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UPDATE, EnG: While Swade’s asleep, I can edit his posts. (shhhh!) I thought that I’d throw in my own targa top CGI. See below!
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Ah, the fun that we can have in the computer age……
ctm has had a play with the Saab 9-X BioHybrid concept, chopped off the roof and come up with something good:
I know there some people out there that can do it a hundred times better, but I just did a rough test and I think the 9-X BHC could be the basis for a nice little Sonett…
A nice little Sonett, indeed.
Saab designers, please take note. Is there room for more than one convertible in the Saab lineup? They do them so well that I think there might!
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I thought that I’d have a shot at the targa version of the CGI work above. Not as good as I had hoped. Maybe one of you that is more talented than I am can take a shot at this.
15 responses so far ↓
1 Markac
// Mar 11, 2008 at 8:15 pm
They don’t need to make a conventional convertible. Make it a coupe with a folding metal roof like VW’s Eos and call that a “Sonnet”.
2 WooDz
// Mar 11, 2008 at 8:42 pm
If you could describe this car in one word what would that word be?
WOW !
3 rayman146
// Mar 11, 2008 at 8:45 pm
or better – use the soft/hardtop version Webasto introduced in Geneva! Anyone who thinks this car is ugly will be suprised by the potential the concept has. It looks damn good as a convertible – if you had to chose between the new A3 or BMW 1series verts and then take a 9-1 vert in consideration, what would be the outcome? The others are but-ugly and everyone knows about it, but this one is just a beauty. I would like a bigger picture of it – the small one does not suit my desktop very well
4 Martin N
// Mar 11, 2008 at 9:42 pm
No no no! Not a metal convertible. In order to fit the roof in the trunk of a small car like this, they would have to make the rear big and ugly.
Look at Peugeot 206 and you’ll see what i mean:
http://www.partexchanges.net/images%5Ccars%5C206AllureConvertibleBlue.jpg
5 swade
// Mar 11, 2008 at 9:46 pm
And personally, I hope Saab always stick with the ragtop. I haven’t seen a folding tin top yet that looked right, whether open or closed.
6 Markac
// Mar 11, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Actually I don’t think the Astra Twin Top came out too bad: http://www.worldcarfans.com/7060720.001/photo1/opel-astra-twin-top-by-steinmetz
If the next Astra gets a twin top, there’s no reason why Saab can’t have one also.
7 Alex
// Mar 11, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I disagree with calling it the “Sonett”, I think Saab should save the Sonett name for something a bit more special than a hardtop vert. I really like that top-down profile of the car though and I definitely think that the 9-1 lineup should include a 3-door, 5-door, and convertible in it’s lineup.
As for the Sonett I’d like to see them do a production version of the Aero X on the wide-track, double-wishbone equipped EPII that’s supposed to underpin the new 9-5. Maybe use the 9-3 wheelbase to keep it smaller and lighter, but definitely give it xwd with FWD-biased handling like the Turbo X has so it feels like a real Saab. Anywhere between 280 and 400 horsepower would suit it nicely and give Saab a much-needed halo car.
8 Ivan (MuzX)
// Mar 12, 2008 at 1:14 am
It looks were boring like this for me.
Completely lost its character.
9 saabyurk
// Mar 12, 2008 at 2:12 am
Markac, I don’t think the the Astra Twin Top looks so good with with the top up. I like ctm’s 9-X convertible, but I’m having a hard time visualizing it looking good with the top up, either rag top or hard top. Wish I had drawing skills.
10 wilfried
// Mar 12, 2008 at 4:53 am
mmmmmarvelous
11 eggsngrits
// Mar 12, 2008 at 5:02 am
Rag top: yes. Have it open part way or all the way as on the Mini.
Could do a targa top thing that would look great on this car — open roof and have the hatch window roll down. It would be great. I’ll try to show what I’m talking about….
12 Martin N
// Mar 12, 2008 at 5:31 am
Marcac,
Astra (and the smaller Tigra) has a wedge shape that allows the rear to be quite high. The 9x doesn’t. Andt he 9x is probably a smaller car than Astra.
I agree with Eggsngrits: Mini style!
13 Mike C.
// Mar 12, 2008 at 5:52 am
I WANT ONE, (Rag top please.)
14 MarkS
// Mar 12, 2008 at 7:24 am
Folks, check this out. After reading this post about an Astra convertible I wonder if it’s true? This guy says the hard retractable top deposits water on the front seats if there is any water on the roof when you put the top down:
http://www.goodexperience.com/tib/archives/2007/01/opel_astra_twin.html
(this link shows some images of the car)
http://www.caradisiac.com/media/images/le_mag/mag270/opel-astra-tt-3b.jpg
Interesting…but true or not, I haven’t seen a retractable hard top that I’ve really liked. Rag-tops generally (in my humble opinion) look better and take up less space when retracted. Anyway…a convertible 9X is an interesting idea…..
15 Markac
// Mar 12, 2008 at 8:13 am
Martin N: The next Astra ( and the 9-1 ) are scheduled to be on the Delta II platform and slightly bigger than the current Astra, so I doubt that the Saab will be much smaller.
It’s a pity Saab hasn’t given us any dimensions for the 9-X BH, but I think that car is only a hint of what the 9-1 might be like and not a true representation of what they could build on the Delta II floorpan.
I suggested the twin top idea because that way we get a convertible and a coupe. I somehow think that’s the only way we could get both?