Saab 99 Turbo

It might not have invented it, but Saab proved that turbocharging was the way forward

- Matthew Hayward

BMW AND PORSCHE may have got there first with the 2002 and 911 Turbo, but Saab proved that turbocharging really was the future - providing increased power, torque and refinement with the potential for huge efficiency gains.

With a very short production run from 1978 to 1980, the 99 Turbo wasn't around for long, but it left a lasting impact and remains an incredibly desirable classic today.

While the Turbo was introduced in 1978, the 99 on which it was based was actually launched a decade earlier in 1968 – first as a two-door saloon, then a four-door and later as the much-loved three- and five-door Combi hatchbacks. As a front-wheel-drive car, much of the basic suspension design was an evolution of the wishbone and coil spring front, dead axle rear, of the 96.