Saab 91 Concept, the MINI Saab

Over the years, the cars wearing the Saab badge have proved to be reliable, but they never impressed with their looks. This is perhaps one of the reasons why the Swedish manufacturer's vehicles never sold as much as its management would have like to, despite continuous efforts made by the Trollhattan team.

It is only in the past four or five years that Saab's image, in terms of car design, began to change. The pool of Saab fans are apparently pleased with the direction the manufacturer is now heading and some of them even tried to envision a Saab of the not-so-distant future.

Dubbed 91, the hatchback Saab is the work of Italian designer Fabio Ferrante and a bunch of Saab enthusiasts who like to call themselves Saab 91 Petition and Support Group. Sized about right to take on the MINI and the newer A1, the 91 is based on the current design language of the Spyker-owned manufacturer and was inspired by the BioHybrid and Aero X.

Intended to be an open-source project, the 91 presents a front end with the grille and headlights integrated into a single element and emphasized by the big air intakes at the bottom of the front end.

The concept study is not yet finalized, so there's no word on what Ferrante thinks would best be suited to power the vehicle. The interior however is almost finished and the designer promises it will be heavily inspired by the aeronautical industry, a field in which Saab has been active more than in the automotive business.