The Saab GT750 ('' Gran Turismo 750'') is an automobile from

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 ...

produced between 1958 and 1960. It was introduced at the

New York International Auto Show The New York International Auto Show is an annual auto show that is held in Manhattan in late March or early April. It is held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. It usually opens on or just before Easter weekend and closes on the first Su ...

in 1958 and featured safety belts as standard, which soon became commonplace on most cars. The GT750 was a sporty version of the

Saab 93 The Saab 93 (pronounced ''ninety-three'') is the second production automobile that was manufactured by Saab. Styled by Sixten Sason, it was first presented on December 1, 1955. The 93 was powered by a longitudinally-mounted three-cylinder 748&nbs ...

, mainly aimed at the US market. It had the same body shell as the 93 but used a different interior and a high-output

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. Rear-hinged doors were offered on the 1958 model year only. It was not retired from the market with the 93 but received 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-strok ...

body and 4-speed gearbox in 1960 and continued in production until 1962. In 1962, it received the even larger engine from the 96, was fitted with front

disc brake A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...

s and was renamed the GT850. It was called the

Saab Sport The Saab Granturismo (also Monte Carlo and Sport) was a series of up-powered sedans sold by Saab Automobile AB from 1958 to 1968. They were powered by three-cylinder, two-stroke engines until the 1967 model year. Most variants were distinguished f ...

in the UK and 'Monte Carlo' in the USA (after the successes in the

Monte Carlo Rally The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially ''Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo'') is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. The rally now takes place along the French Riviera in Monaco and southeast ...

). The GT had twin

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...

s and the

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...

engine had been tuned to develop 50 hp (37 kW). An optional tuning kit was available to upgrade it to a ''GT 750R'' with the engine power boosted to 55 hp (41 kW). The engine gave most power at high revs, 3400 to 5000 rpm. 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. In order to overcome the problems of overrun 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 ov ...

device was fitted. A 1959 review by ''

Road & Track ''Road & Track'' (stylized as ''R&T'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published 6 times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York, New York. History ''Road & Track'' (often ab ...

'' commented that smooth upshifts of the widely spaced 3-speed

manual Manual may refer to: Instructions * User guide * Owner's manual * Instruction manual (gaming) * Online help Other uses * Manual (music), a keyboard, as for an organ * Manual (band) * Manual transmission * Manual, a bicycle technique similar to ...

required revving the engine over 5000 rpm or slipping the clutch. Saab provided a retrofit kit which leaned out the fuel mixture in the carburetor, making the car more tractable at low revs but seriously impacting performance. The magazine also tried a modified GT with , which improved acceleration to from 15.2 seconds (in the GT) to 12 flat. For comparison, an unmodified 93B required 27.2 seconds. ''Road & Track'' praised the car's smooth ride and steering, as well as its high level of equipment. Even a "

Halda Halda Watch Company is a Swedish manufacturer of high-end watches. It was founded in 1887 by Henning Hammarlund in Svängsta. History Halda was founded in 1887 by the factory owner Henning Hammarlund (1857-1922) in order to primarily pro ...

Speedpilot", a mechanical

analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

trip computer A trip computer is a computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform gen ...

of the type used for

rally racing Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally A pep rally or pep assembly is a gathering of people, typically students ...

, was included in the package.

References

External links

saabmuseum gt750
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saab Gt750

GT750 The Suzuki GT750 is a water-cooled three-cylinder two-stroke motorcycle made by Suzuki from 1971 to 1977. It is the first Japanese motorcycle with a liquid-cooled engine. The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan includes the 1971 Suzuki ...

Front-wheel-drive sports cars Grand tourers Cars introduced in 1958