Saab History

Saab 92.1 prototype with Husqvarna 2-t engine

Saab 92.1 prototypeSaab 92.1 prototype

This was The Secret Husqvarna Automobile Project

Not very many people of today know about the Husqvarna automobile project during the first years of the 1940´s. However, some leading Husqvarna employes speculated in a Post World War market. Secret discussions took place between the head of the Development Department, the engineer Bengt Magnusson, the supervisor Birger Johansson who also later became the test driver, the engine design manager Carl Heimdal and, vice president Stig Tham, also an engineer and a son of the Husqvarna CEO, Gustav Tham.

Sixten Sason
Sixten Sason

In 1942 after different experiments a model was finished, equipped with a small 500 cc two-stroke DKW engine of approximately 20 hp. The maximum speed was 80 km/h. Sixten Sason who was already involved in the company, was hired for the automobile design and had certain ideas of the shape, which led to what we see in these pictures; a three wheeler with a round, soft, smooth design. In addition to this, the roof was lifted off when sit in the car and measures were fit to one of the company´s freight elevators. The bumpers were also removable for the same reason.

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Saab 92.1 prototype
Saab 92.1 prototype

Test driving began in 1943 and since gas was a rare commodity in times of war, the fuel was a mix between motyl and castor-oil. However, the model never came into production, since there were no resources. Producing automobiles would have taken too much space and energy from existing production and development. The CEO decided to close the project in 1944.

Finally, since Sixten Sason was later hired by SAAB, another famous Swedish company, a similar design was eventually applied on the first SAAB prototypes around 1946-47.

1946 Saab 92001 Ursaab
1946 Saab 92001 Ursaab
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.

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