V4 in my '68 Ford Corsair. Seemed to remember it doing around 4000 rpm at 60 in 4th!
@@stephenholland5930 The 2 stroke engine was replaced because it couldn't pass environmental standards in US.
7:28 The three-cylinder two-stroke in '68 was 841 ccs, a bit over 51 cubic inches.
Thank you for that correction
nice review on the Saab Justin. its a nice little car.
Thank you glad you dig this episode =)
My favorite is the 1964 2-stroke bull nose Monte Carlo 850
Erik Carlsson. Born in Trollhattan! Same as the cars. Re-nowned rally driver.
The bins next to your legs would be map cases. At least was always my thinking.
And all Saab owners had a special affinity for their looks. But Saab Man Rick here in Oregon said cops would ticket because they thought they were ugly. Heh.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing that
@@What.its.like. Rick also said, as far as the driving experience..you were one with the road. Man, so true. Hey, the car you featured? Absolutely cherry. Quite impressive.
Probably a wind deflector. The 900 had optional window surround deflectors and even one for the sun roof. All 900 sunroofs had a small integral wind deflector.
Awesome thank you so much for filling in that Blank really appreciate it
The 1958 thru 1960 Ford Thunderbird was all one unit. Made for an ultra strong body shell.
I'm going to stick my neck out and say the Chevrolet Corvair was also a single unit. Please let me know if I'm wrong.
You did a nice job on this vide. SAABs are unique automobiles.
Thank you so much I didn’t know about those I’ll have to look and see if that’s the case I know the 58-60 tbird was unit body
Thank you ! I've always been a fan of these cars. Early Saabs can be many things for many people, but there's one thing that is quite certain - they are nothing if not distinctive. Unlike the more recent products from this make, unfortunately...
P.S. I'd rather have this '68 because I like the frontal styling more. The V4 is kind of a bummer, but at least a more practical choice than the two-stroke. Karmann-Ghia is too small for me to fit into, and the Alfa is just not my cup o'tea.
They are unique and totally different didn’t beat anybody else’s drum but their own. =) in a lot of ways that car is like me.
I had an 11- year ol Saab 96 as my first car.
Sweet how do you like it?
@@What.its.like. this was back in 1982. It was all I could afford. It ran. 80 mph top speed. I was nearly killed by the freewheel device going downhill - I had thought it was the bonnet catch!
Wow 80 mph would feel like 200 in that car. Glad your ok
@@What.its.like. it was downhill, with a following wind, on the Autobahn after a hour or so to warm up :)
One of the quirky things about Saabs & I am npt sure if this model had it or not was the starter button & sometimes the ignition were placed between the front seats on the floor.
Hey Jay, what an odd motorcycle engine. 2T 750 cubic centimetre, water cooled in line 3 cylinder. The only thing to quieten the buzzy engine would have been the water jackets. Though why SAAB didn't use air cooling beats me. The miserable winters would have presented challenges with a water jacket. VW got it to work with the engine in the rear, and theirs was in the front, so it should have been easier. I guess that Swedish thinking and engineering is unique, though. Their SAAB Grippen fighter, is so unconventional it shouldn't work, yet it is superior in so many ways to the western aircraft. I know that the SAAB racing/rallying team had a huge bear of a man, who consistently won rallies with a navigator, so many times in this model. It was almost magic, when you hold it up against its competition. As someone who rode motorcycles before driving cars, that engine would have been amazing with 3 carburettors, and the power figures would have gone up considerably, at the cost of fuel consumption though. I have ridden 2T bikes with the same or greater HP figures for between 350~500cc ranges. With the model changes not effecting sales in Sweden, I suspect the Swedes are a practical people, and it was great for what it needed to achieve. The models only needed to be dressed up to become a global seller, yet it was that which created their problems.
Great information and insight thank you so much for taking the time to share all of it we really appreciate it =)
As you pointed out, Steve, the Swedes ARE tactical people ... and want heat in their cars during their long winters ... thus the water cooled engine. Big heaters in these little cars. Did you ever drive in an an air cooled VW during cold winter?
I am working on a1968
96 wagon and I am trying to figure out how the back seat behind the drivers seat , how does it lock in place. Help please
SOUNDS LIKE A JUNIOR HIGH BOOK REPORT.
You got the Alfa Romeo's name right, Juliette, the last E is also pronounced. Italians. I love the shape of it, and for resale the Karmen Ghia is the best, however despite the absolute inherent beauty of the earlier Saab, the 4 stroke would be more convenient and offers more power, so that is my choice. Ever the pragmatist.
Glad I finally got one right for once lol I honestly wouldn’t mind any of them I owned a 73 Karman Ghia at one point it was a great car only thing I didn’t like about it was it lost its art deco charm and it went to more of a utilitarian style interior I wanted to put the ivory white we were in but found out that you can’t do that unless you switch the whole steering wheel shaft which I thought was stupid why would they implement that design. Two years before cancellation?? I guess there were stranger things that happened
@@What.its.like. Well Jay, I really love your show, and the levels of information you reveal. The nice thing is you aren't giving a spec sheet, but an assessment of it, from a human perspective, which is nicer.
