You have a satisfied crowd, a great result for Saab and a surprise sprint to the finish for a fitting third placegetter.

The final results saw the Lancia Delta Integrale sustain it’s run in the last 10 days and runaway as a clear winner of the poll. The Lancia won 28% of the total vote and finished up with 6,969 votes.

The Saab 99 Turbo, based on solid support from various forums around the world, gathered 24%, or 5,800 votes, to finish in a clear second place.

The Volkwagen Golf GTI had occupied third place from around week two of the four-week polling period. It wouldn’t have been my choice if I had a second vote. My second vote would have gone to the car that ended up in third place – the Alfa Romeo Alfasud!!

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I’ve owned two Saab 99 Turbos in my lifetime as well as an Alfasud Sprint. The Alfa 33 that I own now is a modern version of the same car but with a 16V engine, so I’m pretty happy with this result. All I need is a ‘Grale and I’ll have owned all three!

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Hopefully CAR Magazine will do at least one article based on the results. I’d prefer if they did two articles, actually.

The first could be on the cars themselves and why they are so revered by the people that love them and voted for them.

The second article could be on the phenomena of obscure vehicle loving, which in Saab’s case is probably a fairly new revelation for CAR Magazine.

My thanks to all who participated in the vote.

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As of the time of updating, the top five are as follows:

Saab 99 Turbo – 2,800 votes
Lancia Delta Integrale – 2,320 votes
VW Golf GTi – 1,528 votes
Peugeot 205 GTI – 1,058 votes
Renault Clio Williams – 531 votes

Compare those with the tally below, written on January 14, and you’ll see a marked increase in the Saab vote. If you haven’t had a vote yet, then go over to CAR Magazine at the link below and have your say. The voting closes at the end of the month, so there’s still a long way to go.

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Remember the poll at CAR magazine to see which was the best hot hatch in history?

We got a good little burst going in the intial stages of the poll, lifting the Saab 99 Turbo from oblivion to third place. The last time we checked, the 99Turbo was still in third place but I figured that the momentum would drop off somewhat. These Saabs can be an acquired taste, after all, and it never had the market penetration or exposure of some of the others.

To my surprise, though, it’s still hanging in there. Actually, it’s doing much more than that; it’s in a strong third position and is now only a relative handful of votes behind the VW Golf GTi for second place!

The current top 5 standings:

Lancia Delta Integrale – 1,577 votes
VW Golf GTi – 1,357 votes
Saab 99 Turbo – 1,244 votes
Pegeot 205 GTI – 926 votes
VW Golf R32 – 491 votes

Go you cracking little Saab!!

There’s only one vote per IP address, so if you’ve had your vote, then you’ve had your say. Of course, if you’ve got a workplace computer as well…….

If you haven’t had your vote yet and would like to help the 99T get a little respect from the boffins at CAR, then click though and cast your vote now.

Thanks ctm!

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Is this the best hot hatch of all time?

OK, maybe the Saab 99 Turbo is a little big to be considered a true hot hatch as the term’s come to be understood today. But it sure as heck deserves better than the showing that it’s got right now!!

CAR Magazine are conducting a poll to find the best hot hatch of all time. It’s a pretty long list being led by some strong contenders, but the Saab is in there and needs your support.

As I’m posting this, the 99T has a paltry 26 votes, way behind the 515 votes acquired by both the VW Golf and Lancia Delta Integrale – and that’s not good enough. The 99T deserves more respect.

So, if you’ve got a heart and a minute to cast your vote, join with me and George from Turbonines in giving the Saab 99 Turbo a more suitable vote tally.

Click here to cast your vote.

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It’s 280hp and XWD vs 145hp and FWD. Power everthing vs power assisted disc brakes. If they weren’t made by the same company and if they didn’t occupy a similar space in the Saab pantheon, then it would be chalk vs cheese. If you take pure mechanicals, the Turbo X wins with daylight second and the 99 a distant third. But if you add character and history to the mix, it becomes a much closer contest.

The 99T doesn’t lose much at all, if anything, in terms of frontal presence.

And it doesn’t do too bad from the rear, either…..

