The Saab Sonett was never going to be mainstream. For that matter, even Saab sedans were a bit on the edges of the automotive landscape back then, but the cobbled-up Sonett, with its fiberglass body on a Saab 95 chassis, really did have a kit-car feel to it. That only got exacerbated when its little two-stroke engine was replaced by the taller Ford V4. That resulted in a really lumpy look, so the Sonett III tried hard to improve on that, with a long, pointy hood to make the air cleaner bulge look relatively less obvious. And the rest of the body got a bit of modernizing too.
But the result was far from harmonious, and I rather chuckled when I first saw pictures of it. But then the Sonett was more about the driving experience, and it did deliver some of the goods there, although with some compromises.
The 1.7 L Ford V4 ran well, and was quite smooth at speed, thanks to its balance shaft. Performance was nothing exceptional; today we’d consider a 13.4 second 0-60 time as utterly unacceptable in the most modest of cheap sedans. Back then it was about par for the course.
Despite carrying 60% of its weight on the front wheels, the Sonett delivered the goods in the handling department, especially on twisty high-speed sections. That was the result of a well-sorted chassis and the grip of its Pirelli Cinturato radials. The steering was light, quick and neutral, for a FWD car. Unfortunately the clutch and brakes both required ridiculous pedal pressures, given what a light car this was. Although the shifter had migrated from the column to the floor, it was still vague and balky.
The interior quality was very high, and a new opening rear hatch made loading what little luggage would fit back there more ergonomic. Visibility was far from ideal. And the new front end meant that the previous tilt-up front end with superb access to the engine and mechanicals was now gone, leaving only a rather modest opening.
My detailed CC and history of the Sonett is here
I used to love seeing these on the street when I was a kid. They really stood out in a world of wood-taped wagons, OEM pimp mobiles, and VW Beetles. Because of that, I’ve looked at used ones a number of times. In this climate, they universally rusted out structurally. No matter how nice the fiberglass looked on approach, the sheet-metal chassis was beyond reasonable repair. The Sonetts were at least fifteen years old when I started shopping them, but they were just as rusty where it mattered as the local population of 240Zs. Those Datsuns only listed for $4,106 in 1972, and they didn’t just look like GT cars.
Interesting about rust. My ’70 Saab 96 was dangerously rusty when I owned it in ’77. Other cars of similar age weren’t nearly as bad. You’d think a country that was famous for its steel and its snow could do better!
My dad thought these were cool and he was into SAABs and HAM radio. So naturally, these appealed to me like similar hobbies, such as pigeon racing, jukebox restorations, collecting small Dutch lawn ornaments.
It is like a King Midget built by IKEA.
You really had to be a lover of oddballs to buy such a car new. Strange to see R&T tested it against the MGBGT, a Triumph GT6 probably would have been a better contender being a small 2 seater coupe, like the Opel GT.
I do not remember these on the road when they were new or fairly new, very rare care here in the Netherlands.
I always liked them. However, I learned that to change the clutch was a labor-intensive operation, which means EXPENSIVE. Still, unique amongst the competition.
Goes the old “joke”: every service procedure on a Saab starts with (1) Remove engine. Replace the clutch? (1) Remove engine. Need a taillight bulb? (1) Remove engine. Window won’t roll down? (1) Remove engine.
My brother-in-law had an 80’s 900, and mentioned to me that it was actually the easiest car he ever replaced the clutch on…he only owned one Saab, wasn’t very familiar with them though they were very popular in Vermont (he was born there, though now lives in Texas) back in the 60’s.
We lived in Virginia in the late 60’s to mid 70’s and I had an English teacher who had one of these..it stood out in the parking lot at school, not just because it was an import, back then it was a pretty conservative town and imports weren’t too common…though during that same time my Dad owned his ’68 Renault R10. What I remember about her is for some reason we were doing the “trust” exercise where you stood and leaned backwards and “trusted” that the designated person would catch you (so as not to fall)…I had to catch her. They later tore down our high school (it was built in the 50’s and didn’t have air conditioning despite being in a pretty warm/humid climate much of the year). The funny thing is that almost none of the schools I went to are schools anymore…the one that still is the parochial school I went to 1st grade, we moved away not long after that). Except for the high school, the buildings are still there, but used for another purpose having nothing to do with public school…one of them was pretty old (built in the 1800’s) but it still stands, just not as the school it was originally built to be….I’m in my early 60’s, maybe a bit old, it’s been almost 50 years since I graduated high school, but doesn’t seem normal that only one of the (several) schools I went to still remains as a school (most were built in the 60’s). Guess consolidation is the main reason.
