zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Why Are We Not All Buying Saab Sonetts Right Now?
Why Are We Not All Buying Saab Sonetts Right Now?-April 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:13:03

Image: Saab via Oldcarmanualproject

Here’s a long-overdue public service announcement: One of the most soulful automobiles ever made can be purchased for a song. It’s called the , and I’m confused about why we’re not all champing at the bit to own one.

For reasons unknown, I had an epiphany yesterday when I came across a Bring a Trailer listing for a 1974 . What struck me was that the gorgeous orange, manual, V4 engine-equipped (oh yeah, you read that right—four cylinders in a vee configuration!) exotic sports car shown below only sold for the paltry sum of $6,000. That’s not a lot for borderline automotive perfection.

Image: glemon (Bring a Trailer)

I know, that’s a pretty bold statement, but just hear me out. First, we can probably all agree that this machine looks amazing. It has a long hood, a pointy snout with popup headlights, cool “driving lights” behind the grille, a fastback profile, classy aluminum wheels, and a fun hood bulge to clear the air cleaner. You can thank for the Sonett’s incredible shape.

Image: Saab via Oldcarmanualproject

That air cleaner sits atop an amazing engine whose engine configuration is usually muttered by people who don’t know much about cars and are trying to explain to their auto parts clerk that the engine they need an air filter for is not the six. I am, of course, talking about the V-4.

It’s a rare beast to find in any car, really, but Saab liked it because it was nice and compact. It helps, of course, that it was fairly small at only 1.7-liters.

The engine was originally developed for Ford’s “” front-engine, front-wheel drive economy car that never actually went on sale in the U.S., but that did evolve int the Ford Taunus sold in Europe.

Image: Saab via Oldcarmanualproject

In the Saab Sonett III, the motor made 73 ponies, which—when sent through a four-speed manual and to the front wheels, got the car to 60 mph in 11 seconds according to Saab’s 1973 advertising.

Yes, I know the vinyl record in your brain just scratched, and the sweet, sensual Swedish music stopped as you read “front wheels” and “to 60 mph in 11 seconds.” But despite Wrong Wheel Drive and relatively leisurely acceleration, the thing had soul. Especially because of its exhaust sound:

More importantly, look at this shock tower cross-brace that doubles as a coolant reservoir. How fun is that?:

In the Saab Sonett, we’ve got a gorgeous, exotic, technically interesting, manual transmission vehicle, and yet, pricing for these incredible machines remains modest. Just check out , an auction site that usually sells cars for far too many dollars, and you’ll find nice examples going for five to six large. It’s baffling!

That said, does make a few points about why that’s the case, writing in its excellent about the Swedish sports car:

The Sonett III didn’t sell much better; despite more aggressive advertising, some 8,368 were made. The Sonett had always been an outsider in the sports car market; the warty little oddball with FWD in a world dominated by MG, Triumph, Porsche and such. And after appeared in 1971, the sports car world was forever “restructured.” The Z car offered three times the horsepower (and styling) for less money; by 1974, it was all over. A sonnet has 14 lines; the Sonett only made it to through (year) nine.

Horsepower. Who needs it? And rear-drive? Who needs it when you have so little horsepower? Plus, look at the bright side of that weak engine: If you want more grunt, you can just modify the V4!

Actually, I bet Saab Sonett parts availability is pretty poor. Okay, I’ll abandon my thesis. But I still think Sonetts are cool.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Apr 20, 2025
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Apr 20, 2025
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Apr 20, 2025
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Apr 20, 2025
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Apr 20, 2025
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Apr 20, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved