Saab's sports car received a bold design made of fiberglass. Mechanically, it consists almost exclusively of components taken from Saab's parts warehouse.
Was made in three series
Series I
Saab switched to the V4 in 1967. Previously, the Sonett had been supplied with the same 850 cc two-stroke used in the 96 Sport (or 850 Sport as it was also called). Only 258 Sonetts are said to have been made in Series I with two-strokes, so the likelihood of seeing one of these on the road is very small.
Serie II
Sonnet is a rare sight. The picture above shows a Sonett V4 series II from 1968 with a cowl on the hood to make room for the V4. 1968 was a good year for the Saab Sonett. That year, 900 cars were produced. The total production of Series II cars between 1967-1970 was 1610 cars.
Series III
From 1971-74, the Sonett received a facelift - more "Americanised". It was produced in over 8000 copies. I only remember them from the brochures, not from the road. Sonett III was obviously a proposal to American customers, and probably sold best there. The magazine Road & Track compared the Saab Sonett with the MGB and Opel GT. Today fine classics, all three.
About the pictures
The chance of coming across a Saab Sonett along the road is staggeringly small. However, there is one example that is often out on the roads around Oslo, namely the car of the cultural personality Åse Kleveland. I have photographed it at Gamle Fornebu Kultursenter. The old airport premises today consist of small galleries and museums, including the car and scooter museum Culture on wheels, SAS museum, hairdressing museum etc. Good parking opportunities at the old flight tower (now Odonata restaurant). The pictures of the orange car were taken in connection with a car meeting/exhibition in Gunnarsbøparken, Tønsberg, 2024. I overheard that the car was imported from the USA.
Was never sold to anyone in Norway
The blue and red Series III cars were imported from the USA. I saw these beautiful Sonetts at the Bendix meeting in 2018. One of the owners had a background from Saab at Fåberg outside Lillehammer. He firmly believed that no Sonett was ever sold as a new car in Norway. I myself thought I had seen a red Sonett in the same shop around 1978, which according to the owner may be correct. Some Saab dealers may have had Sonetts in their showrooms – but none were sold. I have a newspaper clipping from Tønsberg Newspaper from the 1970s where the local Saab dealer, Vestfold Auto, offered a car show with cars from European Chrysler (Simca and Sunbeam) and Saab. In the picture you can see some gentlemen studying a white Saab Sonett III. According to the journalist, this was the most popular car. It was probably just on a "tour" around to the Norwegian dealers – which did not sell a single one.
- What about the fine Sonnet to Åse Kleveland?
- It was bought in Sweden.
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