by: George Achorn

Poll anyone intimate with the brand and the first generation Saab Sonett (94) Super Sport roadster will be named as perhaps the rarest and most sought-after of the Trollhattan breed. Back in 1956, the plan was to go for full series production of the low-slung roadster with a hint of Porsche 550 Spyder in its Spartan-yet-swooping design. Perhaps Swedish summers just aren’t long to create demand for such a car though, as the grand total ever produced only ever amounted to six. That one of these gave up its chassis for a one-off prototype quasi-backed by Saab makes things interesting, and that this particular car eventually found itself in the hands of René Hirsch, owner of the Swiss Saab tuning house Hirsch Performance, only makes it moreso.

Simply the story of the Super Sport alone will grab your attention. The original Sonett project began in October 1954 by chief Saab designer Rolf Meide with involvement in design by Saab design legend Sixten Sason. The cars were built under an air of secrecy by a three-man team on a farm in a small town called Åsaka that’s not far from Trollhattan. Completed, the car debuted at the 1956 Stockholm Motor Show.


Like the Porsche 550, the Sonett Super Sport was intended to win Saab some positive PR at the track. Dipping into the Swedish company’s vast experience in aeronautics, the roadster’s aircraft-style aluminum chassis and advanced suspension design combined with an efficient transverse-mounted 58-hp three-cylinder engine, suggested it went to the same fast-and-light school of motorsport thought as well. However, a change in racing regulations at the time was the car’s real downfall, changing Saab’s strategy where the Super Sport’s performance engine could be installed instead into a less-expensive production chassis. As was so common in the industry at the time, all six cars were unceremoniously offered for sale.

Three of the six remain today in the hands of Saab or its parent GM – the ivory-colored No.1 chassis and the blue No.5 chassis cars both in the Saab Museum collection in Trollhattan, while the orange No.2 chassis car is in the GM Heritage collection in Michigan. The red No.3 chassis car is in private collector hands in Sweden, while the white and blue painted No.6 chassis is similarly in private hands in the USA.


The No.4 car you see here, originally painted in a vibrant green, has led perhaps the most interesting life of the six. When Saab moved to sell the cars, the green Super Sport was sold to Saab designer Sigvard Sorensen. And, no surprise, Sorensen found the car a bit impractical for life in Trollhattan and decided upon making a change.

Transforming the car, Sorensen moved the gas tank from the front to a more practical and safer spot between the two rear wheels. The temperamental race-engineered powerplant was swapped in favor of a production sport unit – less powerful, but more drivable and reliable. Considering those cold Swedish winters, Sorensen was also inspired to change the bodywork to a closed-roof coupe.

That Sigvard Sorensen was a designer by trade certainly is evident in the production-looking level of detail of his ‘Facett’ coupe. Continuing his usability and durability theme, the new body panels were made of steel instead of lightweight fiberglass.


The car would eventually be sold again, finding its way into the hands of Dr. Klaus Muller-Ott in Germany. Having such a rare bloodline, it was no surprise that Muller-Ott would restore the car back to its original form. He even penned a book on the subject, entitled Saab Sonett No.4.

Today, the story of these two cars continues. The green No. 4 Sonett Super Sport has been acquired by René Hirsch – the man at the helm of retail Saab outlets in Switzerland and the name behind Saab tuning house Hirsch Performance. With such high-caliber Saab enthusiast ownership, you might guess where this is going.

Hirsch not only saw value in the green No.4 roadster, but also the Facett’s remaining steel bodywork, shed like a molten skin. René gave access to the No.4’s chassis to a German firm, instructing them to create an exact replica. A 750cc engine like the one the Facett used when it was put together by Sorensen was sourced from the Saab Automobile Museum in Trollhattan and the restored body panels found a new and replicated home atop a modern Sonett I Super Sport chassis.


As part of General Motors’ 100-year birthday in 2008, Hirsch displayed both the Saab Sonett No.4 and the recreated Facett at the Geneva Classics Show in October.

These two cars as a pair make for a most interesting collection. They are, quite literally, two faces of the same car. The green Super Sport itself may be the more valued collector-car by traditional standards – one of only six prototypes and very exotic with its lightweight body and racing engine. One can’t discount the Facett though – not officially a Saab but one of a kind just the same.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
This story relied on several Saab-specific websites for background on these two cars. Find out more information on both the Saab Sonett I Super Sport and the Saab Facett via the links below.

www.SaabHuy.net - Hirsch-Era Ownership of These Cars
www.SaabHistory.com - Saab Facett, The Unofficial Prototype
www.SaabHistory.com - THe History of the Saab 94 Sonett I Super Sport
www.SaabHistory.com - The 1956 Saab 94 Sonett I