Majorette Saab 900 Turbo and Matchbox Saab 9000 Turbo

Saab has, unfortunately, left us thanks to the Great Recession and to no one having the will to save the Swedish automaker.  Saab started life making airplanes before turning an odd direction into vehicles, and it would take some time before Saab finally got down its own sharp styling direction, performance mindset, and unique features.  These two represent the birth of Saab as a considerate player in the auto business.

Majorette Saab 900 Turbo

In 1978 the Saab 900 was introduced to replace the 99 with more angluar styling that was aerodynamic and pleasing to look at.  The front has the flush headlights and grille design, along with the fastback roof with rear spoiler that would be a trademark to Saab designs in the coming generations.  Novelty items on the Saab are a deeply-sloped windshield and dashboard with all controls mounted higher up for better visibility and a nod to the aircraft legacy of the brand.  The ignition key slot is on the center console next to the parking brake.  The engine is longitudionally mounted, yet powers the front wheels.  Nothing new except the engine is installed backwards where the drive belts are along the firewall, while the transmission is mounted below the engine along the oil pan and power is transferred from a chain at the front of the engine to the transmission.  The engine on this turbo model is a 2.0L DOHC turbo I-4 that produces 143 horsepower through a 5-speed manual transmission.  The 900 line would continue for two decades spanning coupes, sedans, and even a convertible.

This Majorette casting looks pretty good in silver with Turbo along the sides.  The stance of the car does seem to sit rather hight for a turbo model and with the working suspension contributes to body roll despite some excellent manuvers from this car.  The front has flush headlights on a metal base that joints the grille with outer vertical three slots.  The signal lights are mounted on the front fenders and the round windshield design is nicely detailed.  The side profile shows the four-door look with fastback sloping roofline just like the Simca 1308, right down to the duck tail rear spoiler and taillights on the sides of a trailer hitch that allows this car to tow any Majorette trailer.  The interior has seating for five with ribbed seats, shifter on the floor, and three-spoke steering wheel along a dashboard with a slightly-lower dashboard height.  A nice feature is in the cargo area in the rear where tennis rackets are ready for leisure play after spooling the turbo in this sporty Saab 900.

Matchbox Saab 9000 Turbo

After a while you start to realize that a brand cannot survive on one car alone, so Saab started to design a larger sedan that is more contemporary than the 900, yet shares the same design and Saab novelty features.  Introduced in 1984 the 9000 was a partnership with Fiat that also created the Fiat Croma, Lancia Thema, and Alfa Romeo 164, and interestingly the Fiat and Lancia share the same styling with the 9000 even if the body panels are not interchangeable.  The body was more aerodynamic than the 900, the ignition key repositioned back to the dashboard, and a four-door model was offered alongside the five-door hatchback.  While a V6 was offered later the prime powertrains were all four-cylinder, with the Turbo gaining a direct fuel injected 2.3L DOHC turbo I-4 that produced 200 horsepower through a 5-speed manual transmission.  However, unlike the 900 the 9000 has a typical transverse engine layout.

This metallic red Matchbox example with tan interior fits in just nicely with other 1980's Matchbox luxury cars and I must admit it is one of the best interior and exterior colors to be found on a Matchbox luxury car.  The front has flush headlights and grille that are part of the chrome trim, joining signal lights on the front fenders and a lower chin spoiler that wraps around to the front wheelwells.  The side profile has a nice clean design with some character lines along the doors and the rear hatch window wraps around to the sides.  The rear has conventional square taillights with lower bumper spoiler and SAAB on the license plate that is also part of the metal base.  The base shows off the exhaust system and the suspension works even if the wheels do not allow much suspension travel and rub against the body.  The doors open up to a beautiful butterscotch interior with seating for five, nicely detailed dashboard that has the traditional high-mounted controls of a Saab with 3-spoke steering wheel and floor shifter.  Even the door panels get a few bits of details and up front there's a SAAB name carved into the front bumper.  Very nicely done.

Saab may not be with us right now, but these two still carry on the sleek designs of the brand for years to come.