Saabs seem to have an almost cult-like following among some automobile owners. Personally, I've always found the cars kind of cute, quirky, and odd and usually associated with say, a Midwest university professor of medieval Irish history who attends wine and cheese tastings. I vote for the Alfa Romeo. I always did have a thing for tempermental Italians.
Hahaha hopefully get to cover the Alfa in the summer time =) totally agree the Saab 96 was the Volvo estate before the Volvo became a thing
My professor drove an Austin Healy Sprite with no top or windows. Kinda cold in the winter. My first Saab I noticed was a 99 at school parked in the same place every day. I marveled as to how it could be so big inside.
car I wanted in high school was a Saab 99 EMS sold 1974-1980
I’ll look for one
@@What.its.like. ....also the VW sciroccos bmw 320i
I have a friend with a scirocco =)
I would love to have a two stroke Saab.
Sounded like 1000 bumblebees coming down the street
Just like a riced our Honda =) lol
Gimmi a 93, please.
Good for around town driving.
=)
I don't know what it is, but there's always something about these small, quirky, yet very distinct looking European cars, that always have such a strange appeal to me. I think I would without a doubt choose the '59 Alfa Romeo Julianne or whatever. That's one of my favorite Christmas songs, probably because it was one of my mother's favorite s, mostly because of Bing Crosby singing it because he was one of her favorites Take care!
Totally agree with everything you said my favorite Christmas song is little Saint Nick by The Beach Boys lol but this one is right up there with it =)
Hi all... just a few bits of info for you: The "Ursaab" 92 , number 001 that started SAAB's car manufacture was hand built, sheet metal was formed into a monocoque body that was also the safety cell, by men that built railway coaches and locomotives, if I remember right. The following models had replaceable fenders.
Tom Donney is one of the best men that knows these SAABS.
He drove one or more 2-stroke engined ones into the record books for speed, et al.
Thank you so much for sharing all of that added information =)
The knobs to the left of the steering wheel, on the bottom, are (left) panel lights, and (right) headlights. I don't know what the knobs on either side of the clock are. I think the scoops behind the rear side windows are for ventilation (note that the car has no vent windows and no air conditioning).
I owned a Saab 900 (later, bigger model). I was constantly having trouble with it and I sold it a couple of years later.
Thank you so much for sharing what those buttons do, Europeans put weird hieroglyphics on their buttons here in a america just label them idk it’s just weird, I reviewed an alpha last year that was a lot like that
The song is Day After Day by Bad finger
That’s the done and band someone just beat you to it
I never liked Saabs buf after i watched your video i have more appreciation for them.keep up the good work.hope u feel better!
Thank you so much I shot this yesterday I went to classic auto Mall and when I got there it’s like a 5 Hour Drive to go there. I started not to feel so great and I was like well this stinks I was able to shoot 10 cars but I was a little bit disappointed I guess because I generally go there and shoot 2530 cars but yesterday I was only there for five hours so 10 cars and five hours is pretty good I guess
I have a suggestion how biut a 64 Imperial LeBaron 64 cause its the last year for pushbutton tranny
I’ve been looking for an Imperial they are really hard to find
Scenario 1, the 96. Scenario 2, none of the above. LOL... Back in the 70's, my cousins used to ice race (race cars on a frozen lake) and I would guess to say that 90% of the cars raced were Saab's. They'd be stripped down and these Mad Max looking spiked tires mounted on them. Interesting thing? Almost all of the were green.
Wow that’s awesome great memory, that is something I’d like to see =)
The first SAABs were green because the factory had a large stock of green paint. Tris was after the second world war.
1959 Romero . The Saab kooks like something the Muppets would be riding in and pee wee driving ! Hope you feel better soon !
Hands down I would totally take the alpha thank you so much =)
The fact is that when the V4-engine was launched in 1967, the two-stroke engines quickly became extremely obsolete even though it was still possible to buy a 96/95 two-stroke until 1968. As a matter of fact, merely 28 new Saabs with two-stroke engines were sold in Sweden in 1968 and only one of these is still in traffic today. So it would definitely be very interesting to know how many 1968 two-strokes that are still in existence in the US!
I too would love to know how many are left in the US it can’t be that many it’s a super interesting engine design that’s for sure
Wow, I didn’t know there were so few two stroke 96 from 68. I owned one of them. That was my first car as a 18 year old, going in Swedish high school. (You have to be 18 years old to get a drivers licence in Sweden.)
👍👍👍👍
WYR1: I'll take the '73 Saab 96, No, make that the last-of-the-line '80 Saab 96 Jubileum, built in Finland.
Karmann Ghia, definitely.
Sweet choices =)