Saab · 1955–1974

Saab Sonett

The Saab Sonett is an automobile manufactured by Swedish automaker Saab between 1955 and 1957 and again between 1966 and 1974. The Sonett share its engines and other mechanical components with the Saab 93, 95 and 96 of the same era. It was mainly intended for the lucrative American export market and was only offered intermittently in the Swedish domestic market for the 1968 and 1972 model years. The first prototype, now known as the Sonett I, is a two-seat, open-top, lightweight roadster racer. Ten years later, the name was revived for the commercially distributed Sonett models II, V4, and III.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Saab 94 · Successor: Saab Sonnett II

All Saab Sonett data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Sonett I

In the 1950s, Rolf Mellde—a Saab engine developer and race enthusiast—along with Lars Olov Olsson, Olle Lindkvist, and Gotta Svensson, designed a two-seat roadster prototype in a barn in Åsaka, near Trollhättan (the site of the main Saab manufacturing facility). The limited research-and-development project, with a total budget of only 75,000 Swedish kronor, first came to be known as the Saab 94 but was later renamed as the Sonett, a name derived from the Swedish phrase Så nätt den är ("how neat it is", or more literally "it's so neat") by the car's designer Sixten Sason. This name was initially rejected by Saab's management but was eventually accepted in October 1955 when the first prototype was completed. The Sonett shares a lot of components from the 93 Saloon such as the front suspension, engine and gearbox. The engine and gearbox were rotated 180-degrees and fitted behind the front axle. This required reversing the engine's direction of rotation which was easily achieved due to the engine being a 2-stroke unit. In order to avoid using a tubular frame chassis used by other low volume sports cars at the time, Mellde instead decided to use an advanced stressed skin-lightweight aluminium chassis that weighed less than 70 kg (154 lb). The metal sections of the chassis were riveted together, a concept used in aircraft manufacturing, while the mechanical components such as the engine, fuel tank, axles and body work were mounted directly onto the chassis. Mellde and Sason decided to use glass-reinforced plastic for the construction of the car's body, a material which was becoming more popular for automotive use at the time. In order to manufacture the body of the car from this material, Soab, a company specializing in plastics imported from the United States based in Gothen

Sonett II

In the early 1960s, Saab's North American dealers managed to convince its management that a sports car would be a right choice to appeal to the US market as European sports cars, especially those from MG and Triumph were a huge success. The demands from the dealers included a targa top roof, wind-up windows, a heater as standard equipment and good handling. Saab decided to outsource the development of the project and two concept cars were built, the Saab MFI13 by Malmö Flygindustri which was designed by Björn Karlström, an aircraft and automotive illustrator, and Walter Kern, an engineer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Saab Catherina by Sixten Sason in his private design studio. The management ultimately accepted the MFI13 design proposal. After some modifications, such as the adoption of a sheet metal box-frame chassis, the MFI13 was unveiled first at the 1966 New York Auto Show and the Geneva Motor Show. was put into limited production in 1966 as the Sonett II, manufactured at the Aktiebolaget Svenska Järnvägsverkstäderna (ASJ) in Arlöv. Inside Saab, it was designated model 97. A further 230 units were assembled in 1967, but as the two-stroke engine became increasingly uncompetitive in the US market due to emissions regulations, a switch to the Ford Taunus V4 engine was made in the middle of the 1967 production year, and the model was renamed the Sonett V4. Apart from the engine and related drivetrain, the Sonett II and Sonett V4 share much of their componentry and are distinguished from each other by a buldge on the hood of the V4, in order to accommodate the larger and taller engine. The additional weight did require some strengthening of the chassis and suspension pieces, and the wheels were half an inch wider than the four-inch units used on the

Sonett III

The 1970 redesign of the Sonett V4, named the Sonett III, was initially given to the Italian automobile designer Sergio Coggiola in order to make the car look more appealing as the Sonett II had faced major criticism for its design. However, Saab tasked its own designer, Gunnar A. Sjögren in order to make the car fit the existing Sonett II chassis without the expensive manufacturing-line changes. A hinged rear-window glass replaced the Sonett II/V4 rear compartment hatch door. With the mandate for a "bulge-less" hood, the engine compartment opening evolved into a small front popup panel, resulting in more limited access than in the Sonett V4. Extensive engine work required the removal of the entire front hood section. To help adapt the car to US market tastes, the Sonett III featured a floor-mounted shifter (instead of the Sonett V4's column-mounted shifter) and optional dealer-installed air conditioning. The Sonett III's hidden headlamps were operated manually using a lever. US safety regulations required new low speed impact proof bumpers after 1972, significantly detracting from its Italian-inspired design. All Sonett IIIs were Left-hand drive. While the same 1500 cc Ford Taunus V4 engine as the Sonett V4 remained available for the 1970 and 1971 model years, emission control requirements reduced the available horsepower. From 1972 to 1974, the Sonett III used the 1700 cc Ford V4, but to meet increasingly strict federal regulations, net power output remained the same as the 1500 cc engine, at 65 horsepower (48 kW). Still, the Sonett III accelerated from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 13 seconds, and—due to a higher differential gear ratio (42 teeth on the ring gear and 9 teeth on the pinion gear) than the standard 95/96 transmission (39:8)—achieved a top speed of 165 km/h

Cancelled PhoeniX concept

The Sonett name was planned to be revived as the production version of the Saab PhoeniX concept. Designed by Jason Castriota as an affordable halo car for Saab, it would have been a 2+2 sports car producing up to 400 hp in its highest form, and used the new Phoenix platform that would have underpinned the next generation 9-3 and 9-1 compact. These projects were cancelled with the dissolution of Saab in 2012.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Saab Sonett
Manufacturer: Saab Automobile
Body style: 2-door roadster, 2-door coupé
Assembly: Sweden:, Trollhättan, Arlöv
Production: 1955–1957 (Series I), 1966–1974 (Series II and III)
Related: Saab 93, Saab 96

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q420564CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_SonettCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1370281221 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SAAB94.jpgCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Liftarn · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.