Eighties. Disco era. Saab cars are successfully sold throughout Western Europe and are very popular with those who lead a calm lifestyle. It was then that there was a belief that every Saab owner is a dentist who has enough shocks and emotions at work. In order to at least dispel this stereotype a little, the Swedish company produced charged cars – it is no secret that turbocharged became a mass phenomenon precisely thanks to the Saab company.
Andrey Motorov But the chief designer of the brand, Bjorn Enval, rightly believed that one turbocharged. Although the Saab 900 Turbo hung with anti -winged and body wires did not look modest as their “civilian” counterparts, the soul of “cars for people in years” was still present in them. Plus, frankly youth cars were then with all the competitors of the company. And Saab competed, for a second, with a large German three.
[Tubaist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/file:saab_ev-1.jpg) The solution to the problem of Enl was released from the modeling plasticine right on the kitchen table of his house. Later, the layout of the stylish coupe will be dubbed EV-1 (E-from the word “experimental”, not “electric”, well, Vehicle-“vehicle”), and its full-size embodiment of the brand fans will call “the last real saab”. Indeed, in the late 1980s, the General Motors will transfer control over Saab, and the company will begin its slow, but still systematic rolling into the other world.
Andrey Motorov The premiere of the EV-1 took place at the 1985 Los Angeles Motor Show. The concept was unlikely to make a splash, but the public was definitely a lively interest. The car was not like everything that the Swedes did before. And the aircraft features branded for the SAAB this time traced especially clearly.
Saab The fully running prototype was built on the basis of the SAAB 900 Turbo 16V. Thus, the machine has preserved the front -wheel drive chassis and a four -seater landing circuit. Body panels were made from various composites: Kevlar, Netaron, Carbon, ABS plastic … And their forms turned out to be so futuristic that the car even assigned the episodic role in the movie [«Назад в будущее 2»](https://www.saabplanet.com/wp-cloads/saabev1bttf2-624×338.jpg).
Saab Changes in 900 Turbo were not limited to the body alone. The capacity of the two-liter turbo engine was increased to 285 forces, and this energy supply was enough for the EV-1 to approach the supercars of Lamborghini, Porsche and Ferrari in its dynamic characteristics: acceleration to “hundreds” at the compartment took only 5.9 seconds, and the maximum speed reached 270 kilometers per hour.
Saab Light (1150 kilograms) and a safe machine (the body was designed taking into account the deformation zones) differed in advanced technologies. For example, it was on the EV-1 that the so-called “night mode” from SAAB (it is also known as Night Panel) debuted-when it is activated, all the backlight in the cabin goes out, leaving only the current speed on the speedometer with which the car is traveling. Subsequently, Night Panel appeared on serial Saab models.
Saab Another interesting feature of EV-1 were 66 photocells of solar panels installed on the roof. They nourished the fan of the blowing system of the cabin, which maintained a constant comfortable temperature in the cockpit. Later, something similar began to be used in Audi on the A8 model. EV-1 seats were not their own-they were borrowed from Corvette C4, as if hinting at the further fate of Saab.
Andrey Motorov Alas, it was a hint of the future of the model itself. By the end of the 1980s, Saaba’s affairs worsened somewhat, so there was no place on the conveyor and money for a technological sportkup. In addition, Bjorn Enval was about to resign, so that the ideological heir Sonet remained in the only copy. For a long time, a unique prototype lived in Saab Heritage Museum, but after its elimination was sold in a private collection. It is likely that we will hear about him.
Saab
It seems that Saab as a car brand has forever remained in the past. And if you look into this past, then we would prefer to be transferred to the mid -eighties – an era, when Saab had excellent sales, advanced technologies … and at the time when a new clean -up sportsar was pushed for a Swedish company. But the experiment-and we are talking about the concept of EV-1, Experimental Vehicle 1-was recognized as unsuccessful. More precisely – inappropriate.