The Saab Sonett Has Half The Strokes But Double The Charm

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Glenn Roberts' parents bought this 1967 Saab Sonett II when he was a kid, so of course it made a huge impression. When he was older, he bought the one-of-230 built car from his parents for $300, and it's been part of his life ever since.

This thing made 70 HP from Saab's 841cc 3-cylinder engine. That's pretty damn impressive, and a testimony to the power of a 2-stroke. Of course, the fact that the next year Saab had to replace the 2-stroke with a 4-stroke V4 because the engine was so dirty, emissions-wise, is also a testimony to the 2-stroke. Just not a good one.

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The Sonett itself, however, is a very, very good one, restored to near-perfect shape. That near perfect shape always included a dash that looked like a wood shop project, but it also meant a fantastic bubble rear window and a factory-stock roll cage.

This car is like a machine that turns gas and oil into charm and lots of unburnt hydrocarbons. I love it.