Jet fighter for the road, the story of the Saab Sonett

Så nätt den är

What even is a sonett?

A sonett is a type of poem that contains 14 lines each containing 10 syllables with a fixed pattern of rhymes.
However, in Sweden, the term “Sonett” is derived from the Swedish phrase, “Så nätt den är”, which the literal translation means, “it’s so neat”, which this car indeed is.

Sonett I 1955-1957

Saab’s jet fighter for the road was the brainchild of one of Saab’s engine developers and racing enthusiast Rolf Mellde in a barn outside Trollhättan, Saab’s main manufacturing site.
Mellde’s team only had 75,000 Swedish kronor ($9,003 USD in today’s money) to work with. They developed a two-seater, open car, weighing only 1,323 lbs (600kgs) through the use of a fiberglass body and light alloy chassis.
Power came from Saab’s venerable 2-stroke 748cc “corn popper” three cylinder making 58 HP, mounting it behind the front axle, making the Sonett I front mid-engined.
Transferring the mighty 58 HP to the front wheels was a 4 speed manual transmission shifted on the column.
Tests showed that the “corn popper” could propel the light car to 60 MPH in 12 seconds with a top speed of 120 MPH.

The Sonett I, also called the Super Sport or Saab 94, debuted at the 1956 Stockholm Auto Show with resounding success, the go ahead was given for five more cars to be built.

Saab had envisioned racing the car in European circuit races and to build 2,000 cars for 1957, but, changes in the regulations permitted for modified cars to compete, making the purpose built Sonett I not necessary.
The economic and marketing viability of the project subsequently faded and only the six prototype cars were made.

Sonett II 1966-1969

Ten years after Saab made their first Sonetts, they threw their hat into the ring again with the second generation. This time however, it would make it into production.

The second generation cars stilled used the ol’ “corn-popper” three cylinder, now bored out to 841cc and up to 59 horses. Only 258 cars from 1966-1967 were manufactured with the three cylinder.
Emissions changes in the US meant that the three cylinder couldn’t be used, so Saab had to give the Sonett a 4 stroke.

Saab chose to put Ford’s 1.5 liter Taunus V4 in the Sonett. This iteration of the engine made 65 HP and propelled the Sonett II to a 0-60 time of 12 seconds.
Cars numbered 259 and onwards received this engine and were called the Sonett V4.

Sonett II’s fared well in SCCA races against rivaling cars such as the Sprite and Spitfire, but since only 258 three cylinder cars were made, they were disqualified from racing due to a minimum 500 car production.

In order to continue competing in SCCA events, Saab ramped up production of the V4 by assembling 1,610 V4s between 1967-1969.
The V4 cars proved to be more popular with owners. Owners (mostly in the US) didn’t like having to mix oil in with gas as was required with a two stroke.

Even though the V4 had a more modern engine, it still had plenty of quirks.
One big one was the column mounted 4 speed transmission. Most sports cars have a floor mounted shifter, but the Sonett still had it’s shifter on the steering column. Us Americans didn’t like the odd location of the shifter, those who drove and owned them found the column mounted shifter too unconventional and clunky to work in a sporting car.
Another big quirk was the front wheel drive layout. FWD was still an oddball back then. Sure FWD is great for going through adverse conditions, but it’s virtues were never installed in a sports car before.

A production run of barely 2,000 Sonett IIs (including V4 cars) didn’t generate a great deal of revenue for Saab. Despite the lackluster sales, the car found a niche market in the US, mostly due to its SCCA racing success.
The Clean Air Act of 1970 meant Saab needed to rework the V4’s emission control systems and a redesigned car was needed to fit the new engine, enter the Sonett III.

Sonett III 1970-1974

The third and final generation of the Sonett debuted at the 1970 New York Auto Show, now with pop up headlights and a redesigned body by Sergio Coggiola and Gunnar A. Sjögren.

This redesign included a hinged rear glass that could open as well as a bulge-less flat hood, which evolved into a small compartment with an opening panel, limiting engine access.

The Sonett III weighed a bit more at 1,940 lbs (880kgs), but was still an incredibly light car. A comparable MG MGB of the time weighed in at 2,140 lbs (971kgs).

Sonett III’s from 1970-1971 still used the reworked 1.5 liter V4, but starting in 1972, received the newer 1.7 liter unit, still rated at 65 HP.
A 1.7 liter equipped car could go to 60 MPH in 13 seconds with a top speed of 103 MPH thanks to a high 42:9 differential ratio and a 0.31 drag coefficient.

In order to better succeed in the US market, the shifter for the 4 speed was finally put on the floor. Dealer installed air conditioning was also an option.

Sadly however, 1974 would be the last year for the Sonett. Disappointing sales, the 1973 Oil Crisis, and stricter US emissions regulations caused Saab to pull the plug in 1974 after 8,368 Sonett IIIs were built. A total of 10,219 Sonett II and IIIs were built from 1966-1974.

Saab didn't think like a car company because they were a plane company- James Pumphrey

Epilogue

The Sonett is a seriously underrated sports car that could go toe to toe with the best sports cars at the time. And, with so many quirks put into this car, Doug DeMuro would have a field day with it.

The Saab Sonett, a jet fighter for the road.

Thank you for reading, I hope you learned something
-Nick

#savect

Sources

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/sonnet

http://car-from-uk.com/saab_94_sonett/

https://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11464/saab-sonett-1.aspx

http://www.sonettclub.se/clubsonett/

https://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11663/saab-sonett-ii.aspx

https://www.conceptcarz.com/z22226/saab-sonett-iii.aspx