Saab EV-1

Not even a year after the launch of the Saab 9000, Saab’s small but efficient design department in Trollhättan had come up with something else to show. It was a 2+2 seater sports coupé that was based on the 900 Turbo.

The car, which was fully driveable was named Saab EV-1 or Saab 900 Turbo EV-1. Saab used the car to test future components and to study them in detail. The car was never meant to go into production. One of the characteristic features of the EV-1 (Experimental Vehicle No. 1) is its overall very futuristic styling, but you can still see that it is a Saab with its famous grill and lights. The designer of the V-1 was called Björn Envall.

Mounted on the glass roof are solar cells that produce electric power for a fan which automatically ventilates the passengers. The headlights were a new, high-efficeiny type which could still, in spite of their relatively small size, illuminate the road better then conventional lights. The front and rear of the car body is made by armed fiber reinforced plastic, which just like Saabs bumpers has the ability to resume its original shape in case of a minor collision.

By using glass and carbon fiber fitted insides the doors, the car met the most strict safety regulations at the time. The rear window has built-in, invisible electric wires which keeps it from misting, and also have the ability to melt ice away in winter. The seats are actually Chevrolet Corvette seats. They have a wide range of adjustments so that they can fit and support any kind of driver in any driving conditions. The seats also only weigh about half as much as conventional seats.

Saab’s 16 valve engine was tuned to deliver 285hp and an impressive topspeed of 270km/h. The car accelerated from 0-100km/h in just 5,9 seconds. It covered 0-100 meters in 13,9 seconds. This super performance which was comparable to any super sports car was obtained with compontents from the 900 Turbo. The entire chassis unit, including the front-wheel suspension and the rear axle are all from the 900 Turbo, but were modified to fit the higher power output of this car.