(Engine roaring)
- It's the handsome Swede that took the car world by storm.
And no, I'm not talking about Alexander Skarsgard.
Its older brother is a freakin' jet.
They were always the underdog but they made cars
that revolutionized the entire industry.
And if you drive one, you're either a dentist,
an architect, or Jesse.
(Tires squealing)
This is everything you need to know
to get up to speed on Saab.
- Sob? What the hell is that?
- It's Swedish, it's sporty, it's got a key in the middle.
(upbeat retro music)
- Saab had been making planes in Trollhättan, Sweden
since the 1930s.
But after WW2 ended, nobody needed anymore planes.
So, Saab was all,
No one is buying any of our planes, what are we gonna do?
What if we made planes for the road?
You mean cars?
Yup.
Saab's head designer, Sixten Sason got to work,
and the whole thing was thrown together in only six months.
The result was an aerodynamic family sedan
with a two-stroke engine and suicide doors.
You could get the 92 in any color you liked,
as long as it was green.
In World War 2, the Swedish military bought a lot
of green paint to camouflage their vehicles,
but, it was the wrong shade, and Saab bought it all
at discount and used it on the 92.
A little green airplane, without wings,
with a dirt bike engine sounds insane,
but against the odds, Saab had successfully transformed
into a real car brand.
Over the years, Saab updated the 92 to the 93.
- [Announcer] Arthur Band in number 14,
is also making a gallant try.
- [James] As sales grew, the expanded into other models.
Like, the Sonett sports car, which we will cover
in another episode, because it is legit tight.
But it was the release of the Saab 99 in 1968
that launched the company onto the world stage.
The 99 was Sixten Sason's final project with Saab.
He used it to pass the torch to a new, young designer
named Björn Envall.
Together, they created an awesome-looking compact sedan
that was comfortable, affordable and dependable.
Just like my son, Nolan.
And true to its badge, not without its own quirks.
For one thing, the ignition was moved from the side
of the steering wheel, down by the handbrake.
Why?
Because they don't want you to damage your knee
on the key during a crash.
In addition, Saab installed the engine backwards.
This saved room in the cabin because
the clutch is now towards the front of the car.
It's something that no other car company
would even think of, but Saab didn't think like
a car company, because they were a plane company.
In 1978 Saab made an even better 99, called the 99 Turbo.
This was the first time a car company committed
to putting a turbo charger in their car.
Ya, I know, before you comment, a lot of other companies
did it first, but for them, it was more of an experiment.
Saab was the first company to be like,
"From here on out, we're puttin' turbos in our cars."
In 1979, Saab released their most iconic car of all.
The 900.
It was a continuation of the 99, but better in every way.
The body was restyled to make it more aerodynamic,
the engine was updated with more power,
it had new safety features, like a steering column
that collapsed in a crash.
And you can't forget the turbo.
The 1900 redefined what an everyman's could be.
Finally, you could seat five,
keep your knees safe from the keys,
and have a frickin' turbo.
The result was a sensation.
The Saab 900 went on to become
the company's best-selling car.
Today, almost every OEM offers a turbo-charged model,
and it's all because of Saab.
So, Saab is making jet fighters for the road
just like they were for the military.
And with the 900 taking off,
business had never been better.
In 1989, General Motors purchased a fifty-percent share
of Saab for six hundred million dollars.
Sales of the 900 remain strong,
and in 1997, the new Saab 9-5 was presented to the world.
And the three-millionth Saab was produced that summer.
Until recently, three different insurers
listed the 9-5 as the safest car in the (bleep) world.
Saab rolled out the 9-3 in 1998.
The 9-3 becomes something of an icon,
particularly, for Seinfeld fans.
- Black Saab rules.
- Like the 900 before it, Saab offered
an even better version of their new ride.
A car so cool, it shared a name with
a frickin' combat jet.
(Jet engine)
The 9-3 Viggen.
Swedish for thunderbolt.
252 pounds of torque, and 20 pounds of boost.
The Viggen was a front wheel drive monster
aimed at the BMW M3.
It was Saab's version of the European sport sedan,
but it was still uniquely Saab.
The ignition was still between the seats,
and the dash still looked like it was ripped
out of an airplane.
Try as they might, Saab could never quite get out
from under the shadow of other "preferred" European cars.
So, the Swedes were forced to sell
the remaining stake in the company to GM.
And with the Americans in full control,
the suites in Detroit decided that it was time
for the big ideas at Saab to end.
Sorry Saab, no more big ideas.
GM shoved Saab's operation together with Opel,
and pretty much everything they put out after that
was just a rebadged version of an Opel or a Chevy,
and at one point, even a Subaru.
The Saab 92x Aero, affectionately known as, the "Saabaru",
it was basically a WRX wagon with a different face.
Jesse owns one of those, too
(tires screeching)
And his insurance is cheaper than a WRX.
Sales fell
way off.
And GM went into bankruptcy in 2008.
They sold Saab to a new company called
National Electric Vehicle Sweden,
which hopes to electric versions of the 9-3
for sale in China, but they won't be called Saabs.
The original aircraft company has reclaimed
the rights to that name.
At least for now, we will never see another Saab car
again.
The story of Saab is the story of an independent spirit.
A bunch of Swedish aeronautical engineers
who decided to make a jet for the road.
(engine roaring)
There's not great way to say what makes a Saab great,
except that, they were Saabs.
This is everything you need to know
to get up to speed on Saab,
the second best Swedish car company ever.
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(burps)