841cc Inline 3 Cylinder 2 Stroke
4 speed Manual
Front Engined Front Wheel Drive
Hydraulic Drum Brakes
60 bhp 61 lb-ft
Exterior White Interior Red
Originally an airplane manufacturer, Saab ventured into vehicles shortly after World War 2 and the Saab 96 was Saab’s 3rdmodel of car, each an improvement on the previous. When introduced, the Saab 96 was powered by its predecessor’s 3 cylinder 2 stroke engine, upgraded to 841cc, which eventually was replaced by a Ford-derived V4 engine in 1967, largely due to the expected emissions problems of the 2 stroke engine, which required oil to mix with the fuel for lubrication. The Saab 96 proved a very successful model for Saab and production continued for 20 years, with a bit over half a million cars made. The layout of the front engine with front-wheel drive allowed for a roomy passenger compartment and Saab’s aerodynamic expertise helped define the teardrop shape of the car, making for a very efficient, useable passenger car, significantly different from everything else on the road. The Saab 96’s simplicity and lightweight helped it see great success in rallying in the 1960s, driven by Erik Carlsson and Pat Moss, winning several first-place trophies, including at the Monte Carlo Rally. This example began life as a Saab 96 Sport but was upgraded by the previous owner with the unique parts from a Monte Carlo donor car that had rusted beyond repair. Both the Sport and Monte Carlo shared the same engine
configuration, with a single carburetor for each cylinder and an oil injection system eliminating the need to mix oil with the fuel, and 4 speed gearbox. The differences were primarily in the interior, trim, and dashboard. When I purchased this car, it was still in original paint, but the paint had begun to fail along with all the factory applied seam sealer, which was allowing water to get underneath and cause rust. The car was partially disassembled, stripped, and repainted in its original white and some parts like the bumpers were re-chromed. In driving the car runs well, with reasonable acceleration, but not incredibly quick. The two-stroke engine fires twice as often as a 4 stroke so the performance is closer to that of a normal engine with twice the displacement. On startup it generates puffs of oily smoke out the tailpipe due to its oil injection system, used to lubricate the engine, but power is acceptable and the car handles well. Shifting is via a column shift with 4 forward speeds and access to reverse coming by pulling the knob out. The 2 stoke engine revs freely, with power largely in the higher rev range, and has the characteristic 2 stroke whine unique to this engine design. The bigger advantage for the car is handling which does quite well and allows you to keep the momentum up for faster cornering.
