The Saab 93 (pronounced ''ninety-three'') is the second production

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

that was manufactured by

Saab Saab or SAAB may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB ** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB * Saab Automobile, a fo ...

. Styled by

Sixten Sason Sixten Sason (born Sixten Andersson; 1912–1967) was a Swedish industrial designer, noted for his work in designing several generations of Saab automobiles. Biographical Sason was born in 1912, the son of a Swedish sculptor. He trained in Pa ...

, it was first presented on December 1, 1955. The 93 was powered by a longitudinally-mounted three-cylinder 748 cc

Saab two-stroke The Saab two-stroke was a two-stroke cycle, inline, two cylinder, and later three cylinder engine manufactured by Swedish automotive manufacturer Saab that was based on a design by German manufacturer DKW. Two-cylinder The first version was a ...

engine giving 33 hp (25 kW). The

gearbox Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), differe ...

had three gears, the first unsynchronised. In order to overcome the problems of oil starvation on overrun (engine braking) for the two-stroke engine, a

freewheel Freewheel mechanism In mechanical or automotive engineering, a freewheel or overrunning clutch is a device in a transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotates faster than the driveshaft. An ...

device was fitted. In 1957, two-point

seatbelt A seat belt (also known as a safety belt, or spelled seatbelt) is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt red ...

s were introduced as an option. The 93 was the first Saab to be exported from Sweden, with most exports going to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. A Saxomat

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

and a

cabrio coach A cabrio coach or semi-convertible is a type of car that has a retractable textile roof, similar to a convertible/cabriolet. The difference is that where a convertible often has the B-pillar, C-pillar and other bodywork removed, the cabrio coach ...

(large cloth sunroof) were available as options. On September 2, 1957, the 93B was introduced. The original two-piece

windshield The windshield (North American English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from the elements. ...

was also replaced with a one-piece windshield. In 1957,

Erik Carlsson Erik Hilding Carlsson (5 March 1929 – 27 May 2015) was a Swedish rally driver for Saab. He was nicknamed "''Carlsson på taket''" ("Carlsson on the roof" in reference to Astrid Lindgren's children's book character) as well as ''Mr. Saab'' ...

finished 1st in the Finland Rally in a Saab 93; in 1959, he was 1st in the

Swedish Rally The Rally Sweden ( sv, Svenska rallyt), formerly the International Swedish Rally, and later the Uddeholm Swedish Rally, is an automobile rally competition held in February in Värmland, Sweden and relocated to Umeå in 2022. First held in 1950, ...

, also in a Saab 93. However, Saab was not the first Swedish manufacturer to win the

. Saab's long-standing Swedish rival,

Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...

, had beaten them consecutively in 1957 and 1958 with the

PV544 The Volvo PV is a series of two-door, four-passenger car models — the PV444 and the PV544 — made by Volvo from 1947 to 1965. During World War II's early stages, Volvo decided that a new, smaller car that could deliver good fuel economy woul ...

. In late 1959, the 93F was introduced, featuring front-hinged doors from the

Saab GT750 The Saab GT750 ('' Gran Turismo 750'') is an automobile from Saab produced between 1958 and 1960. It was introduced at the New York International Auto Show in 1958 and featured safety belts as standard, which soon became commonplace on most cars. ...

. 1960 was the last year of production for the 93. The 93 was replaced by the

Saab 96 The Saab 96 is an automobile manufactured and marketed by Saab from 1960 to January 1980, replacing the 93. The 96 featured aerodynamic two-door bodywork, four-passenger seating and at first a two-stroke, three-cylinder engine, later a four-stro ...

, although the two models were sold side by side for the earlier part of the year. A total of 52,731 Saab 93s were made. Saab Sonett I shared many of its components with the 93.

Motor sport history

1956

* Wiesbaden Rallye, Germany (June 24, 1956) ** 1st Bengt Jonsson and Kjell Persson * Rally Viking, Norway ** 1st Carl-Magnus Skogh ** 2nd

** 4th Ivar Andersson *

Rikspokalen The ''Rikspokalen'' is a motor rally that takes place in Örebro, Sweden. In the past, it was considered to be one of Europe's toughest rallies. It was one of the first rallies held when sport continued after World War Two with an event held in 19 ...

, Sweden ** 1st

* Scandiatrofén, Sweden ** 1st Erik Carlsson and Carl-Magnus Skogh (shared) * Tour d'Europe Continental ** 2nd

Rolf Mellde Rolf Mellde (1922 – March 2009) was an engineer who specialized in performance engines and also a car racing enthusiast. Early life Mellde's grandfather August Johansson built one of the first cars in Stockholm and sold it to Lars Magnus Er ...

and Sverker Benson * Tulpen Rally, The Netherlands ** 2nd Sture Nottorp and Charlie Lohmander ** 3rd Gunnar Bengtsson and Sven Zetterberg ** 7th Bengt Jonsson and Sölve Relve

1957

Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before World ...

, Turismo Preparato 750 cc, Italy ** 1st Charlie Lohmander and Harald Kronegård *

GAMR Great American Mountain Rally (GAMR) was an automotive rally held in November in New England, United States. The course was 1500 miles long in harsh temperatures and cruel terrain. GAMR was possibly the first-ever US FIA FIA is the Fédération I ...

- Great American Mountain Rallye, US ** 1st

Bob Wehman Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals * Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname ...

and

Louis Braun Louis Braun (23 September 1836 – 18 February 1916) was a German painter, mostly of battle scenes. Biography He was born at Schwäbisch Hall, Württemberg, and was educated in Munich and in Paris. He followed as an illustrator the Austrian ...

, US ** 1st Best marque team ** 6th Rolf Mellde and

Morrow Mushkin Morrow is a word meaning "the next day" in literary English. It also means "morning" in archaic English Morrow may also refer to: Places in the United States and Canada United States * Morrow, Arkansas *Morrow, Georgia * Morrow, Louisiana *Morro ...

** 17th

Jerry Jankowitz Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * Jerry (film), ''Jerry'' (film), a 200 ...

and Doris Jankowitz * 1000 Lakes Rally, Finland ** 1st Erik Carlsson ** 1st Best marque team Erik Carlsson, Carl Otto Bremer, Harald Kronegård ** 1st Finnish champion, Carl Otto Bremer * Rallye Adriatique, Yugoslavia ** 1st R M Hopfen * Lime Rock Rally, US ** 1st Bob Wehman * Rikspokalen, Sweden ** 1st Carl-Magnus Skogh * Finnish Snow Rallye, Finland ** 2nd Erik Carlsson *

Acropolis Rally Greece The Acropolis Rally of Greece ( el, Ράλλυ Ακρόπολις) is a rally competition that is part of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The rally is held on very dusty, rough, rocky and fast mountain roads in mainland Greece, usually duri ...

** 2nd Henri Blanchoud * Rallye Atlas-Oasis, Morocco ** 2nd Harald Kronegård and Leonce Beysson

1959

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...

** 2nd in its class and 12th total

1960

* Finnish Snow Rallye, Finland ** 1st Carl Otto Bremer

2008

* 24 hours Le Mans Classic, compensated ** 1st in its class and 2nd overall

2010

* Le Mans Classic, compensated ** 5th

References

External links

Saab 93 at Saabmuseum.com

{{Saab Automobile Front-wheel-drive vehicles 93 Compact cars Coupés Cars introduced in 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans race cars Mille Miglia