I will say up front that I am one of those weird people who loves Saab cars. I have owned seven models over the years and love that the people at Saab did things a bit differently. Their cars were different from every other car manufacturer and tended to offer quite innovative features ahead of other manufacturers. They were designed to offer good performance and practicality in a unique styling package that was also fun to drive.
In addition, Saab had a lot of competition success on the world rally stage, with driver Erik Carlsson being their most famous. Carlsson was nicknamed “Carlsson-on-the-Roof” due to his habit of sometimes rolling his Saab rally car and ending up with wheels in the air. Despite these occasional mishaps, Carlsson had scores of victories in Saab cars, including at the Monte Carlo rally, where he finished first in both 1962 and 1963 while driving a Saab 96.
The Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com is the same model Carlsson took to victory not only at Monte Carlo, but also in the Czech, San Remo and Acropolis rallies: a 1972 Saab 96 located in Farmingdale, NY.
The seller describes this Saab 96 as being painted in Cyber Green with a dark green interior. A replacement 1.7-liter V4 was installed under last ownership, along with 15″ Saab factory “soccer ball” alloy wheels and Hella auxiliary lights. The car is said to have been repainted in Volkswagen Cyber Green in 2005 and is equipped with chrome-finished bumpers, a Yakima roof rack, sound-deadening insulation, a cabin heater and front bucket seats upholstered in green vinyl.
The listing says this Saab 96 displays 58,877 miles. It also features lower bodyside moldings, pop-out rear windows and chrome bumpers with black rubber overriders, as well as dual side mirrors and a Yakima roof rack. The hood is said to have been repainted in 2020. The interior features front bucket seats and a rear bench upholstered in green vinyl. Sound-deadening insulation has been installed below the green carpeting. Other amenities include a heated driver’s seat, a lockable glovebox and crank-operated windows. The seller discloses there are some cracks on the lower front seat cushions and some imperfections in the dash vinyl near the glove box.
The two-spoke steering wheel is joined by a column-mounted shifter and VDO 8K-rpm tachometer. Other instrumentation includes a 100-mph speedometer and a combination gauge for coolant temperature and fuel level. The engine is equipped with a Pertonix electronic ignition and a Weber carburetor. Power is sent to the front wheels through a four-speed manual transaxle with a freewheel, and an aftermarket exhaust was installed under prior ownership.
These Saab 96 cars are pretty cool, especially when equipped with the Ford V4 as this one is. This was the correct engine that Saab used in the later 96 cars, replacing the original 2-stroke engine. While many feel that the 2-stroke engine is cooler, I beg to differ. I have driven both versions of the 96 and the V4-equipped cars are not only much faster, they also are less troublesome, more durable and not even close to as annoyingly loud as the 2-stroke-engine-equipped cars.
This really looks like a decent example of a Saab 96, and I personally love the color. Based on the photos and some of the modifications, I would have to guess that a real Saab enthusiast owned this car for years, something that to me is a big selling point. No, the car is not perfect – but it looks like a very drivable and solid example. It is extremely difficult to find a Saab 96 in any condition, and this one looks like the perfect entry point to the world of vintage Saabs.
This car would be perfect to use on vintage rally events, like the Copperstate 1000. I can practically guarantee you will be the only person with a Saab 96 – which is an admirable level of exclusivity at a very low price.
The asking price for the 1972 Saab 96 is a very fair and market-correct $23,900. If you are the type of collector who does not want to follow the crowd and buy the standard car that everyone else does, this Saab 96 is just the ticket.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com