Vehicles can and do rust in the Pacific Northwest, but I think overall, it’s the greatest place to find solid, non-sunburnt cars in the U.S. That doesn’t mean that they won’t be riddled with dings and dents as appears to be the case with this 1968 Saab 96. The seller has it posted here on craigslist in the Boynton Beach, Florida area and they’re asking $2,500. Here is the original listing.
I imagine the next owner carefully disassembling this Saab 96 and massaging out all of those dents and dings until it’s as smooth as glass. Then, just leaving it the way it looks now. Just kidding, this one should be restored to looking like new again. It appears to be in really solid condition and will make a very nice project. It’s small enough that a person could do it in a one-car garage if they’re organized.
Saab made the 96 for over two decades, from 1960 through 1980. Just think of what world history occurred between those two decades, it’s mind-boggling how many things changed in that time. I would love to see under that plywood, it looks like it was wet for quite a while and the hinge is rusty. Also, the cracked paint by the latch looks strange. The seller gives zero information on the condition, just saying that it’s not running, it’s all there, and it’s a good project.
The interior looks surprisingly nice, other than the seat fabric and probably the foam, and also the padded dash. The passenger door panel looks like new as does the face of the dash, the gauges, and the steering wheel. Saab also offered a wagon version called the 95 and we’ve seen many examples of both models here on Barn Finds over the years. Hagerty is at $4,600 for a #4 fair-condition car, just as a reference point.
The big thing (not literally) with this car is the 795-cc “corn-popper”, a unique-sounding two-stroke three-cylinder engine, which had 38 horsepower. They were known as a “shrike” for 1967 and 1968, the last year for a three-cylinder in the U.S. due to environmental regulations. This one isn’t currently running but we don’t know if it’s seized or what the story is. It looks like it would clean up and look showroom fresh in the photos. This could be a great buy if rust isn’t an issue. Have any of you owned a three-cylinder two-stroke Saab 96 or 95?
Neat little car. You mention the Pacific Northwest, but it’s in Florida?
You’re correct, sir. I was thinking of the license plate and assumed it was originally from Washington state. I could very well be wrong.
This is one of those cars I have a hard time resisting. They are just too perfectly ridiculous to ignore and as iconic in shape as anything else ever created. And a street-legal two-stroke is just the icing on the cake.
Thank god it’s in Florida and not Maryland.
No such thing as a 1969 two stroke Saab. 1967 was the last model year for two strokes.
Oops. 68 not 69.
Just guessing: if the emissions standard took effect 1 Jan 1968 is it possible Saab had an early 1968 model and changed engines mid-year to the Ford V-4? This scenario would make everyone correct.
“In the US, the two-stroke engine was called the “Shrike” in 1967 and 1968. Its displacement was reduced slightly for 1968, to 795 cc, to avoid emission regulations which exempted engines under 50 cu in (819 cc).”
Cool find. I remember passing one of these in a driveway when I walked to school, yes walked to school, between 1st and 4th grade in the mid ’60s. We lived in Rockford, Illinois until moving to NW Indiana in 1970. I remember seeing Renault Dauphin’s, Isetta 3 wheeler and a Mercedes gullwing in the immediate neighborhood. The gullwing was in a neighboring apartment building under a carport.
I know this would be sacrilege, but could you transplant a Honda Gold Wing engine into one of these?
Ring, ding, ding, oh, how could that ever be annoying? Well, tune in here, and I practically went (more) mad after 15 seconds. 38 hp, considering a Bug had more, it really was a poor car motor. Oh, and the fumes, check local ordinances before buying. Today, with modern synthetics, the “James Bond” smokescreen, is all but eliminated, but back then, folks ran these on whatever was on dads garage shelf. 3in1 worked in a pinch, but you could always see a Saab ring-ding a comin’. It’s odd in our worldly car culture, some company actually thought a 2 stroke, 3 cylinder could be viable, especially in the states, in 1967, mind you, the absolute height of horsepower. Apparently Saab officials grossly underestimated what we were driving. They were great cars,,with the V4. So, without further adieu, enjoy, don’t forget the volume,,,remember, high revs doesn’t mean high speeds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IBzt9JxVio
Buyer beware, the engine uses a roller crankshaft and long periods of storage are not good for them. Plan on a crank rebuild.
By roller, I assume that you mean ball bearings. My 66 96 seized and you could hear them rattling around. ‘Corn popper’ is a great name for the sound they made. I wouldn’t mess with rebuilding the 3 cylinder 2 cycle motor unless you were going for a real restoration. I’d try to find the Euro-Ford 4 banger and replace this one as a driver. They were very well-made cars but until they switched to disk brakes, the shoe brakes were seriously inadequate.
These have pressed up roller bearing crankshafts and can be rebuilt for far less than a value reducing difficult engine swap.
I want to bid on this car. Help please
It’s Craigslist. Like an ad in the newspaper. So, you just purchase it for the price listed, (or offer).
