Forest Find: 1970 Saab Sonett III

Dr. Sonettstone, I presume? Partially composted by the surrounding jungle, this 1970 Saab Sonett III is advertised for $1,000 on Facebook Marketplace near Rose Hill, Virginia. Its orange-yellow fiberglass body has a battered nose, the windshield is broken, and the interior looks thoroughly defeated. Some cars invite restoration; this one seems better suited to donating its reusable remains to a more salvageable Sonett. Restoring the whole thing would require someone whose definition of “worth saving” is immune to arithmetic. The seller is also open to trades, including old dirt bikes or a motorcycle. A tip-of-the-hat to Barn Finds reader Zappenduster for spotting this sorrowful Swede!

The Sonett III arrived in 1970 with a 1,498 cc Ford V4. For 1971, Saab installed a larger 1,698 cc version, but the emissions-strangled extra 200cc produced no additional advertised peak horsepower or torque: factory figures remained at 65 hp and 85 lb-ft. Which engine version rests rusts under this car’s hood today is unknown. The seller’s video captures the V4 just barely gargling out a series of combustion events. That’s better evidence than the familiar “ran when parked,” but hardly a clean bill of mechanical health. Even so, that V4 may be the car’s most valuable asset—not as a drop-in replacement, but as a candidate for a proper rebuild.

The seller also reports broken fiberglass underneath and missing wheels. Unlike a conventional car with separate bolt-on front fenders, the Sonett III’s nose, hood, and front fenders form one large removable fiberglass section. Damage to the nose therefore isn’t just a matter of finding a replacement fender. The rear fenders are incorporated into the larger roof and rear body section. The broken windshield is no help to a parts buyer, but surviving gauges, trim, and mechanical pieces might be. A winch-equipped flatbed can retrieve a de-wheeled wreck, but dragging it aboard risks damaging whatever useful parts may remain underneath. Anyone actually interested in this ratty relic probably has a spouse-scorned shed stuffed with enough Sonett spares to excavate a set of wheels and the matching wheel bolts from.

For perspective, a more complete 1969 Sonett II V4 parts car, with a reportedly overhauled 1.5-liter engine and four-speed transaxle, sold for $1,950 on Bring a Trailer in April 2026. This FB ad’s forest critter is a much bigger gamble. Someone restoring a Sonett with a missing or thoroughly blown-up V4 might value a rebuildable core and a handful of difficult-to-find parts; an owner whose car is already roadworthy would have less reason to bring home this sad-trombone Sonett. Does $1,000 buy a useful parts donor, or light the fuse on a divorce “Daisy Cutter”?