In the third episode of Avto magazin TV, the expert team of this automotive magazine approached things a little differently. In the video below, you can watch the Saab 99 racing test, redesigned for motorsport rallies.
Saab 99 Rally
The Slovenian Auto Magazine has been published since 1967, and for half a century it has been bringing numerous quality articles from the world of motoring and motorcycling to its readers, automotive enthusiasts, first in the former Yugoslavia, and then in Slovenia. In its video section, “Avto magazin TV” publishes interesting things about cars and motorcycles, and in the latest issue they present Saab ‘s pearl – rally model 99.
In the description of the video, the magazine’s editorial board looks back at the sad fate of Saab since the beginning of the crisis and the time of GM’s entry into ownership of the factory. According to many, but also the editorial staff of Avt magazine, Scandinavians “were born for rally racing”, so Saab and cars of this brand were very fast and successful in this sport.
It started in the fifties, but only the famous Erik Carlsson with the nickname Mr. Saab started to gain international fame in the sixties (he even won Monte Carlo in 1962 and 1963), and in the seventies Stig Blomqvist took over the scepter of Saab racers. And that wasn’t all at the time, this was supposedly the first international victory of a car with a turbo-engine!
Saab = Rally
At that time, Saab racing cars were not known mainly for their speed or exceptional engines, but were famous mainly for their endurance and durability, almost indestructibility. There is a well-known anecdote that Carlsson overturned his Saab from the finish ramp, sat in it again with the co-driver and – drove away. Well, maybe this is also an urban legend, but it is true that Mr. Saab ended up on the roof several times during the rally due to his aggressive style…
Well, of course, the automotive journalist who tested this Saab 99 did not drive in the style of Eric Carlsson, because the owner would issue him a painful bill after that ride. That’s why this redesigned model 99, which was prepared for rally by FIVA rules in the Trbovlje workshop Ekoen Avto, was still pretty quick and fun.
