Saab Sonett : 1956

The Sonett represents Saab's first sports car. It has a top speed of 160 km/hr. Perhaps too advanced for its time; only six were ever produced.

In 1956, Saab introduced the first Sonett Supert Sport, also known as the Saab Sonett 1, 2006 was the 50th anniversary of the Sonett.

The name sounds like a song. But in fact, the Saab Sonett sports car was originally named after the Swedish expression “sanätt”, meaning “so neat”.

Half a century after the launch of the first generation, the Sonett is known the world over as Saab’s quintessential two-seat sport car.

The Saab Sonett I “Super Sport” was first unveiled at the 1956 Stockholm Auto Show, and made its North American debut later that year in New York. Originally designed to compete in a racing series that eventually never materialized, Saab only built 6 first-generation Sonetts - which all remain in existence today.

Using contemporary Saab aircraft practices, the Sonett chassis was formed by a riveted aluminum box carrying a fiberglass roadster body. Utilizing the “high-performance” (57.5 bhp) version of the 3-cylinder 750cc 2-stroke engine found in the Saab model 93, the drivetrain was “reversed” so that the engine is behind the transmission and front wheel drive is retained. The 2-stroke engine rotates in the opposite direction from the production Saab sedans of the era to accommodate this reverse transmission layout.

(source: Saab)