I just received an email from Drew B, following up on the story from yesterday about the ‘Saab’ that he spotted for sale in a car trader magazine here in Australia.
In short, it seems that the Lightburn Saab has been found. It’s also been sold already, but at least we’ve go a lead as to where it is.
This is the ad that appeared in the magazine:
Drew B called the former owner this evening and has just emailed me as follows:
Just got off the phone with the seller of the 1960 Saab ‘Supersport’, an 82 year old living in Adelaide. The car sold on the first day he had it advertised, with numerous phone callers from across Australia and even as far a field as Ireland. It has now been purchased by an 80-odd year old man and his wife to use for historic car club outings.
The seller said that he came across the car three years ago, after his real-estate agent son discovered it as part of a deceased estate. It was purchased once the estate was settled, and took little coaxing to remove it from the shed where it had sat for a number of years.
After getting it going, some research was done to establish the car’s history. Turns out that it was in fact one of Harold Lightburn’s creations, constructed with the assistance of Saab Sweden. Lightburn constructed a lightweight tubular frame over which he added hand-fabricated aluminium panels and a fibreglass nose. Like most Saabs, it tilts forward. The engine, transmission, brakes and parts of the electrical system were supplied by Saab. The wheels were Saab 93/96 units, shod with Firestone tyres made in Sweden. Saab supplied parts for one right hand drive and one left hand drive car, and only these two were ever built. The project was then shelved.
As for pictures, the seller said he wasn’t computer literate, and didn’t have access to one anyway.
I’m hoping that we can get in touch with the new owner and if it’s still in Adelaide, maybe send TS-regular Markac around to get some new photos of this small part of Saab’s history.
Imagine if they’d made a Sonett derivative right here in Australia!!
My thanks to Drew B for contacting the owner and letting us know the outcome. Proper job, that!!
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Great story guys. Please post any updates if they surface. Surely someone could manage some photos Drew?
Funny to see “1960 Supersport” in the same advertisement that includes “3 cyl, 2 stroke, 841cc”. A 1960 Supersport here would have been “8 cyl, 4 barrel, 327 cu in” (327 cu in = 5.2 liters).
Interesting bit of history!
Ahoy
Hey I didn’t really react the other day when my wife said one of th eguys who works at her school here in Adelaide came to work in an old SAAB Convertible that had no roof. “Yeah sure a classic 900 Conv I Thought”
Then she told me more this morning “Oh it was some sort of Lightburn SAAB – you’d be really interested” “Argh he says.
So does anyone want me to get teh deatils of th eownere? His name is Terry and he isn’t 80 but he is oldish
It’s in Gawler and it looks great.