Spotted: a 1980 Saab 99
The spotted specimen
In Hoorn we saw this 1980 Saab 99 GL. The car has been in the Netherlands since 2015 and the current owner has only had it for a short time, since last April. Furthermore, the RDW informs us that this GL has the 2.0-liter four-cylinder under the hood, with an output of 73 kW (99 hp). In the watery autumn sunshine, it still looks very nice. Yes, it has road grime on it, but it’s just nice that a car like this is still being put to good use.
The Saab 99 GL
We discussed the general history of the Saab 99 several years ago in our section Cars of yesteryear. Therefore, we will now go a little deeper into the specific spotted version. First of all, we see the 99 here as a relatively late sedan. Indeed, the total production period was from 1968 to 1984. In addition to this four-door sedan, there was a choice of a two-door sedan and a three- and five-door hatchback. The latter variant, referred to as the Combi Coupe, was added to the range in 1974 and was quite progressive for the time. Certainly in this segment there were not many hatchbacks yet.
The GL version
The letters GL stood for Grand Luxe. This made it one of the more richly equipped versions. Above it were only the sporty Turbo and the exclusive Finlandia, an extended version. At the same time, the GL pretty much formed the basis of the range, as a fixture from introduction to production end. In any case, the range of lower positioned models changed regularly during the production period.
Technical specifications Saab 99 GL
Then the technical specifications. According to the specifications that we can find, the spotted car should have 74 kW (100 hp), but this minimal deviation from the RDW data is not that noticeable. Furthermore, the torque is 162 Nm. Via a four-speed manual transmission, the front wheels are driven. Also not yet obvious at that time. Together with an unladen weight of 1,120 kg, these values are enough for a 0-100 time of 14.5 seconds and a top speed of 160 km/h.
The Saab 99 in miniature
A little treat for the miniature car collectors among our readers: several years ago, we also featured a Saab 99 in our section AutoRAI in Miniature.