These days, Saab is mainly known by the public for being… well, somewhat odd. Turbocharged engines, gauges that shut off, ignition switch near the handbrake and shifter, hatchbacks, etc are the norm for Saab. But today’s Saab is a far cry from the old days when SAAB (all caps) was it’s own brand, not a General Motors satellite. Back then, Saab was known for practical technological innovations. They were the first brand to introduce a turbocharged car for normal people and really bring it mainstream; the 99 Turbo back in 1978 really turned the world on it’s ear.
They lead the field in other innovations, of course. APC (Automatic Performance Control) in 1980 was the world’s first automatic knock sensor which allowed a turbocharged car to be run on whatever gas you so chose without engine damage. Trionic in 1991 used a 32-bit processor to run many parameters of engine management and adapt them real-time to world conditions. Their cars have always been on the leading edge of smart thinking - at least until GM bought them. But before all that, SAABS (Svenska Aeroplan AB) was basically a shed full of ex-airplane engineers who decided to make cars instead. So of course, they did things their own way. The resulting cars were like nothing else on the road. The first bodies were hand-formed over molds with hammers. But perhaps the most fascinating thing about those ancient SAABS were the motors.
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