Styling is always subjective. There can be agreement at either end of the spectrum, as in a knock-out look, or something that is so ugly it would make a freight train take a dirt road – but there’s a huge in-between where the appearance debate resides. Enter the Saab Sonett…before passing judgment, let’s take a quick look at this supposed barn find example. Located in Toms River, New Jersey is this 1974 Sonett Model III and it’s available here on eBay for a BIN price of $5,500. There is a make an offer option too.

Saab Automotive was one of those manufacturers that always went their own way – you knew one when you spied it. Quirky? Sure, but that was part of their charm. Unfortunately, their ownership by one-time overlord GM, and their ignominious 2009 bankruptcy, pretty well flushed Saab’s auto business down the drain. They got passed around and ended up under a Chinese consortium with a plan for electrification and that has essentially gone nowhere. One of Saab’s more notable models was the Sonett which saw three iterations, with the final one (1970-1974) identified as Sonett III. Total Sonett III output was low with only about 8,300 examples finding homes over its five-year span.

The seller advises that the 65 net HP, 1700 CC V4 engine “is not running at the moment, the motor is free and was in running condition last time we started“. Well yes, it would be in running condition when it was started; perhaps the seller means the last time he attempted to start it. The mileage is recorded as 59K miles but no claim is made to its authenticity. Assuming that the odometer has probably been once around, the engine may need major servicing. A four-speed manual transaxle gets all that horsepower to the front wheels.

The seller mentions that this Sonett was originally orange but it’s now finished in a screaming yellow zonker hue (though the door jambs are still orange). The body is actually in pretty fair shape – there is some peeling paint but no obvious signs of corrosion or crash damage. The black trim is typically faded but the exterior appears to be completely intact with the exception of a missing front left side marker light. A close look at the exterior would leave one to believe that this Saab has spent an extensive amount of time under a tree.

And looking at the interior, which could use a good raking, further lends credence to the tree theory. The seating upholstery shows pretty well but the passenger side door panel has problems, perhaps a downed window that let in rain and leaves? The instrument panel is weathered and has indications of bird poop scattered about – that’s a first for me and I’ve seen thousands of stored outside cars. I would describe the interior’s condition as gross.

Now for the elephant in the room, and that’s the styling. I would define a Sonett as goofy and awkward-looking but that’s just a subjective opinion. So, how about a show of hands regarding exterior styling, for or against?