THANKS for the Ride-A-Long, man! Just discovered your video, 3/28/2024 -- wow, does this take me back!. I bought a '72 Saab Sonett III in 1976, while I was in college and working at a meat packing plant during the summer, when my new-found wealth was burning a hole in my pocket. Paid $1,100 for it plus $600 for a replacement "free-wheeling" 4-speed manual transmission, to get it running and back on the road. It was a "repo" acquired by a small town bank in Paw Paw, Michigan, and it was stored in a winery warehouse. The car stunk of old wine -- took me almost 2 years to get that smell out of it! I restored it to a pretty decent level, but the ignition never worked with a key. The wiring harness later caught fire and Insurance covered the cost to repair, but it took a year -- the replacement wiring harness and gages (English VDO's!) from Sweden sat on the dock in New York for 7 months. Anyway, after I got it back on the road I had a blast with it, but I had to sell it in 1979 while I was working as a CPA, to fund my upcoming law school tuition. I have since owned several (and still do own 2) Jaguar sports cars/GTs, a BMW and a '97 Mazda Miata M Edition (which I got into a Head-on collision with against a Chevy Lumina back in 2000 -- after which I swore off driving little cars in the 21st century -- and I have driven various Porsches, several Aston Martins, various Mercedes SLs/AMGs, etc., but I recall really enjoying driving that little fiberglass-bodied TOTALLY UNSAFE 1972 Saab Sonett III back in the '70's. I had read that guys used to "ice race" these things, but I never, EVER drove mine in the winter, despite it having front-wheel drive. There was no crash protection in the doors, or anywhere else for that matter. The only "safety" thing I could see (besides seat belts) was the "roll bar" behind the seats, which wrapped around the gas tank that sat directly behind the front passenger compartment. My guess is if that if that thing ever got rear-ended it would blow up like a Ford Pinto! Hope you're still enjoying your Saab Sonett III. Mine was also the "Saab Safety Orange" and it had the "Soccer Ball" style Wheels.
Mine attracted a lot of attention on the road especially when my German Shepherd rode along with her nose out the window resting on the door sill. That was long ago. Thanks for the memories. Hope you’re still enjoying yours.
I'm swedish but only heard of the Sonett, never seen one in real life. Not that i'm a true car geek, but these are quite cool after all. My dad had a couple of 99's back in the 80's and the second gen 900 (later aka 93) in the early 00's.
I recall these on British roads now and then and right hand drive was 'natural' because the Swedes drove on the left until 1967 but. obviously, the rt hand drive remained for years. The 'roadster' classification was mainly a European phenomenon but interest by US customers in British sports cars for the sheer fun of them was a big market in phases and the Sonett was Saab's attempt to make dollars. Curiously, Saab and Volvo sold well in Canada but did not appeal to US tastes of the time. The Sonett, to everyone's surprise, was quite a hit and most were RHD fitted and they were hard to acquire in Sweden. The 2-stroke engine was a rarity in the USA but less so in Europe as the shattered continent rebuilt after WW2. The first post-war exported German autos were the "bubble cars" by Messerschmidt, Heinkel and, most memorably, the first time we saw the BMW badge not in a military machine. The Isetta by BMW was a great success for its stability. In Britain the Bond company and Reliant utility vehicles had made great progress with glass fibre bodies and Saab's Sonett followed that trend, especially as steel was in demand for big things but the British and Swedish companies kept full chassis designs for everything except the body shell. Unibody light steel and surplus aluminium panels also became common but whereas the US industry developed sub-frame construction in mild steel, the Europeans put least strain on lightweight materials. As the Sonett fell foul of US emissions standards in its second iteration there was a pause then Saab had talks with Bond of Equipe fame using Triumph engines and Reliant, whose stock in trade had been 3 wheelers, produced the Scimitar large "shooting brake" (2-door estate coupe) Scimitar. This was expensive and powerful, with a Ford, Germany V6 engine and overdrive by Laycock. It was a sports touring estate coupe which inspired the MGBT and others, Saab responded with the final Sonett using a Ford Taunus engine, longer body and pop up headlights, aimed at the US market and it was a moderate success with enthusiasts. Many exist today because Saab had high build standards and their aircraft pedigree showed in all of their designs except the ones just before they ceased production to concentrate on a need for advanced jet planes for Nordic military use short/medium haul airliners with Dutch Fokker. They still to this day make very specialized planes for emergency services in scores of countries. SO, you are driving a masterpiece of craft, design and art.
