Saab History

Saab 006 Turbo by Lokari: the Smallest, Rarest and Least Powerful Saab

Saab 006 Turbo

If you read Saabplanet.com on a regular basis (or if you are just simply crazy about Saab cars), then you know Valmet whose automotive business was originally founded with Saab. Since then, the company has collaborated with many manufacturers such as Porsche, Lada, Mercedes, and even Simca-Talbot Horizon.

Not far from the Valmet plant in Uusikaupunki, in southwestern Finland, is the town of Rauma, home of the Lokari company, which specializes in plastics, and the company manufactures plastic body parts for a multitude of different car manufacturers. With official approval from Saab (which offered his name and crest), Valmet ordered “child” versions of the Saab 900 from Lokari, to sell either direct from Valmet or from official dealers around the world.

These miniature versions were named Saab 006 Turbo (in fact, if you think about it, it’s just 900 backwards). At 2.25 m long and 1.1 m wide, it is the smallest Saab ever produced (even counting the Saab-Lancia A112). The 006 Turbo was (for obvious reasons) a convertible and it was to support the commercial launch of the 900 Turbo Cabriolet produced exclusively at Valmet that it was released in 1986.

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When it comes to records, the 006 Turbo was also (and retains that title today) the least powerful of all Saabs ever built. Equipped with a 27cc Honda developing 3.5 horsepower (half horsepower is important at this power level), it could reach a top speed of 35 km/h.

mini car simulates the classic Saab cockpit
Turbo 006 mini car simulates the classic Saab cockpit

It also remains today one of the rarest of the Saabs, with only 75 units manufactured. It must be said that with a price of $2,000, it made children’s toys expensive. You had to be a hell of a Saab fan to give your kids the same car as Dad on a smaller scale.

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Saab 006 Turbo

Every once in a while one of these models reappears in auctions, but the 006 Turbo is sought after by fans, which can drive prices up insane. If a few copies have been sold, then perhaps you will be lucky enough to find one by chance, during a garage sale or a flea market.

La Saab 006
La Saab 006 – Advertisement for Saab 006 in the press, for the French market where this toy cost a high 12,000 francs

 

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Goran Aničić
the authorGoran Aničić
For over 15 years, Goran Aničić has been passionately focused on Saab automobiles and everything related to them. His initial encounter with Saab cars took place back in 2003 when the first Saab 9-3 and sedan version were introduced. At that moment, he was captivated by the car's Scandinavian design logic and top-notch engineering, and everything that followed stemmed from that first encounter. Later on, through his work at the editorial team of the Serbian automotive magazines "Autostart" and later "AutoBild," he had the opportunity to engage more closely with Saab vehicles. In 2008, he tested the latest Saab cars of that time, such as the Saab 9-3 TTiD Aero and Saab 9-3 Turbo X. In 2010, as the sole blogger from the region, he participated in the Saab 9-5ng presentation in Trollhättan, Sweden. Alongside journalists from around the world, he got a firsthand experience of the pinnacle of technological offerings from Saab at that time. Currently, Goran owns two Saabs: a 2008 Saab 9-3 Vector Sportcombi with a manual transmission, and a Saab 9-3 Aero Griffin Sport Sedan from the last generation, which rolled off the production line in Trollhättan in December 2011.

2 Comments

  • Production numbers are around 300 units total, but probably not all units finished since loose bodies exist. The bigger tyre version with turning and driving lights are quite rare.
    Honda, Briggs & Stratton, Tecumseh and Fiat Agri engines used.

  • First time I saw this, beautifull videos, I congratulate the Saab followers who made it Thank You.
    John H.
    Northern England
    11/11/2020

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