Rusty But Trusty

Quick! How many cars can you think of that you could purchase with either a 2- or 4-stroke engine? Anybody? DKW had a 3=6, which became the Auto Union 1000, but that stuck with the two-stroke formula. Citroen’s 2CV looks like it should have a two-stroke, and various Soviet-bloc cars did have two-strokes. In the late 1980s, Trabant and Wartburg started installing VW 4-cylinder engines in their cars, but Saab pioneered the approach of putting a 4-stroke in the home of a 2-stroke in 1967, with candidates vying for a place behind the airplane badge including the Volvo B18 (sacrilege!), the Ford V4 (meh), Triumph 1300 (foreshadowing!), Lancia V4 (philosophically closest), Hillman/Climax, as well as engines from Volkswagen and Opel. The final winner was the Taunus V4 engine, so if you don’t mind an ordinary powerplant in an extraordinary car, try out this 1972 Saab 96, for sale for $3950 in Hobe Sound, FL.

(more…)

Why is it a Norwegian sunset? This is a Swedish car, you idiot! Is what you might be thinking, but after the jump you’ll see why it’s Norwegian. Since Saabs are like catnip to the oddball car nut, and one-year-only safety colors also give us the warm fuzzies, you’ll see why today’s car was so easy to choose. Adding the top-performing fuel injected engine is just icing on the cake – have a look at this 1974 Saab 99 EMS for sale for $1250 in St. Paul, MN.

(more…)