Magazine Autoweek this week reminds us of the glorious history of the Saab brand in rally sport.
Autoweek magazine in an article “Throttle-Back Thursday: When two-stroke Saabs and moon-faced Swedes ruled Monte Carlo” brings us a reminder of the great victory of Erik Carlsson and Saab at Monte Carlo Rally 1963:
In 1962, a little two-stroke Saab ripped and snorted its way to victory in the legendary Monte Carlo Rally with Erik Carlsson — a “moon-faced 250-lb Swede,” as our correspondent Jean Dupont deemed him — at the wheel.
The next year, he and the 841-cc chainsaw-on-wheels repeated the feat, all despite treacherous roads that helped knock 196 of the 296 entrants out of the running. Gunnar Palm was his co-driver.
Saab didn’t take victory in the Monte Carlo Rally ever again, but we have no doubt its success in motorsport helped make it a left-field enthusiast favorite right until the Trollhattan assembly lines shut down for good.
Also, See the original article from 1963 published in the “Autoweek” magazine:
December 2015 Saabnet.com Photo of the Month (provided by Dan Haugh [Landjet]) is the ad that Saab made after Eric Carlsson won the Monte Carlo Rally for the 2nd year in row (“Only one car won the Monte Carlo Rally: SAAB… and for the second year in a row”
http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/photo/1512.html