1971 SAAB SONETT III

This SAAB Sonett III was built in Sweden in July 1971 and ordered by the first owner, Mr Walker, in September. But it didn’t find its way to him until May 1972. He was a member of the US Military who, at the time, was serving at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. It was specified with additional driving lights and an AM/FM Blaupunkt stereo (sadly no longer with the car as it ceased working) and it cost him just under $4,000.

Owning other cars, he only drove the Sonett in good weather and it was stored between 1976 and 1979 when he was stationed in Japan. He moved to Florida in 1985 where the car was re-registered and titled. It remained registered there - despite moving again - until he advertised it for sale in an American SAAB magazine in 1992.

One of the people who saw the advert was a Dr Eardley from Cornwall, who corresponded with Mr Walker by fax (remember those?) and negotiated its purchase. Mr and Mrs Walker hired a trailer to deliver the car from Little Rock, Arkansas to the port in Houston, Texas for shipping to the UK through Felixstowe.

Officially imported and registered in the UK in May 1992, with 62,500 miles on the clock, the new owner began to put together a list of things he wanted to do with the car before tucking it away in storage. In 2006, he finally got around to starting the restoration which was completed in 2009.

How do we know so much detail on this car’s early history? Well check out the History Highlights and documents gallery for more detail but pretty much every piece of correspondence, import details and other paperwork relating to the car has been retained - from the very first bill of sale to the latest MOT - even the receipt for the U-Haul trailer that the Walkers rented for their trip to Houston!

Just two years after the restoration was finished, the car was sold to its third owner - our vendor - Mr Edmonds from Berkshire. The reason why the previous owner sold it so soon after his long-awaited restoration was that being left hand drive on the narrow roads of Cornwall, it meant that the traffic was coming straight towards his startled wife in the passenger seat!

Mr Edmonds bought the car to use for touring holidays. Having spent a rather wet and soggy week in his TR3 round Scotland, he and his wife thought a hard-top would be more suitable. He’d run SAABs as company cars for years and never had a problem and when he saw the Sonett he was hooked.

He has cherished the car ever since and toured many times around the UK and four times to Bordeaux in France with very few problems. The head gasket blew twice but the fault was identified as the heads having been enlarged too much. So replacements were sourced, adapted and fitted. The only other thing he’s done is change the exhaust to the dual system fitted today. The previous one was a centrally located quad pipe and with the boot loaded for touring, the silencers would ground out.

The Sonett holds great memories for Mr and Mrs Edmonds and they’re only selling it as medical issues now make it uncomfortable and difficult to get in and out of.

UPDATE: appears we're not the only ones enchanted with this Saab: https://www.topgear.com/car-news/retro/we-badly-want-glorious-saab-sonett-iii

The bright yellow exterior of this Sonett III hits you right between the eyes, especially on a sunny day like it was when we took delivery and did the photographs. The car was originally Burnt Orange but had faded badly so when the first UK owner restored the car that he had it repainted in Ferrari’s Giallo Fly colour.

There are a few paint chips around some of the moving parts like the headlamps and doors and also the occasional hairline crack such as on the edge of the bonnet bulge but otherwise this is a very strong looking exterior.

The chrome fittings and trims are good, with slight pitting on the mirror caps, and the panel across the Kamm tail is painted in a contrasting black - as is the bonnet bulge - which works well with the yellow and gives the car even more of a retro look than if they were body coloured.

The car sits on its original 15-inch “Soccerball” alloy wheels - in good condition and painted all silver rather than with the more typical black painted recesses, which gave them their nickname. The rears are fitted with Toyo tyres and the fronts with Firestones, which are from 2004 and were picked up as damaged/cracking on the last MOT.

Overall the outside of the car presents superbly and the “ready for take off” low-drag side profile (0.31cd - which is better than a McLaren F1!) is something you could look at and admire for hours.

The interior is original and equally gorgeous with acres of orangey-tan leather upholstery and vinyl trims surrounding the cabin. There’s a little bit of wear on the bolsters of the bucket seats and the facings have faded over time from a darker tan to a beige but otherwise are in good order. Elsewhere in the upholstery there is very little to find fault with aside from a small tear in the vinyl/leatherette lining on the rear bulkhead

Up front a large diameter leather-trimmed 3-spoke steering wheel gives the driver good leverage over the unassisted steering. Ahead of that, the black crinkle finish vinyl dash is in good condition with retro 70s analogue instruments and controls. That includes a pull-rod handle to mechanically flip up the headlamps - no compressor or electrics to go wrong there. There is no radio fitted but there is a space and connectivity for one and an antenna is fitted to the offside rear of the car.

