Saab was always a wonderfully quirky carmaker, never one to go with the flow and always maintaining a strong Swedish flair in its cars. With roots in aviation, the brand wove aircraft influences throughout its history.
Because there was rarely much money for all-new designs and concepts, ingenuity became a Saab trademark. Some carmakers employ an army of designers who are hired and fired every five minutes… but not Saab.
Over the years, there were only two main designers. Sixten Sason was the first. Self-taught and with no formal training, he remained in charge until 1967, with the 99 being his final design for the brand. He died two years later, but who would take over Saab’s design direction? None other than Björn Envall, whom Sason had hired in the 1960s as an apprentice, fresh from a two-year stint at Opel. Envall then remained in charge and oversaw all Saab designs until 1992.
The EV-1
EV stands for Experimental Vehicle – what else? It was unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in 1985 with the aim of testing new technologies for future Saabs. Based on the then-current 16-valve 900 Turbo, it was extremely sleek. Composite materials were used extensively, and in true Saab fashion small dents were nothing to worry about: elements such as the bumpers simply popped back into shape after minor knocks.
It featured vast windows – nothing like the letterbox apertures of modern cars – and 66 solar cells on the roof powered the ventilation to stop the glasshouse cabin from overheating. The small front lights were more powerful than contemporary halogens, and the turbocharged engine was boosted to 285bhp. The EV-1 was fully functional, unlike many show cars. It could reach 60mph in under six seconds and topped more than 160mph on the straight, frozen lakes Saab loved to use for testing.
Seats from space
The seats were electrically operated and far lighter than conventional ones, thanks to the use of composite materials. Envall’s inspiration for them? The Muppets. Not the Swedish Chef, but the legendary ‘Pigs in Space’ skits featuring Captain Link Hogthrob (a very Swedish-sounding name, surely), Miss Piggy as First Mate, and Dr Julius Strangepork. Their Swinetrek spacecraft’s seats were effectively borrowed for the EV-1.
The show was a playful parody of Star Trek, but the EV1 itself even made a guest appearance in Back to the Future Part II in 1989. As Miss Piggy once said in a line that applies perfectly to Saabs, and especially to the EV-1:
‘I don’t care what you think of me, unless you think I’m awesome. In that case, you’re right!’
Images © Saab