In fact, if the Turbo X doesn’t respect its elder to the proper extent, it could open up and swallow it whole!!

The Turbo X should probably take the points on over all dash layout. The 99T’s was functional, at best. And if we complain about materials nowadays, then we shouldn’t forget the flimsy center console in the 99 or the fake wood decal stuck across the dash.

The 99T does get points for the Bordello Red interior, though!

Seat comfort and safety….goes to the X

…and headlamp look and functionality….

….but no car has ever had a cooler gauge than the 99 Turbo’s dash-top mounted turbo gauge

I think the 99T wins out on badging, too:

The Turbo X is a better car than the 99 Turbo in almost ever conceivable way you’d like to test it. The only measure by which the 99T might outgun it’s younger brother is in character. But cars take time to develop character, or more accurately, to have character attributed to them. The Turbo X might just stack up pretty well in that department in 2038.

For now, I guess we’ll have just settle with the conclusion that the Saab wins this test, or if you want to be more specific, the black turbo.

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I can’t read this funny language, but I have a feeling that AutoWeek come to a similar conclusion.

And one final look at old man 99T in full flight:

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It’s supposed to be a Saab spin on Knight Rider and whilst I’m not sure how well it succeeds at that (then again, would you want to? Not even Knight Rider succeeds at Knight Rider in 2008), it’s very well made and is a lot of fun to watch. The big drawcard for me is that it gives you a fantastic look at one of the Saabiest Saabs in history – a Saab 99 GL.

It was a special treat for me personally, too, as the car had the same white exterior and green interior color combination as my old Saab 99 Turbo.

Thanks to Peter for the link, and whoever you are, please feel free to give us more.

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I’m having some trouble hosting video here at the moment, so you have two options:

1) watch it in small screen using the video embedded in the right sidebar —–>

OR

2) Click here to watch it on YouTube

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This is a terrible Bablefish translation of a press release from Saab Germany (I’ve tried to clean it up a bit) . It seems they’re going to be promoting the release of the Saab Turbo X there with a few laps around the ‘Ring in some old 99s, and I assume in the ‘X’ as well. The original Saab 99 Turbo made it’s world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in 1977, so a return to Germany is quite appropriate.

I really hope they take a camera crew and get some great footage of the event. Maybe they’ll even get The Original Stig to talk (he’s a pretty quiet fellow).

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Saab at that 36th AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix

Stig Blomqvist and two Saab 99s on the Oldtimer Grand Prix. From the Saab 99 to the turbo X: Saab celebrates 30 years turbo-technology in Ruesselsheim/Duesseldorf.

From 8 to 10 August 2008, the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring starts into its 36th Round. The premium marque, Saab will celebrate it’s 30 year guiding rolde with turbo technology with two Saab 99s and prominent support by rally icon Stig Blomqvist from Sweden. Current proof for Saab’s authority: the top-class sportsman Turbo X, available since last autumn.

The two Saab 99s – an original WRC rallycar from 1979 and a Saab 99 in pearl white, the same color as the first turbo-model of Saab on the IAA in the year 1977 – will participate in demonstration trips on the Nürburgring. With the exposure of the turbo-model on the IAA 31 years ago, Saab placed its foundation-stone for the role of pioneer with the development of turbocharged engines. Today there is hardly a manufacturer that does not offer vehicles with turbo-technology.

From the Saab 99 to the turbo X – three decades guiding role with the turbo-technology

The turbo-loading is the key for what calls Saab “Rightsizing”. A turbo engine is smaller and offers better fuel consumption than an normally aspirated engine with larger capacity offering similar output. Additionally, a turbocharger produces more torque because it uses the energy from the exhaust gas stream of the engine. The intelligent recycling of energy, which remains otherwise unused, agrees with the philosophy of responsibility for the environment, which Saab feels particularly obligated.

The employment of a turbocharger with the two-litre engine of the Saab 99 brought an increase in output of 23 per cent to 145 HP and proud 45 per cent more torque and with it a clearly higher passage strength of the engine. In order to achieve the same output, a non-turbo engine of that time would have been up to 50% bigger to obtain similar power ratings. It wo9uld also be heavier, which meant around 30% more in terms of fuel consumption.