So basically like a snowmobile engine which if put away without so oil in the cylinders, and therefore the crank, usually blew the crank just in time for Christmas. A buddy of mine had one and put a big motor operated key on the trunk lid to accentuate the weirdness.
We had a 67 wagon-ish hatch back with the Monte Carlo 2-stroke, 5 on the tree and free-wheeling clutch. The oil was automatically added to the fuel from a reserve tank. It was a screamer and a hoot to drive.
4 on the tree
My 1969 was a V4, of course. We sold the Land Rover and got the Saab in anticipation of a move from northern New Hampshire to Connecticut. The Saab was owned by a local chicken rancher who was on a dirt road and it took a while for us to see what all that gravel kicking up from the front drive wheels did to the tops of the front fenders: fist-size holes. Fortunately front fenders were available and easy to replace.
I’ll skip the tale of woe with the trans, but the car was a lot of fun.
I worked in a service station in the late 60’s before I could even drive. I remember hearing the bell, went out to a Saab at the pump and asking the driver how may I help you? The driver said fill it up and handed me a can of oil. I started walking to the front of the car and he said he said, no, put it in the gas tank. I had a very puzzled look until he explained it had a two-stroke engine. I remember when he took left, it looked like our Lawn Boy mower when taking off. Definitely unique cars!
Future father in law brought his into the local shop where I plied the trade. Liked it, Never had much wrong with it. You never had to look up when it pulled in.
The triple 2 stroke was the main reason I would consider a Saab. Some people don’t understand the smile a good running Corn Popper can put on your face!
The 3 cylinder corn popper that put more than a smile on my face, more like sheer horror, was that 3 cylinder Polaris snowmobile. 100 mph was too fast for a snowmobile.
I grew up in the Catskill Mountains of New York back in the late 60’s/early 70’s. My one-year older Uncle always had the fastest car and the hottest girlfriends.
He had an ex-Army buddy, Mike, who had one of these. My uncle and his motor-head buddies all had Mustangs, Camaro’s, Plymouth GTX’s, etc and made fun of Mike’s little 3-cylinder corn popper. Mike took it in stride and bragged about his gas mileage.
My uncle told me of one winter night where they were all at a party and didn’t notice it had started snowing hard until it was time to leave. Those high horsepower, rear wheel drive hot rods weren’t going anywhere.
When Mike offered to give anyone a lift home, everyone laughed, but my uncle and two buddies took him up on it. He said that little Saab just kept pushing snow over the front of the hood as it chugged along.
My uncle was the last to be dropped off and—noticing the engine was shuddering and the temperature gauge was pegged on “Cold”—insisted Mike pull into the garage to figure out why before going any farther.
They couldn’t believe their eyes when Mike opened the hood only to see snow densely packed through the grill and around the engine (except where the fan was spinning)! My uncle laughed and said, “No wonder it’s shivering! The poor little thing is cold!”
He fired up a couple of kerosene heaters and they let the Saab run until the snow melted out of the engine bay. My uncle told me his opinion of Mike’s little Saab changed overnight!
In Europe these cars were raced successfully for a number of years. Their unique engine noise added to their reputation as a tough rally car in the small engine category.
Cap10’s story might have been different if the car still had its factory “winterfront” which was a roller shade type device which could be pulled up in front of the radiator with a bead chain from inside the passenger compartment (warm engine, minimal snow!) These were great winter cars, and cranked the same no matter how cold the temperature, since there was no reservoir of frigid oil surrounding the crankshaft to cause drag. We had SAAB 96’s for years and loved them!
My Volvo had that window shade too.
I had one of these. They were fun to drive, went everywhere, were known for racing and the ability to do barrel rolls. They had free wheeling and, with the rear seat down, a huge amount of cargo space for a small car.
My father had a dozen or more of the 2 stroke Saab’s from the early 60’s through 70’s. He’d by them broken and cheep as fixer uppers. Even had one of the suicide door models that he drove from MA to SC and back several times. Rust was the main killer of them. The pressed up roller bearing cranks are rebuildable and a long lay up would benefit with oiled bearing before rotation
My husband got into ice racing in the early 1960’s and used a Saab for his race car. 850 Monte Carlo. All he had to do was tow it out of some lady’s yard. In the many years since we have had many 3 bangers, not just ice racing, which is getting harder to find ice thick enough to race on, but for street cars. They are bare bones decent cars. The 3 bangers. They have become way more civilized and luxurious, since the late 1990’s. We still have a 1962 “snub nose,” the fan is on the firewall, 850 c.c. and more parts than I can say. At least 8 engines, mostly 850’s, 17 transmissions and various other parts. I hope to get the ’62 on the road in my lifetime. We also have a ’74 Sonnet. I’d like to see that run again as well. Fun cars, great for Maine winters, great seatbelts, lousy radios. We bought a 2004 93 turbo convertible also. Nice, just not a 3 banger.
I Was the happy owner of two sonetts a 67 2stroke 3 carb ,had one float bowl sitting on the engine comp floor. The center bearing without warning would seize. Also a 74 4 stroke, also fun,loved them both. Dad also had a 67 2 stroke.