Photo: Bonhams
Other than Volvo, the Kingdom of Sweden gave us Saab. Officially dead since 2012, the low-key but spellbinding automaker started life in 1945, with the first production car following in 1949. The front-wheel-drive 92 is the stuff of legends, which is why finding a pre-production prototype is difficult.
Chassis 92009 here is one of those prototypes, and as fate would have it, it’s highly original and for sale. Classic car specialist Bonhams will auction off the 1949 Saab 92 De Luxe at the Chantilly Sale on September 10. Estimated to fetch anything between €15,000 to €25,000, there’s no reserve on this lot.
Can you imagine that? A piece of Saab history expected to change hands for almost as much money as Volvo asks for the V40 hatchback? Pictured in the gallery is one of the three pre-production survivors, with the Swedish automaker having manufactured a total of 20 examples (92001 to 92020). The first prototype slumbers in the Saab Museum, while 92004 is now part of a collection. The remaining 17 units are believed to have been scrapped.
The papers for 92009 show that the vehicle was registered to SAAB Aeroplan AB in July 1949, after which aerospace engineer Olaf Ohlander acquired the 92 in November 1953. Repainted gray from the original green and modified with an opening trunk, the prototype changed hands four additional times, with Swedish farmer Torsten Johansson acquiring the fabled car in 1960.
Driven sporadically from 1960 to 1980, chassis number 92009 has been in barn storage up until April 1997. That’s when the current owner purchased the vehicle, fixing up and maintaining the 92 in working condition. Elements such as the tires and right-hand mirror have been changed since then.
Accompanying 92009 is documentation of all owners, registration papers, inspection protocols, and even original paperwork such as the repair manual and owner’s handbook. With a little bit of tender loving car, the two-stroke 25-hp blast from the past can be brought back to its former glory.
Can you imagine that? A piece of Saab history expected to change hands for almost as much money as Volvo asks for the V40 hatchback? Pictured in the gallery is one of the three pre-production survivors, with the Swedish automaker having manufactured a total of 20 examples (92001 to 92020). The first prototype slumbers in the Saab Museum, while 92004 is now part of a collection. The remaining 17 units are believed to have been scrapped.
The papers for 92009 show that the vehicle was registered to SAAB Aeroplan AB in July 1949, after which aerospace engineer Olaf Ohlander acquired the 92 in November 1953. Repainted gray from the original green and modified with an opening trunk, the prototype changed hands four additional times, with Swedish farmer Torsten Johansson acquiring the fabled car in 1960.
Driven sporadically from 1960 to 1980, chassis number 92009 has been in barn storage up until April 1997. That’s when the current owner purchased the vehicle, fixing up and maintaining the 92 in working condition. Elements such as the tires and right-hand mirror have been changed since then.
Accompanying 92009 is documentation of all owners, registration papers, inspection protocols, and even original paperwork such as the repair manual and owner’s handbook. With a little bit of tender loving car, the two-stroke 25-hp blast from the past can be brought back to its former glory.
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