History is littered with the names of car makers who no longer produce new vehicles, the brands remembered only in archives and reduced attendances at specialist auto events.

One of the latest was Saab, produced for more than 60 years in the harmony of Sweden’s isolation to make cars that were based on an insular, yet highly functional, engineering doctrine.

Unlike the French who pushed the automotive engineering envelope further than most dared, the Swedes were simply unorthodox. Exhibit A is the Saab 96.

It was built in the 1960s through to the 1980s in a water-edged forest hamlet in western Sweden called Trollhattan (literally, “troll’s hat”) and typified the brand’s surprising innovations that were born in the company’s adoption of its aircraft manufacturing roots to four wheels.

The Saab 96 was one of the stepping stones to motorsport glory and car sales growth. Indicative of both its popularity and the company’s paper-thin profits was its extraordinary 20-year production, from 1960 through to 1980.

It was at first powered by a wheezy, smoky and yet indefatigable three-cylinder, two-stroke engine that puffed 28kW from its 841cc capacity. Things improved when Saab wanted to enter the US and was slapped back because of the two-stroke’s emissions, leading Saab in 1967 to fit 1.5-litre V4 engines from Ford that were also used in the Taurus sedan and Transit van. Power then rocketed to 48kW.

This 1972 Verona Green example, imported from the UK after an extensive and professional resto-ration that included a brand-new body, is quirky to the point of being a box of surprises.

There is charm in it’s bug-like face and aircraft-inspired, low air-drag designed, beetle-backed pro-file. Its size is equally as endearing, much in the same way the Volkswagen Beetle captured hearts and forged icon status.

From the rear the 96 has more curves than a Picasso painting, oddly extruded tail lights and bulb-ous flanks and fenders that almost entirely envelope the wheels. The alloy wheels are rally-spec Ronal units, similar in style to Minilites.

Curiosity extends inside. The four-speed column-shift is slick but needs to be placed in second gear before the ignition will connect.

The original seatbelts clip around a curled chrome floor bar; the pedals are placed so far to the left that the accelerator is beneath the steering column; and the wind-down window glass pivots from the front to form an unusual arc as it descends.

The front seats are straight from a 1960s lounge room, firm and rounded with no lateral support though comfortable and place the driver high for good vision. The 96 has slim roof pillars so visibility is excellent, unimpaired by front quarter vents or thick door pillars.

There is sufficient room in the back for two adults with respectable headroom and good legroom assisted by the cabin’s flat floor front and rear. There is no centre console, the only disruption being the vertical handbrake between the front seats.

A need to cater for an active Swedish lifestyle – skiing, chopping wood, skiing – was responsible for the huge, flat boot and fold-down rear seat. There is extra space beneath the boot floor – made from a birch panel – for extra items and the full-size spare wheel. Timber also plays a role in the Ikea-style wooden floor supports for the folding rear seat.

On the road, performance is modest and though is more impressive than the kilowatt figure first suggests. But even with 48kW, it is still a long way from the expectations of a diminutive car that became a giant slayer in rally events throughout Europe.

In its V4 version, it competed in the hands of rally great Erik Carlsson with success in Baja (1969, 1970) and won the Swedish Rally (1971) and Czech Rally (1967). Its predecessor, the 96 with the two-stroke engine, won the RAC British Rally (1960) and the Monte Carlo Rally twice (1962 and 1963).

Though competition cars may have boasted more power, drivers still had to contend with the col-umn-shift gearbox, nose-heavy dynamics (the engine was ahead of the front axle) and the tall body height that caused many to end up on the roof.

At idle, the four-stroke, V4 engine shares its offbeat exhaust note and lumpy vibration with other four-pot opposed engines (Subaru, Volkswagen Beetle, and so on) to sound like a speedboat bur-bling at dock.

It is agile off the mark with good low-speed torque and even some eagerness to rev and show some performance potential. The column shift is slick – straight down from first to second for a fast change – and ends with a tall fourth cog for country cruising.

The reverse gear is alongside second, spring-loaded to prevent accidental engagement. The steer-ing is pleasantly firm and confident at suburban road speeds though sometimes feels heavy when parking, attributable to the engine and drivetrain mass above the front wheels.

The brakes are strong with front discs and rear drums, while the suspension is comfortable with good springing for compliance that has only some body roll as a handicap.

What the 96 has in spades is its cuteness. It’s not fast or sporty but is cunningly efficient and curi-ously addictive. There are features that provoke admiration in the company and its designers and workers – the pivoting door windows, flat floors, fold-down rear seat leading to a huge boot, com-fortable flip-foward seats and unusual seat belt catches.

Even amusing is the ridiculously complex bonnet opening procedure that involves pulling the cabin lever, then lifting the bonnet edge, before finding the safety catch, then pulling the bonnet forward before tilting it on its hinges mounted above the grille.

No need to tell you that this is a car that doesn’t follow the conventional path. I don’t think any Saab really did, even when the company was taken over by General Motors in 2000 (and dumped in 2010), the “trolls” still had some engineering tricks up their sleeves.

Sadly, the tricks couldn’t extend to a viable business plan. Such a shame that, after closing in 2014, Saab is now history.

Specifications

Make: Saab
Model: 96
Model code: n/a
Year: 1972
Price new ($A): $2000

• Engine: 1.5-litre V4
• Valves: OHV, 8-valve
• Bore/stroke: 90 mm x 58.9 mm
• Comp. ratio: 9:1
• Aspiration: normal
• Power: 48 kW @ 4700 rpm
• Torque: 116 Nm @ 2500 rpm
• Power-to-weight: 51.3 kW/tonne
• Fuel: 1 x FoMoCo carburettor
• Fuel tank: 38 litres
• Fuel thirst: 9.4 litres/100 km
• Transmission: 4-speed manual
• Drive: Front
• 0-100km/h: 17 sec
• Top speed: 145 km/h

Dimensions:

• Length: 4300 mm
• Width: 1590 mm
• Height: 1470 mm
• Wheelbase: 2500 mm
• Track (ft/rr): 1240 mm/1230 mm
• Weight: 930 kg

Chassis:

• Suspension (ft/rr): independent, wishbones, coils/torsion bar, coils
• Brakes: (ft/rr): disc/drum
• Steering: Rack & pinion
• Wheels: 15-inch steel
• Tyres: 155R15