GRAHAM ROBSON
Foreword
Introduction
Acknowledgements
The car and the team
Inspiration
The importance of the Saab 96 in rallying
Facing up to rival cars
Homologation meeting the rules
Engineering features
93 Father of the 96
Enter the 96
V4 replaces straight three
Motorsport development improvements
Was the Saab 96 (and the V4) unique?
Building and running the works cars
Personalities and star drivers
Competition story
The works Saabs career
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
The long goodbye
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
Past its best? What rivals took over?
How could Saab replace the V4?
World/major European rally wins
Index
Features
Full detailed history of the Saab 96 & V4's rally career
Complete story of concept, design and development
Unrivalled coverage of people and influences behind the cars
Step-by-step account of technical evolution
Description of cars: why, how and when evolved
Details of principal people involved
Packed with colour pictures
Comparison with rivals
Complete listing of important successes
Description
The front-wheel-drive Saab 96 made the brand into a rally icon in the 1960s. It succeeded in events as diverse as the Monte Carlo, Britain's RAC Rally, special stage events in every Scandinavian country, and the rough-and-tough Spa-Sofia-Liége Marathon.
The big change came in 1967, when the 96 became the V4. Works cars continued to be competitive in carefully chosen events for many years, and when they became outdated, the V4's successors the much larger and more powerful 99 and 99 Turbo types proved that Saab wasnt done with rallying yet.
More than any other car of its era, the 96 and V4 models proved that front-wheel-drive allied to true superstar driving could produce victory where no-one expected it.
Synopsis
The front-wheel-drive Saab 96 made the brand into a rally icon in the 1960s. Superstar driving from Erik Carlsson, his wife Pat Moss-Carlsson and later from Stig Blomqvist, all brought real publicity and admiration for a car that always lacked the sheer straight-line performance of its rivals.
Saabs like this, however, never wanted for strength, or for amazing handling and traction, and they succeeded in events as diverse as the Monte Carlo, Britain's RAC rally, special stage events in every Scandinavian country, and the rough-and-tough Spa-Sofia-Liege Marathon.
The big change came in 1967, when the 96 became the V4, looking almost the same as before, but with a new and more powerful four-stroke Ford-Germany V4 engine. Works cars continued to be competitive in carefully chosen events for many years, and it was only the arrival of much more specialised rivals that made them outdated. Saab, though, was not finished with rallying, as the V4's successors, the much larger and more powerful 99 and 99 Turbo types, proved.
More than any other car of its era, the 96 and V4 models proved that front-wheel-drive allied to true superstar driving could produce victory where no-one expected it.
