Top 5 iconic cars from Sweden!

Sweden has given us many iconic cars over the years. Since Volvo was founded in 1927, Sweden has given us a load of easily recognizable and awesome cars, ranging from Volvos and Saabs to the more extreme and modern supercars from Koenigsegg. So here it goes - my choice for the top 5 iconic cars from Sweden!
Oh, and if you disagree or think of any other cars from Sweden that should’ve made the list, use the comments below. This is only my opinion, and your entitled to have your own opinion.

5. Saab 900

Kicking it off is the iconic Saab 900. This iconic car was produced in two generations in a twenty year span, from 1978 ‘till 1998. There were single- and twin-Zenith carburettor, fuel-injection, and turbocharged engines, including both Full Pressure Turbo (FPT), and, in European models during the early 1990s, Low Pressure Turbos (LPT). The 900 were based on the 99 chassis, with a longer front to meet US crash standards. You could get the 900 with a 2 or 4 doors, depending on your needs.

4. Volvo Amazon

The Volvo Amazon, with it’s beautiful curves has become a classic and sought after Volvo, at least here in Norway. The Amazon came in three styles, the original 4 door known as P120, the two-door sedan P130 and later they introduced a station wagon variety that was called the P220. A nice Amazon, either restored or well maintained, is probably one of the prettiest car you can find on the road today.

3. Saab 99 Turbo

All fans of turbochargers owe Saab a huge thanks and a hug. If it wasn’t for Saab and their stick-to-it attitude, who knows what would have happened with turbochargers in cars? Okay, Saab was not first at putting turbos in their engines, but then everyone else stopped using turbos in the seventies and early eighties, mostly because of heat-related reliability problems. And then, as warranty costs rose, the fascination died. Except at Saab, who kept at least one turbocharged model in their line-up from 1978 ‘till 2010 when they went bankrupt. And it all started with the 99 Turbo, which makes it not only a very important and historic car, but also a great icon of Swedish automotive history.

2. Koenigsegg Agera

This insane thing was named hypercar of the year by Top Gear magazine when it was released in 2011. The Koenigsegg Agera astonished the world with it’s insane 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time of only 2.8 seconds and a top speed of more than 430km/h (270mph). This car, which is assembled in Ängelholm in Sweden, was one of the greatest competitors to other insane hypercars like the Bugatti Veyron and top of the line Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s. And Koenigsegg still strives to make their Agera even better! This is Swedish engineering at it’s very finest.

1. Volvo 240

There are many Volvos that could’ve made this list, but there is really no doubt that the king of Swedish cars is the Volvo 240. With more than 2.8 million 200-series cars sold world-wide in it’s almost 20 year long lifespan, this is the one Swedish car we’ve all seen. First introduced in 1974, this soon become Volvos people wagon, their own little VW Beetle, at least in Norway and Sweden. And while Volvo introduced the newer 700-series, the 240 still remained popular for a decade after the introduction of the 700’s. In fact the 700-series was replaced a year before the production of 240 were discontinued in May 1993. I am in no doubt when I say that the Volvo 240, no matter if it’s the 2- or 4-door version, or even the station wagon 245, is the most iconic Swedish car ever.

Sources: Information on the cars were mostly found on the different models respective Wikipedia pages, as well as a news article from autonews.com (http://www.autonews.com/article/20141111/BLOG06/311119998/why-turbocharger-fans-owe-saab-a-thank-you). All images used in this post was labeled for reuse.