It was a frequent task also. 20-30K and the clutch was gone. I did it so often that I got to where I could do the entire job alone in my garage with a chain hoist hooked to a roof rafter starting Friday night after work and be driving it again Saturday morning.Took 4-5 hours alone. That was my worst memory of mine.
But I always enjoyed driving it. 1st gear was good for pulling tree stumps….2nd lasted for a few seconds, and then third is where you drove the car until you hit cruise speed and went to fourth. Not a fast car, but good handling. My brother in law liked it so much he bought two and combined them to make one nice one, and a parts car. He had his for years after I let mine go….
I only made one mistake, and that was buying it. The dealer I bought it from had a “project” car in the back that looked like new, but had a blown engine. He replaced the standard engine with a Chevy 350 and the only remaining task was to shorten the drive shaft and mount it. Everything else was cherry. I loved the look but didnt know enough about cars at 18 to be able to tackle that job. The car was a Lamborghini Miura S that he wanted $2500 for. I wishI had bought THAT car….LOL. But the Saab was a lot of fun.
In high school, a friend (clearly with tons more $ than I) replaced his old Healy 3000 with a new Sonnet III. I drove it several times. I clearly recall the quick steering and tight handling as well as the rubbery shift linkage, but I don’t remember thinking the clutch and brakes were particularly heavy.
One odd thing I also remember was it had a feature called a freewheel. Going down a hill with the freewheel engaged meant no engine braking; I guess this was a fuel economy measure.
I’m not sure if it was baked into the mechanicals from when it was still a Saab 2 stroke, or if it was more of a legacy feature that they kept in as a callback (like their night panel, or the ignition placement between the seats even though the end of the GM based cars), or to be iconoclasts. But the free wheeling was absolutely necessary when Saabs were still two stroke-powered, as dropping the throttle would have starved the engine of its oil supply since it was in the fuel, so to drive a two stroke car and decelerate, you must decouple the engine from the transmission and keep revs up.
Thanks for this, KalapanaBlack. Viewed as a legacy of Saab’s two-stroke days it makes a lot of sense.
Yes all true, Saab was a very creative company and did things there own way the freewheel thing worked great… as soon as you touched the gas it would re-engage. The headlight pop-up feature was a simple rod you pulled. I drove mine from New Hampshire to California and I found it to be very comfortable, at one point in Texas I was surrounded by semi’s that was not so comfortable I think they were having a bit of fun with me. I also don’t remember it being soooo slow hahaha My Boxster S has a quarter mile time faster than the Saab Sonnett did 0-60 haha
My parents had a ’67 95 2- stroke wagon, and whenever it was at the dealer’s (often!) I picked up the brochures for the Sonnet. 6-10 year old me loved them. Come to think of it, I still do. Quirky is good.
Neighbor had one with a crazy two stroke engine, sounded like a very large chainsaw coming up the street. Always thought it was going to blow up.
We had a few C900 turbos when I was a kid. Could easily see why one of those might appeal to a Volvo or 3 series customer circa 1985.
This, compared to a 240Z (which I also enjoyed a few examples of, in the early 2000s)? I think you’d be deranged to pick this over the Datsun. Actually, I don’t know of any 2 seater of the 70s that really outdid it.
Hello –
I recently acquired a 1973 Sonnet 3 (and a 2nd parts one)…..and it is decent in most respects. A regular British car guy (this being a “cousin” but with a hardtop and heat good for weather) a good addition. The drive very civilized…fun, but not what one would call powerful. On the other hand, the feel and handling are very nice and toward nodern.
The floor shift…oddest linkage I’ve ever seen – was problematic. The gears were there and working well, but took some playing to get at. Whether it is from the linkage to start or not, the nylon like washer between the stick and the ball at bottom into the in car shift assembly is worn out and the shifter itself pops out with movement…not a good thing when driving along for something whose purpose is to move!
The workshop manuals I’ve seen are little help in this area. I do have what seems a good assembly in the parts car. So an exchange makes sense.
Anyone have experience with this – and if the ny-lock part can be replaced instead (or after to make what I’m sure is a needed hard to find good part)? Any experiences appreciated.
Finally anyone in the I-95 corridor from NY to Philly either wanting to be the mechanic – mobile or not (have a great workspace) – (as I am much more ancient than the car, doing things I may have 20 years ago is almost impossible with a touch of arthritis and assorted aches/pains).
Thanks so much…..