@@forestghost7 Yes there was, aftermarket installed by the American importer. Three tell-tale signs in the interior: between the left air vent and the steering wheel you can see two knobs on a silverish background, the extra air vent left from the glove box lid and last but not least the black bulge under the the glove box. These are three things cars without AC don't have. I have read that they are often disconnected as the old style pump robs the engine from quite an amount of power of the blistering 65 horses 😁. And the pump is often not working anymore.
@@browserrr1 my bad, couldn't see it on my stupid lil phone. I do remember couple Sonetts in our servc dept none had AC ... just as well, with 65 HP lol. I have a similar age sportscar (72 MGB GT) built to 140 HP, it handles the modern AC kit I fitted just fine 🙂
@@forestghost7 I guess looking at that clip on a screen the size of a big stamp makes it hard to see details 😄. I stick to minimally a tablet size screen. AC in a MGB, isn't yours a convertible? I have seen the type with a steel roof, isn't that called a MGC? 140 HP is nice on such a light car, hope to build a tuned up V4 in that category for my Sonett once, but I need to win the lottery first 😄.
@@browserrr1 my MGB GT is steel roof hatchback, MGC was both flavors w a 2.9L six. the B is 1.8L 4 cyl, stock power was 95 , so ... catch me if you can haha! 😝
THANKS for the Ride-A-Long, man! Just discovered your video, 3/28/2024 -- wow, does this take me back!. I bought a '72 Saab Sonett III in 1976, while I was in college and working at a meat packing plant during the summer, when my new-found wealth was burning a hole in my pocket. Paid $1,100 for it plus $600 for a replacement "free-wheeling" 4-speed manual transmission, to get it running and back on the road. It was a "repo" acquired by a small town bank in Paw Paw, Michigan, and it was stored in a winery warehouse. The car stunk of old wine -- took me almost 2 years to get that smell out of it! I restored it to a pretty decent level, but the ignition never worked with a key. The wiring harness later caught fire and Insurance covered the cost to repair, but it took a year -- the replacement wiring harness and gages (English VDO's!) from Sweden sat on the dock in New York for 7 months. Anyway, after I got it back on the road I had a blast with it, but I had to sell it in 1979 while I was working as a CPA, to fund my upcoming law school tuition. I have since owned several (and still do own 2) Jaguar sports cars/GTs, a BMW and a '97 Mazda Miata M Edition (which I got into a Head-on collision with against a Chevy Lumina back in 2000 -- after which I swore off driving little cars in the 21st century -- and I have driven various Porsches, several Aston Martins, various Mercedes SLs/AMGs, etc., but I recall really enjoying driving that little fiberglass-bodied TOTALLY UNSAFE 1972 Saab Sonett III back in the '70's. I had read that guys used to "ice race" these things, but I never, EVER drove mine in the winter, despite it having front-wheel drive. There was no crash protection in the doors, or anywhere else for that matter. The only "safety" thing I could see (besides seat belts) was the "roll bar" behind the seats, which wrapped around the gas tank that sat directly behind the front passenger compartment. My guess is if that if that thing ever got rear-ended it would blow up like a Ford Pinto! Hope you're still enjoying your Saab Sonett III. Mine was also the "Saab Safety Orange" and it had the "Soccer Ball" style Wheels.
I remember when these first came out. Always thought these were kinda cool and it sounds great.
Mine attracted a lot of attention on the road especially when my German Shepherd rode along with her nose out the window resting on the door sill. That was long ago. Thanks for the memories. Hope you’re still enjoying yours.
That engine sounds great!
I'm swedish but only heard of the Sonett, never seen one in real life. Not that i'm a true car geek, but these are quite cool after all. My dad had a couple of 99's back in the 80's and the second gen 900 (later aka 93) in the early 00's.
Nice that you have a straighttail and Saab as well. Just like me :) Had also a Ford V4 engine as your Sonett in mij Saab 95.
I recall these on British roads now and then and right hand drive was 'natural' because the Swedes drove on the left until 1967 but. obviously, the rt hand drive remained for years.
