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Saab 96 history
Saab 96 technical specifications
Saab 96 model year changes
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Model Year Changes

Saab 96.

MY1960
Chassis No.s 100,001 to 112,500

Saab 96 was premiered in February 1960 . Saab scored a success with the 96 in the United States aswell as Europe. The 95 had a larger engine at 841cc and developed an output of 38hp.

 

MY1961
Chassis No.s 112,501 to 139,600

The Saab 96 had been an instant success - Saab had reported an overall sales increase of 42% in Sweden for 1960. On 1st September 1960 Saab took charge of AB Nyköpings Automobilfabrik, ANA, and its well-developed dealer network.

1961 models now had key activated starter motors - gone was the starter cord and toggle beneath the dash panel. From August 1961 the 96 came with silver-grey wheels.

The Saab GT750 was part of the Saab 96 chassis number series 100,001 to 159,984.

 

MY1962
Chassis No.s 139,601 to 168,000

New features for the 1962 model year 96 included interference suppression, vacuum controlled ignition setting and from January 1962 seat belts were fitted as standard on all Swedish market Saab 96s.

New body colours were city-grey and Arctic Ocean blue. The seats now had woollen cloth upholstery. The Saab Sport was was part of the MY1962-1965 Saab 96 chassis number series.

 

MY1963
Chassis No.s 168,001 to 201,400

25,000 Saabs were sold in 1962, an increase of 22.5% on the previous year. The SAAB emblem on the bonnet had been discarded in favour of the SAAB name and logo - an aeroplane - within the grid-pattern grille.

New interior features included a horn-ring on the steering wheel, a larger interior rear-view mirror, raised seats and more effective interior heating and ventilation. New colours for the model year were Midnight Blue, Brown-Beige and Black. Green was dropped.

 

MY1964
Chassis No.s 201,401 to 238,225

A major safety innovation, and one that has been included on Saabs ever since (and further enhanced by ABS3+) was that of a diagonally split dual circuit braking system. This meant that the front nearside and rear offside brakes acted on a separate circuit to the front offside and rear nearside brakes. Should one circuit fail then the driver still had a degree of braking control that would avoid a skid.

A new instrument panel featuring round instruments was introduced. New colours for the model year were Glacier Blue and Savannah Brown. The interior now sported darker interior colours.

 

MY1965
Chassis No.s 310,001 to 349,693

The production of the 1965 model year started on 19 August 1964 with a 96 featuring a somewhat new and longer front. The 96 now had a completely redesigned cooling system that included the positioning of the radiator ahead of the engine rather than behind it.

The engine compression was increased to 8.1:1, which in turn raised the power output to 44hp. Other changes included a hydraulically operated clutch, a new fuel pump, new exhaust system and foot pedals that were hung from the top.

The rear lamps were given a new colour combination with orange for the direction indicators. Model year colours were Olive Green, Toreador Red, Polar White, Midnight Blue, Savannah Brown and Glacier Blue.

 

MY1966
Chassis No.s 370,001 to 400,750

The 1966 Saab 96 had a triple-carburettor. It had a higher power output. It had faster acceleration - 0-100kph down from 29 to 23 seconds. It had a faster top speed - up from 120 to 125kph. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, fuel consumption was up also!

Other features included new hubcaps and stainless steel trim strips and a new headlamp flasher. Cars for the home market were fitted with two external rear view mirrors as standard. Headlamps that were easily converted to driving on the right were fitted ahead of the impending change in Sweden in 1969 from driving on the left to driving on the right.

On the Swiss and American markets the Saab 96 came with a separately lubricated 55hp engine. This was the same engine as the Monte Carlo - but the 96 did not feature the same luxurious interior.

New colours were Dark Grey and yellow. Savannah Brown and Olive Green were now no longer available. The three-speed gearbox was now phased out completely.