Saab Toad

Saab Toad

Saab Toad, or Paddan in Swedish, was a development car Saab made in 1966 to test out the new chassis, drive train and engine for the Saab 99.

Background

On April 2, 1965, Gudmund's day in Sweden, after several years of planning, the Saab board started "Project Gudmund". This was a project to develop a new and larger car to replace the Saab 96. This new car became the Saab 99, designed by Sixten Sason and unveiled in Stockholm on November 22, 1967.

Description

The reason for this project was to preserve secrecy during development of the new model, the Saab 99, which was the company's first radically new body shape since the first cars made in 1947. The Toad used the body of a Saab 96, which was long enough for the purpose but had to be widened by Convert|20|cm|in|1. This was achieved by cutting the body in half lengthwise and inserting 20 cm of steel 'spacer'. The windscreen (windshield) and rear window clearly showed the 'seam'. Of course, the bonnet (hood) and grille required widening in a different way, to prevent changing the appearance of the centrally-placed features, as the picture shows. The Triumph 'in-line four' engine of the future Saab 99 replaced the 'Ford Taunus V4 engine' of the Saab 96.

The end of the Toad

The Toad project was quite short-lived. It was rightly believed that the wider body would not be noticed on Sweden's roads, where so many Saab 96 cars were an everyday sight. This deception was successful, for a while, until test drivers allowed a grey 'toad' to be followed by a similarly-coloured but 'normal' Saab 96, making the different proportions obvious to any observer.

Four 'Toads' were made, but only one remains, in 'Dark Grey' paintwork. It is currently on display in the Saab museum in Trollhättan, Sweden.

Postscript

Further development was carried out on the Saab 'daihatsu', a test car with the new body but badged 'daihatsu', to prevent its identification by journalists as a developmental Saab. This vehicle is on display in the Saab Museum in Trollhättan.

External links

* [http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/saabmuseum_2004/IMG_2469 Paddan picture]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Saab 900 — 1984 Saab 900 Turbo with an SPG body kit and wheels. Manufacturer Saab Automobile Production 1978 1998 Predecessor …   Wikipedia

  • Saab Automobile — AB Rechtsform AB (Aktiebolag) Gründung 1947 Sitz …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Saab Automobile AB — Unternehmensform AB (Aktiebolag) Gründung 1947 Unternehmenssitz …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • SAAB (марка автомобиля) — SAAB Год основания 1937 Тип Публичная компания Расположение …   Википедия

  • SAAB (автомобильная марка) — SAAB Год основания 1937 Тип Публичная компания Расположение …   Википедия

  • SAAB (марка автомобилей) — SAAB Год основания 1937 Тип Публичная компания Расположение …   Википедия

  • Toad (disambiguation) — A toad is a species within the amphibian order Anura.Toad may also refer to:In zoology: *True toad, anurans within the family BufonidaeIn fiction: * Mr. Toad, a character in Kenneth Grahame s The Wind in the Willows * Toad of Toad Hall, a stage… …   Wikipedia

  • Saab Automobile — Infobox Company company name = Saab Automobile AB company company type = Subsidiary of GM competitors = Volvo, Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz foundation = 1947 by Svenska Aeroplan AB location = flagicon|Sweden Trollhättan, Sweden key people = Carl… …   Wikipedia

  • Saab Automobile AB — У этого термина существуют и другие значения, см. SAAB. Saab Automobile AB …   Википедия

  • Saab Automobile — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Saab (homonymie). Logo de Saab Automobile …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”