The 'SAAB Spirit lives on'

..until March 17 at the Simeone Automotive Museum. 

  • The 1956 Saab Sonett 1 of 1956 (One of only six built. The car presently exhibited at the museum is #6, white with blue stripe.)
  • Philadelphia, Pa. – The Simeone Automotive Museum will present a special show, “The Saab Spirit Lives On” from February 23rd to March 17th. The exhibit will feature over 16 cars from the collection of Bill Jacobson owner of Sports Car Service of Wilmington, Delaware.

  • interior of the Saab Sonett 1
  • The Saabs on display will include a 1956 Sonett 1, of which only six were produced, a 1996 “Saab Talladega Challenge” 900 model, and a Barber Saab Pro Series open-wheeled racer. Many notable Indy Car drivers such as Juan Pablo Montoya began their racing careers in a Barber Saab. The newest Saab on display will be a 2011 9-5 Aero, which was the ending production of the Saab era.

  • 1959 Saab 750 GT. Photo: The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
  • Saab (in English, Swedish Aeroplane Limited) was formed in 1945 out of Saab AB, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, when Saab AB started a project to design a small automobile. The Saab 92, Saab's first production model, was launched in 1949. GM gained control of Saab in 2000, spending $125 million to turn the company into a wholly owned subsidiary. GM sold it to the Dutch automobile manufacturer Spyker Cars N.V. in 2010. After struggling to avoid insolvency throughout 2011, on June 13, 2012 it was announced that the National Electric Vehicle Sweden had bought Saab Automobile's bankruptcy estate.

  • Admission to the Saab Spirit Lives On Show is included with regular museum admission: $12 adults; $10 senior; $8 students; children 8 and under are admitted free. For more information call 215-365- 7233, or visit the Web Simeon Automotive Museum - Saab Spirit lives on. The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m.

  • Simeone Automotive Museum
    www.simeonemuseum.org
    6825 Norwitch Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19153
    215-365-7233

  • The list of cars to appear in the show are:
    1956 Saab Sonett 1 (white w/ blue stripe) - Serial #6 of 6 ever produced

  • 1959 Saab 750 GT (Red) - Featured in Autoweek magazine article “50 years of Saab & Ferrari” also appears in Michael Furman’s Automobiles of the Chrome Age

  • 1964 Saab Quantum Formula “S” (blue with yellow nose) - Sold in “kit” form through Saab US dealers only. Raced in the mid 1960’s with S.C.C.A.

  • 1964 Saab Bullnose Wagon (Tan) - Acquired from the GM/Saab Heritage Collection

  • 1965 Saab Longnose Wagon (Red) - All original, only 75,000 KM

  • 1967 Saab Sonett II 2-stroke (Silver) - One of only 258 produced, most of them were sold here in the US.

  • 1970 Saab 99 (Tan) - Acquired from the GM/Saab Heritage Collection

  • 1978 Saab 99 Turbo (Burgundy) - Acquired from the GM/Saab Heritage Collection, the first of the turbo charged cars that started the “Turbo” powered era.

  • 1980 Saab 900 5 door (Black) - Acquired from the GM/Saab Heritage Collection

  • 1986 Saab 900 T Convertible (Red) - Saab press car for the release of the Saab convertible. Was always owned by Saab and the only red 1986 produced.

  • 1990 Barber Saab Pro Series Formula Car (Red) - Series featuring open-wheeled, Saab-powered formula cars ran from 1986 – 1991 giving many race car drivers their start, such as: Robbie Buhl, Bryan Herta and Juan Pablo Montoya

  • 1991 Saab 900 SPG Convertible (White) - Custom ordered and made for the former Saab president Jim Crumlish

  • 1993 Saab 9000 Cut away (Yellow) - Acquired from the GM/Saab Heritage Collection, shows the steel reinforcements made on a Saab giving them their high standards in crash safety records

  • 1993 900T Limited Edition (Black) - #139 of 325 produced. The last year of the “classic 900” 3 door body style

  • 1996 900 Turbo SE Talladega Challenge (Silver) - The 1996 event Oct 16 – 24th, the Saabs in the challenge bettered 18 of their own records and set 22 more. On the last day the fastest 900 averaged 143 MPH for 12 hours

  • 1998 Saab 9000 CSET Aspen Police (Silver) - Former Aspen Colorado Police car for the first 19,000 miles and then sold back to Saab Cars USA for resale in 1999.

  • 2000 Saab 9-3 Viggen Convertible (Lighting Blue) - 1 of 41 produced in this color in the production year 2000

  • 2011 Saab 9-5 Aero (Silver) - One of the last Saabs to be produced, ending an era in the Saab world.

  • The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation and includes many of the most significant racing sports cars ever built. The International Historic Motoring Awards selected the Simeone as “Automotive Museum of the Year”.