Jalopnik (Free subscription) | 11/05/2009
There’s nothing like internecine Scandinavian warfare when it comes to mad sleepers: hot on the heels of last week’s Saab 99 rocketship comes this Volvo Amazon . Definitely not your granddad’s Amazon. In spite of its ferocious name and its compact but good looks, the Volvo Amazon is not a sports car. Far from it: the Amazon is a Swedish family sedan built half a century ago. With...
Autoblog (Free subscription) | 11/05/2009
Filed under: Europe , Videos , Saab 700-hp 1969 Saab 99 Quattro Turbo - Click above to watch video Sweden has just over nine million people - that's an entire country whose population is just a little bigger than New York City - and we'd believe it if someone told us they exclusively devoted their time to blessing the world with peculiar automotive concoctions. We'd file this latest one under "quirky,"...
driverchris (Free subscription) | 11/02/2009
What was I saying about the Swedes and their kinky redneck leanings? Check out this super clean SAAB 99, looks like Granny keeps it garaged at all times and it only comes out to collect the pickled herring. Only the sharp-eyed person who spots those 4 point harnesses will suspect it's a helluva sleeper . No small job, they've spun the engine in the bay, turbo'd it seven ways from Sunday and mated it...
Jalopnik (Free subscription) | 10/30/2009
By all outward appearances, this Saab 99 is a nicely maintained Grandma car. Underneath, it's an all-wheel-drive, turbocharged, 700 HP terror machine capable of 9.8 second quarter miles. This Swede-built creation is likely the most ridiculous sleeper ever created. Winters are long in Sweden and very dark. There's not much to keep you entertained, which explains why so many of the world's stupid-awesome...
Jalopnik (Free subscription) | 08/31/2009
If you've always wanted to be Carlsson på taket then you'll need the proper ride. Nice Price or Crack Pipe has just the car, and it comes with quite the Saab story. The 99 was going to be Saab's "big" car. And while it may not have been born from jets , it was a significant departure from its predecessor, the 96 in being more car-like, and providing less the appearance of being a rolling...
Jalopnik (Free subscription) | 07/16/2009
The 16th race in LeMons history took place at Stafford Motor Speedway last weekend, and we saw Hondas, Alfa Romeos, and Volvos absolutely dominate this time around. In fact, the only Top Ten cars not made by Honda, Alfa Romeo, or Volvo were a Nissan 240SX and a Lincoln Continental Mark VIII (in 6th and 10th place, respectively). We saw some great themes and costumes at this race, too, as you can tell...
Jalopnik (Free subscription) | 07/13/2009
It was getting close towards the end, with the Adopted From Jets Saab 99 breathing right down their necks, but the Team Trailing Throttle Oversteer Corvair came in 23rd place versus the Saab's 24th-place finish! By all accounts, it was the most exciting Index Of Effluency battle in LeMons history. The Corvair proved so reliable that Toyota teams were feeling envious- yeah, we sure as hell didn't expect...
Jalopnik (Free subscription) | 07/12/2009
They're well into Day Two of racing at the 24 Hours Of LeMons New England, and there's no letup in the drama! If you care, the Kielbasa Kids Honda Civic is still the lap-count leader, with the three Alfa Milanos ready to pounce if and when that fragile Honda head gasket lets go… but in the real battle, the 1971 Saab 99 refuses to cede the Index Of Effluency trophy (given to the team that accomplishes...
Jalopnik (Free subscription) | 07/12/2009
The first session of racing at the New England 24 Hours Of LeMons is done, and we've got a Top 10 composed almost entirely of Civics, Alfa Milanos, and Volvo bricks! Is it possible that an Italian car might win the 24 Hours Of LeMons? Hell yes! An Alfetta nearly won the Goin' For Broken LeMons in Reno a couple months back, and the three Alfas currently running in second, third, and fifth places finished...
Jalopnik (Free subscription) | 07/11/2009
We're sure that all you really scary, foaming-at-mouth passionate Saab zealots aficionados are eager to see how the Adopted By Jets '71 Saab 99 is faring at LeMons New England! So far, the glass appears to be bone dry and covered with leeches half full, as the ABJ team performs what appears to be major surgery on the rear suspension and/or axle and/or fuel tank. But plenty of racing remains, so we...
Jalopnik (Free subscription) | 07/11/2009
Communications with the folks at the race have been intermittent, but we've finally got a fresh round of LeMons updates for you. Right now, the Kielbasa Kids Civic sedan sits in first place. That's a photo from last year's New England race , in which the Kielbasa Kids came in a strong second place; as long as that head gasket holds out- always a big question mark with Honda products in LeMons events-...
Autocar (Free subscription) | 05/20/2009
Fascinating list just in from Hyundai showing what’s been traded in for a new car under scrappage. Along with 274 Nissan Micras, a single Triumph Acclaim and a handful of Toyota RAV4s were some real oddities. How about a solitary XJS, scrapped for a new i10? Or a Saab 99? Or eight Skoda Octavias, which aren’t particularly odd but I can’t help thinking of Octavias as still being relatively...
Jalopnik (Free subscription) | 02/02/2009
Our last Junkyard Find was a classic Detroit machine, but California junkyards get plenty of decades-old imports as well. Today we'll be checking out an old Swedish car that's reached the end of the line. This particular junkyard had a little pocket of Saabs within a section dominated by Jaguar XJ6s. You don't see many early 99s these days, on the street or otherwise, so this was quite a find. Looks...
Best Hobbies Live (Free subscription) | 09/22/2008
Saab History has recently acquired a 3rd installment for the that was last updated on November 7th, 2007. This film, made for the United States features a Saab 99 titled “Ghost” that runs for 30 seconds, filmed sometime during the 1970’s. There are not many films in the 1970’s section of the Saab History film [...]
Best Hobbies Live (Free subscription) | 08/21/2008
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the first Saab 99 Turbo in 1978, so I believe it is necessary to provide us with as much information about this important milestone for the Saab Automobile brand. I will begin by providing you summaries from the original press kit here at Saab History that [...]
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