The 'roadster' classification was mainly a European phenomenon but interest by US customers in British sports cars for the sheer fun of them was a big market in phases and the Sonett was Saab's attempt to make dollars.
Curiously, Saab and Volvo sold well in Canada but did not appeal to US tastes of the time. The Sonett, to everyone's surprise, was quite a hit and most were RHD fitted and they were hard to acquire in Sweden.
The 2-stroke engine was a rarity in the USA but less so in Europe as the shattered continent rebuilt after WW2. The first post-war exported German autos were the "bubble cars" by Messerschmidt, Heinkel and, most memorably, the first time we saw the BMW badge not in a military machine. The Isetta by BMW was a great success for its stability.
In Britain the Bond company and Reliant utility vehicles had made great progress with glass fibre bodies and Saab's Sonett followed that trend, especially as steel was in demand for big things but the British and Swedish companies kept full chassis designs for everything except the body shell. Unibody light steel and surplus aluminium panels also became common but whereas the US industry developed sub-frame construction in mild steel, the Europeans put least strain on lightweight materials.
As the Sonett fell foul of US emissions standards in its second iteration there was a pause then Saab had talks with Bond of Equipe fame using Triumph engines and Reliant, whose stock in trade had been 3 wheelers, produced the Scimitar large "shooting brake" (2-door estate coupe) Scimitar. This was expensive and powerful, with a Ford, Germany V6 engine and overdrive by Laycock. It was a sports touring estate coupe which inspired the MGBT and others,
Saab responded with the final Sonett using a Ford Taunus engine, longer body and pop up headlights, aimed at the US market and it was a moderate success with enthusiasts.
Many exist today because Saab had high build standards and their aircraft pedigree showed in all of their designs except the ones just before they ceased production to concentrate on a need for advanced jet planes for Nordic military use short/medium haul airliners with Dutch Fokker. They still to this day make very specialized planes for emergency services in scores of countries.
SO, you are driving a masterpiece of craft, design and art.
What a bad ass car😮
Chris what do you have for a radio in the Sonett. Are the speakers in the rear panel of the trunk? Thanks The car looks great!
I have the factory stereo. I do not know the brand. It has 1 speaker in the dashboard.
@@ChrisClarkeFlyeither a Blaupunkt or Grundig?
Adjust the clutch pedal free play.
Are you setting fire to the Fiat or will it make a comeback on your channel?
Still parked in the garage just awaiting for me to decide its fate.
@@ChrisClarkeFly hope you don't light it on fire
And even airco! Does it work?
no no there was never AC in these, you're looking at fresh air vents. I worked for Saab in the 80s
@@forestghost7 Yes there was, aftermarket installed by the American importer. Three tell-tale signs in the interior: between the left air vent and the steering wheel you can see two knobs on a silverish background, the extra air vent left from the glove box lid and last but not least the black bulge under the the glove box. These are three things cars without AC don't have. I have read that they are often disconnected as the old style pump robs the engine from quite an amount of power of the blistering 65 horses 😁. And the pump is often not working anymore.
@@browserrr1 my bad, couldn't see it on my stupid lil phone. I do remember couple Sonetts in our servc dept none had AC ... just as well, with 65 HP lol. I have a similar age sportscar (72 MGB GT) built to 140 HP, it handles the modern AC kit I fitted just fine 🙂
@@forestghost7 I guess looking at that clip on a screen the size of a big stamp makes it hard to see details 😄. I stick to minimally a tablet size screen. AC in a MGB, isn't yours a convertible? I have seen the type with a steel roof, isn't that called a MGC? 140 HP is nice on such a light car, hope to build a tuned up V4 in that category for my Sonett once, but I need to win the lottery first 😄.
@@browserrr1 my MGB GT is steel roof hatchback, MGC was both flavors w a 2.9L six. the B is 1.8L 4 cyl, stock power was 95 , so ... catch me if you can haha! 😝
when the next movies??
Any trouble finding parts ? Found for sale she doesn’t start tho or roll supposedly
I haven’t had to find any parts yet but I’m planning a brake overhaul and many of the pets are hard to locate.
Same brake parts used I'm sure in SAAB 95 96's😊
Parts are very easy to find this is a simple ford motor
Hury up
You took a man's project car,Shame on you.