In the 80’s the usually black models Saab coined/shaped 99 and 900 turbo – which possess today cult status – the image of the mark. By innovations in the electronic engine management and turbocharger design the turbo engines of today show Saab’s work in an extremely progressive way.

The current high point of technical development is the Saab Turbo X. It is a special model limited to 2,000 units and for the first time will use the turbo-powered 2.8 V6 motors with 280 HP and 400 Newtonmeters to maximum torque in combination with a sportily co-ordinated chassis and the ultramodern all-wheel drive system Saab XWD (CROSS Wheel drive). The Turbo X thereby sets new yardsticks and Saab celebrates three decades of turbo leadership at the same time, leadership which took its beginning with the Saab 99.

Saab 99 – Innovative carrier also with security and comfort

Turbo-technology was not the only way that the Saab 99 was ahead of its time. Since the beginning of the 1970’s it was ha the following innovations honouring its name: Headlight washer, impact-absorbing and self-repairing bumpers, seat heating, side impact protection in the doors and many comfort and safety details that were held first with the Saab 99 introduction.

Rallye legend Stig Blomqvist is inseparably connected with the successes of the 99 Model. 1976 showed the Swedish driver had much potential in the Rallye sport of prepared Saab 99 EMS put: The car took full 220 HP out of its Zweiliter-16-Ventil-Aggregat and sprintete with the Rallye run in the Belgian Spa as the first by the goal. Likewise in a Saab 99 EMS it won one year later the Swedish rally, before it proved 1979 with the victory with the Sweden rally ranking among the Rallyeweltmeisterschaft for the first time, to which a turbo-loaded engine is also in the hardest Rallye employment in the situation. With an output of 270 HP the special turbo-version had the nose in front – also in the years after with Wettfahrten everywhere in Europe.

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Wett fartin? Everywhere in Europe??

The mind boggles!

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The edited photos may be found here.

The complete unedited set may be found here.

Enjoy!

My speculation is that Saab will feature the turbocharger as both “green” and “go”. Performance that makes sense. It is already happening with the BioPower everywhere and the turbo diesel in Europe. The remainder of the message isn’t so clear, but I believe that you’ve already seen the first wave of appeals to the urban sophisticates with Anthony Lo so prominently displayed during the last year or so. Again, it’s my guess, but artful design and European heritage will play a large part.

To get us talking about that turbocharging history, Saab USA provided these cars for us to flog on Tuesday:

19761978 Saab 99 Turbo (the first Saab turbocharged car available in the US)
1987 Saab 9000 Turbo from “the Long Run” at Talladega
1993 Saab 900 SPG
1996 Saab 900 Turbo from the Talladega Challenge
1997 Saab 900 Turbo from the Pikes Peak Hillclimb driven by Simo Lampinen

I drove them all but the 9000. Given more time, I would have driven it, too. Pictures below!

Eat your heart out, Swade. I must say that I learned a valuable lesson with the 99: power steering is a good thing, a very good thing.

Check out the period-correct plates! For those of you outside the US or too young to remember (ahem), 1976 was the year of our country’s bicentennial so the nationalistic red, white and blue motif was ubiquitous. Michigan was obviously no exception. (It even has the 1978 registration sticker!!)

More pictures on Flickr at some point.

And it looks brilliant!

My second thought was why haven’t I seen this website before now??

The picture comes from a site called saab99.net, which seems to be a pretty good resource for hooking up with other 99 owners or finding some links for like-minded websites.

I’ve added it to the sidebar and will definitely be checking it out a bit more thoroughly in the weeks to come.

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They go a long way to reminding us just how advanced Saabs were, back in the day. Many of the qualities like safety and utility remain but there’s still some work to do…..

Click to enlarge, though you’ll still need to squint a little.

And if I may indulge just a little, how good does that 99 look in the second poster? I know the 900 will likely be regarded as the Saabiest Saab for all time, but the 99 with it’s slightly shorter nose is the one for me.

Bring it back in a retro-modern style with a modern engine and I’d camp out at a showroom to own one.

Maaaaaaagnificent!