The dealer offering today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Saab says they’re ‘where we make a little and you save a lot.’ We’ll have to see what you make of this awesome custom, and whether its price should have someone driving it off their lot.
I’m going to guess that pretty much most of us would jump at the chance to own a Cobra, even a kit one, if it was within our finances to do so. Unfortunately for the seller of yesterday’s kit-kar Cobra, the stars weren’t in alignment, nor was the right engine under the hood, resulting in a massive 80% Crack Pipe loss. Snakes alive!
The astoundingly brutal Cobra represents one end of the sports car spectrum, that being the high performance, gonna’ kill you if I can end. In complete contrast to that, today’s 1973 Saab Sonett III epitomizes another sort of sporting ride, a more gentle and Swedish (front-wheel drive) type. Of course, you wouldn’t guess that by looking at it.
The Sonnets were all bodied in fiberglass, a material common amongst limited-production cars for its low cost tooling, and amongst owners for its low cost aesthetic malleability. This Sonett’s fiberglass body has been heavily massaged and yes, I’d say it came away with a happy ending.
The result is not just something unique amongst Sonetts. Oh it’s that alright, but in my book (which admittedly has more pictures than words) - it’s also a pretty sweet ride.
The basic Sonett III-ness remains, with the airy hatchback cabin clearly intact and rakish hood bulge making room for the Ford V4 beneath. In fact most of the changes to this Saab have taken place below the equator, and those include wild wheel arches, sassy scoops, and a rear tray that looks like a pugilist’s 10-round chin. Above that a duck’s ass spoiler serves as a visual exclamation mark.
The bodywork looks good in the pictures, as do the multi-spoke alloys and the striped silver paint. And nicely, it all looks professionally done. The interior on the other hand looks to be stock with the only exception being a modern aftermarket head unit in the super simple dash. The seats even have their cool little adjustable lumbar pads in place.
Under hood things look pretty stock too, featuring the 1,700-cc Ford V4, which in U.S. guise was good for 65-bhp. That’s backed up here by the standard 4-speed stick and of course, just to freak you out, these cars held over the freewheeling feature from their earlier two-stroke iterations.
Mileage is undisclosed, however in the dash pic the odo clearly reads 29,956. That of course could be 100K more as there’s only five barrels. That picture also shows that the speedo needle seems to have broken off. At least the car comes with a clean title.
The ad notes that the car drives and handles great, and that it’s fun to drive. I think it’s pretty fun to look at too. You might disagree however, thinking that the original Gunnar A. Sjögren-penned design was nice enough on its own. I say pish-posh, it’s time for something different.
It’s also time to vote on this custom Saab’s $5,995 price tag. That doesn’t include the $100 dealer fee, but at least they disclose that extra C-note in the ad. What do you think, could this lovely little Saab pull that kind of cash? Or, is this a Sonett with a price that takes poetic license?
You decide!
Sarasota FL Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to adrianc7 for the hookup!
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