Rods & Classics: This Swedish sports car was never a huge hit
Story By Nigel Matthews
Swedish sports car! Say it quickly and it doesn’t sound as unlikely as oil and water mixing.
Perhaps I am being a little harsh. After all, Sweden is responsible for the $646,000 Koenigsegg CCX supercar.
The Koenigsegg Company was founded in 1994 by Swedish businessman Christian von Koenigsegg, has just 45 employees and produces 18 high-end sports cars a year. On the other hand, Saab Automobile employs 3,400 people in Sweden, and some 12,000 other jobs in the country are dependent on Saab through suppliers. A number of financial critics in Sweden have questioned whether or not Koenigsegg possesses the financial muscle or industrial know-how to run Saab.
The original Saab Sonnet was built in 1956, but never went into production. Only six were built. They were powered by a 748-cc two-stroke engine.
Ten years later, the Sonnet II did go into production, though it was hardly mass-produced with only 28 units built.
The body was made of fibreglass on a sheet-metal frame. As you can imagine, with a 60-hp engine, any weight saving would assist with the top speed of 150 km/h.
The Sonnet II differed from the original prototype in that it was a coupe and not a convertible. During the mid-’60s, Saab began using Ford’s V4 engine and decided that the Sonnet would benefit from the additional power. The Sonnet II ceased in 1967 and became the Sonnet V4 in 1968.
In order to accommodate the taller V4 engine, the hood was modified and a bulge was added. The designer Gunnar Sjorgren decided to slightly offset the bulge to the right so that it would not obstruct the driver’s view.
The combined production figures for the two-stroke Sonnet II and four-stroke V4 amount to a mere 1,868. If you want something different, you can occasionally find them offered on the Internet. Be prepared to spend $3,000 to $6,000, depending on their condition.
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