Saab Story: The 10 Greatest Saabs In History

Before the company goes under, take a look back at the Swedish brand's most memorable releases in the last 50 years.

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Tomorrow morning we will know for sure if one of the quirkiest and most iconic car brands in the world will cease to exist or continue to create cars that drummed up a cult like following from people across the globe. We're talking about Saab, the 62 year old Swedish car company. Founded as a division of Swedish Aeroplane Company AB (yeah, they really were "born from jets") Saab developed its own identity through tireless innovation.

They were one of the first company's to use a turbocharger; they were one of the first company's to use a wind tunnel to design their cars, and they were one of the first companies to make seat belts a standard accessory. So you can see how crazy it is that this company is going the way of Oldsmobile. Before GM makes their decision, we took a look back at the history of Saab and picked out our 10 favorite models. Take a trip down memory lane with us below....

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Saab 92
YEARS PRODUCED: 1949-1956
SPECS: The first Saab road car may have boasted a meager 25hp, but when it was released, it was one of the most aerodynamically advanced cars ever made with drag coefficient of only 0.30. To compare, that's about the same as a Koenigsegg CCX.

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Saab Sonett I
YEARS PRODUCED: 1955-1957
SPECS: 57.5 hp Three-cylinder 748 cc two-stroke engine
• Developed to compete in European circuit races, the Sonett was an advanced lightweight, two seat racer that many projected would dominate any race it entered. Unfortunately no one would ever know as right before they intended to race the Sonett, race regulations changed, allowing modified production cars instead of purpose built racers. Only six Sonetts were ever produced.

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Saab 93 GT750
YEARS PRODUCED: 1958-1960
SPECS: 50 hp Three-cylinder, two stroke engine
• The 93 was the first Saab to reach US shores back in the mid 50's, but it was the modified GT750 that we remember best. The body stayed the same as the regular 93, but the GT750 got a faster engine and a nicer interior.

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Saab 96 Sport
YEARS PRODUCED: 1962-1968
SPECS: 57hp 841cc twin stroke three cylinder engine.
• At a glance it looks the same as the 92 and 93, but it was more refined and better than both models. The Sport received an upgraded engine and suspension and was used in a number of international rallies by Erik Carlsson.

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Saab Sonett V4
YEARS PRODUCED: 1966-1969
SPECS: 65hp 1.5 L Ford Taunus V4 engine
• The Sonnet name returned in the 60s for the Saab 97, which was first developed solely as a racecar. Made of lightweight fiberglass, the car made out pretty well against European sports cars. But when they replaced the three cylinder engine with the German made Ford Taunus V4 engine, it was mad even better.The V4 came equipped with racing bits that almost no cars came out of the factory with at the time including: roll bar, three-point seat harness, and high-back bucket seats.

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Saab 99 Turbo
YEARS PRODUCED: 1978-1984
SPECS: 143hp 2 liter turbocharged Saab B engine
• This is where things begin to get a little familiar for most people, as the Saab 99 introduced the Combi Coupe (part coupe, part hatchback) design that most future model designs were based on. The gem of the model line was undoubtedly the Turbo which which was a limited homologation exercise for the purpose of Rally racing.

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1984 Saab 900 Turbo
YEARS PRODUCED: 1979-1993
SPECS: 175hp four cylinder turbocharged engine
• By far the most popular Saab ever, the Saab 900 was a huge success with everyone from preppy's who kept them stock to Harlem D-boys coppin' them and throwing gold BBS' on 'em. Even Jay-Z had one.

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Saab 93 Viggen
YEARS PRODUCED: 1999-2002
SPECS: 2.3L 227hp turbocharged four cylinder
• To keep pace with all the other European brands who were introducing performance focused versions of their coupes and sedans, Saab put together the 9-3 Viggen, a 227hp turbocharged crazy horse. On top of the modified engine, the Viggen got a stiffer suspension a new interior, and a crazy dose of torque steer.

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Saab Turbo X
YEARS PRODUCED: 2005-2006
SPECS: 2.8L 280hp turbocharged V6
• Like the Viggen, the Turbo X was Saab's attempt at putting together a true performance sedan. And while it may not have been on par with its comp, it was a hell of a car with some of the most comfortable seats we've ever driven in.

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Saab Aero X (Concept)
YEARS PRODUCED: 2006
SPECS: 2.8L 650hp turbocharged V6
• When Saab introduced this concept back in '06, we thought the company would have a bright future. The design, which reminded us of a modern day Sonett, was awesome. And it packed a 650hp V6 capable of running on pure ethanol. It was the future!

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