The carpeting is a sand-coloured, corduroy weave with each section edged in tan vinyl matching the upholstery. It is all clean and appears in very good condition. The headlining too is a matching tan-coloured leatherette which appears intact and taut.

We’d love to show everyone how special this car is, but if you are considering bidding on this Sonett, be sure to use the ‘Contact Seller’ feature to arrange a visit - subject to Government guidelines - or a video call for a closer look.

The bonnet lid is a relatively small area of the front of the car and is sufficient for routine maintenance and servicing but should anything else be required, the front section of the body has to be removed. There is a known modification to enable the front clamshell to be hinged forwards (like an E-type) and a pamphlet in the history file detailing how to do it, but it is unclear whether this car has had it done.

Inside, the engine bay is clean and tidy with the relatively simple V4 sitting centrally and the Weber carburettor, air cleaner and distributor sitting proudly at the top (necessitating the bonnet bulge). All looks in order with signs of recent renewal and maintenance. The V4 certainly sounds pretty rorty once warmed up.

The undersides of the car appear in good order, there are no signs of anything other than occasional surface rust across the chassis sections and the undamaged underbody is fibreglass so not prone to rust. The simple dual custom-made exhausts look intact (and sound amazing) and there are no issues apparent with the steering or suspension.

In the boot - a space accessed by the hinged one-piece glass rear window - any luggage looks to be as well accommodated as the passengers. The boot is lined with padded leatherette matching the interior door cards and the same rugged carpet on the floor. Under the carpet is the battery, a full size spare alloy wheel, jack, and a few running spares.

The Sonett has a current MOT valid until August 2021, which it passed with advisories on the front tyres and other minor issues. The record shows annual testing back to 2009 and a mileage increase averaging about a thousand miles a year. We have every reason to confirm the current mileage of 74,950 as genuine.

The restoration around 10,000 miles ago - along with careful ownership since - explains the near immaculate presentation inside and out.

As well as completely overhauling the body and mechanicals, a number of thoughtful upgrade modifications were made to the car as part of the restoration, which are detailed in the paperwork but summarised as follows:

- Engine modified to SAAB Sport & Rally Stage 2 (aside from increasing compression ratio and lightening flywheel)

- Weber carburettor fitted

- Power increased from 70bhp to approx 105bhp

- Final drive lengthened to give a theoretical top speed of 125mph but more importantly to help keep up with modern traffic and give it better touring capability.

- Stainless steel dual exhaust

- Lucas electronic ignition conversion

- Custom clutch

- Improved cooling system

- Strengthened chassis

To say we have lots of paperwork is an understatement. We’ve never seen such a haul of historical documentation - and most of it well organised too. It fits into a large hessian shopping bag and probably tips the scales at well over 10kg.

There are literally hundreds of invoices and papers from both the US and UK, including the original 1972 bill of sale. The bag also contains SAAB club newsletters and what appears to be a paper copy of everything ever written about the SAAB Sonett! There’s a Haynes manual, multiple other workshop manuals, parts catalogues, tuning guides, and downloaded articles including such niche reads as “V4 gear ratio comparisons” and “Sonett carburation”. To top it off, there’s even the car’s stamped metal licence plate from Pinellas (Tampa Bay) Florida.

The car also comes with its original owner’s manual and service book (containing initial delivery details plus 4 maintenance stamps), two sets of keys and a box or two of spares.

Parts are plentiful for the Sonett, most of the mechanicals are shared with the SAAB 96 and the Ford V4 engine is well catered for. As most of the Sonetts are in the USA, the vendor recommends joining the Vintage SAAB Club of North America to get access to their support and knowledge base.

It’s not often that everyone at The Market HQ is smitten with a car that comes in for auction but this ever “so pretty” Swede has us all beguiled. It sounds great, looks great, is very rare and drives really, really well! Add to that the unbroken, gold-plated history, and you’ve got a very special lot indeed.

How can we put a value on such uncommon Scandinavian loveliness? Well, it’s not easy but we’re paid to try. We’ve conservatively estimated that it will fetch between £9,500 and £13,500 - but such is the latent passion for owning a niche car like this that, if word gets around, there could be some feisty bidding.

Although we often say that rarity is no guarantee of desirability - in this case we are pleased to make an exception. This Sonett really attracts attention and the new owner will be swamped with admirers (for the car) everywhere they go.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.