The Lockdown series continues with me and my 2 driving buddies, Alfred & David, also sharing our experiences, comments and reflections of the different cars we have owned.
My 2nd car on reflection, was truly special for me. The Saab 99 EMS Coupe taught me really how to drive. To truly understand the way, you can feel the various elements of a car, the steering, chassis and engine coming together. To be able to extract the best out of the car. Squeezing every Kw of power available and truly get involved in the driving experience like only a manual can do. The length of my review is a testament to what I realised it meant to me.
If this reminds you of a special car you have owned please share your experience or just name it or just “like” ours.
Richard (2nd) car:
The second car I owned and a very significant one in my motoring history as it started a 30+ year unbroken journey for me of owning my brother, Alfred’s cars. A 1978 Saab EMS 2 door coupe, FWD, 4Spd manual. It had a 2.0L 8 valve 4cylinder indirect fuel injection, naturally aspirated producing a competitive 87kw @5500rpm and 167nm @3700rpm redlining at 6200rpm with 1150kg curb weight. Claimed 0-100kph in 11.6 secs, 0-400m in 17.4secs and a top speed 176kph.
To understand my car, you need to know and understand what I bought and inherited. Alfred loved the car and it was the time in 1986 when he started his climb up the corporate HR ladder and was starting to access company cars which resulted eventually in having owned about 45 cars. The Saab 900 Aero Turbo was a car all Saab enthusiasts lusted over. The signature triangular mags were something desirable. So, during Alfred ownership he replaced the standard 175/70/15 -5” rim with a unique triangular themed high polished alloy with a 205/60/15 with a 6” rim. Added spot lights, upgraded stereo and put a wide opening black canvas manual sunroof. With long two doors, window down and big roof open it was as close to a convertible feel you could get. Finally, after the car was broken into the roof and interior slashed, the insurance company completely reupholstered the interior and installed a new Sunroof and headlining. The car was reborn.
What was so special about owning a Saab 99 EMS?
It was made in Sweden, EMS stood for Electronic (fuel injection) Manual Sports, a quirky and unique car, in features and in styling. Saab was an original aircraft, jet manufacturer. The way they thought about and approach in building and engineering their car reflected this aeronautical philosophy. It was translated in its advance thinking about safety and comfort of the driver, similar to pilots on long haul flights.
It was a very cool car to own. It was different to anything else on the road, as loving, and playing tennis all my life, Bjorn Borg was my hero and he was the Saab Ambassador and drove the Saab 99 Turbo in the late 1970’& early 1980’s. On top of that Saab’s had a World Rally reputation with the famous Swedish Rally driver, Stig Blomqvist winning the International Swedish Rally in 1977 with a Saab 99EMS. That was all the credibility I needed to feel I was driving something special even if others didn’t realise it.
The seats were extremely comfortable and supportive for long distance driving. The Saab philosophy was that a warm and comfortable driver was a safe driver. The seats were designed by Recaro. So the seats were adjustable in the conventional way but could be raised or lowered at either end of the cushion and it still had the famous ‘seat warmers” which came in whenever the temperature dropped below 14 degrees Celsius. The main doors had reinforced cross beams for side impact ahead of its time. Even its renowned for its floor located ignition switch rather than the steering wheel. This was safety driven to avoid the ignition barrel impacting the driver in case of a serious accident. It further required you to select reverse gear before the ignition key could be removed.
There was the quirky rounded windscreen and washers and wipers for the headlights. The door floor sills cut into the chassis allowing the door to open without any wet snow or mud being able fall on to your clothing as you opened the door. All lateral problem-solving design. Even the window demisting system was designed for a cold climate with all the windows, even the side ones, were demisted by ducting air on the glass in the same way as most windscreens and not by conventional electrically heated wire. The rear seats squab folded down to double the already large boot so you could even fit through a bike. This was an uncommon feature for a sedan at the time a well-advanced thinking for its time especially regarding structural integrity.
What was it like to drive?
This was a driver’s car, you had to extract the best of the engine and it rewarded you greatly. With the maximum power band coming in between 3700-5500rpn you would redline it to 6200rpm in every gear and it would sit beautifully at 4000rpm in the next gear and accelerate relentlessly. The engine was extremely smooth and ran out effortlessly to the redline. This car would cruise happily at 145kph. The 4spd gearbox had a short accurate shift. The chassis was solid and European in feel with a non-assisted direct steering and a smaller sports leather steering wheel in your hands. It felt accurate with plenty of feedback. The steering felt heavy at parking speeds but as soon as you picked up some momentum it felt perfect combined with the chassis. The faster you went the better it felt, carving up the corners on the hills, feeling like you were on rails as you spun through the gears.
What was its obvious competition at the time?
The Alfa Alfetta, another European driver’s car with a bit more performance. In comparison the Saab may have lacked the upper reach of the Alfa’s handling prowess but the Saab rewarded with a little more finesse and feeling of engineering integrity. They were fundamentally different, as the Alfa probably had more character and was considered a genuine driver’s car but the Saab had the practicality, capable of fitting 5 adults, and had the ruggedness that seemed historically missing in the Alfa. In fact, the worse the conditions the better the Saab would become.
Was it reliable?
I had the Saab 99 EMS for 11 years, longer than any car I ever owned and it was in the family for a total of 15 years. I took care of my cars and have always had a preventive mentality to my servicing. The Saab never broke down on me. Normal wear and tear meant over the period of ownership I reconditioned the gearbox, steering and replaced one engine mount.
What is its legacy?
The Saab taught me really how to drive. To truly understand the way you can feel the various elements of a car, the steering, chassis and engine coming together. To be able to extract the best out of the car. Squeezing every Kw of power available and truly get involved in the driving experience like only a manual can do.
The day I sold this Saab to a young guy was a sad day. It was in mint condition for its age. I remember how impressed and enthusiastic he was in buying it. It was important to me that the next owner appreciated it. He looked me straight in my eyes and promised me he would take care of it.
Sadly, about two years later I spoke to my old mechanic who had serviced the Saab for me for those 15 years. He told me the guy had come in to service it, it was neglected and he didn’t pay the bill, he held the car over until he finally paid it a couple months later. He never saw the guy or the Saab again.
Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever see it again on the road. I occasionally have looked up the VicRoads site and checked for the rego, I don’t have the VIN number any more. No trace. Maybe it’s sitting in someone’s old shed or it in some wrecker’s yard.
Thanks for the memories!
#mynextcarbuying #melbourne #automotiveadvocate #lockdown #carsweowned #saab #saab99ems
