The Saab Sonett

After my lengthy post about the new Volvo C30 Concept, Rob asked about the Saab Sonett—an odd little sports car produced during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Specifically, Rob mentioned the Sonett III, which was the most numerous Sonett produced and, somewhat unfortunately, my least favorite Sonett flavor.

The Sonetts were built in three distinct generations—the first of which I'll largely ignore (because only a handful were made) but of which I'll post a picture because it's a fabulous-looking car.

Ignore the goobers. I really like the Sonett I.

But since they didn't make too many of them, we'll skip it.

Of the two remaining Sonetts, the second-generation is the best-looking.

All Sonett IIIs and almost all Sonett IIs were equipped with V4 engines out of a Ford Taunus (not Taurus) and had a remarkably difficult time getting around because of it. None of these cars were ever really though of as road rockets, and about the best they could handle were zipping through twisties carried entirely by momentum built up over very long straights. The Sonett II, for example, did 60mph in a blistering 12.5 seconds.

In comparison, the British sporting coupés of the early 1970s would eat the Sonett's breakfast without much effort whatsoever. Cars like the MGB GT and the TVR 1600M could do circles around the Sonett.

I bring up the 1600M specifically here because it looks remarkably similar to the Sonett II, with the exception that its windows are ludicrously tiny.

For my money, I'd have an MGB GT, but if I had to choose a Sonett, it would be the Sonett II.

On to the Sonett III, a car which shows just how looney car designers got in the mid-1970s. Bear in mind that these were the years responsible for such beauties as the last-generation Dodge Charger and, well, countless other examples. Saab (and almost all American manufacturers, too) acted like they had just found some new machine for creasing metal into nearly right-angles and decided to throw the damned things on every car they made. Admittedly, it wasn't as bad as the early 1980s (when everyone forgot how to make curves), but it's still pretty damned bad.

The biggest problem with the Sonett III is that the nose sits just a bit too high and the windows are just a touch too large. The underwhelming rear panels are completely forgivable and even the odd chrome through the headlights can be overlooked—but the proportions are just all wrong.

The Sonett III is, for all intents and purposes, a Sonett II with a different body on it—it's still got the anemic V4 and it still takes all year to get up to 60. Although I've never driven either, I suspect that both offer a similar driving experience—sortof like a light, underpowered, and probably slightly sloppy Miata.

Sure, it's quirky, but it doesn't seem to have that particularly Scandanavian flair that's necessary to maintain the Sonett as a really historic car. It really smells like the Swedes were trying to make a British sportster, and they didn't really seem to pull it off. I admire cars that are either perfectly executed or fantastically unique and unfortunately, the Sonett is neither.

Now, a car with similar vintage that does really pull this look off well is the Triumph TR7.

It's got the same creased look as the Sonett with all the nutty grooves and accents, but it's somewhat less underpowered and parts are assuredly a million times easier to find. After all, Triumph sold quite a few of these little cars in the US, a feat which Saab really didn't figure out.