Saab Catherina
Encyclopedia
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, commissioned by the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
automaker
Automaker
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
Saab
Saab Automobile
Saab Automobile AB, better known as Saab , is a Swedish car manufacturer owned by Dutch automobile manufacturer Swedish Automobile NV, formerly Spyker Cars NV. It is the exclusive automobile Royal Warrant holder as appointed by the King of Sweden...
, designed by Sixten Sason
Sixten Sason
Sixten Sason was a Swedish industrial designer.Sason started working for Saab, designing aircraft throughout World War II. Following the war, he was asked to contribute to Project 92, the result of which would be the first Saab automobile, the Saab 92 which began production in 1949...
and made at the workshops of the Aktiebolaget Svenska Järnvägsverkstäderna (ASJ - the Swedish Railroad Works) in Katrineholm
Katrineholm
Katrineholm is a locality and the seat of Katrineholm Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 21,386 inhabitants in 2005.-Early history:The name Katrineholm comes from a ducal residence with this name, after Catherina Gyllenhorn who lived there...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(hence the name). It is a red, two-seat sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
with a targa top
Targa top
Targa top, targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsche AG....
.
Sason, who was working as a freelancer
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
for Saab, made some drawings of a small sports coupé in the early 1960s. As Saab was planning to introduce a sports car model, the company commissioned him to adopt the design for mass production. The project began in January 1963 and in May the assembly of the prototype started at the ASJ. The prototype was first displayed, however, only on 24 April 1965, at the Linköping
Linköping
Linköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...
Sports Centre.
For economy reasons, the Catherina utilised many components of the contemporary Saab 96
Saab 96
For the modern car, see Saab 9-6The Saab 96 is an automobile made by Saab. It was introduced in 1960 and was produced until January 1980, a run of 20 years. Like the 93 it replaced, the 96 was a development from the old Saab 92 chassis and, on account of its improvements and modernisation, it...
and shared the same wheelbase, which was longer than the finally accepted design. Its unique feature was its targa top, which could be stowed in the luggage compartment of the car. Stemming from the design of an integral 'roll bar
Roll bar
Roll bar or rollbar may refer to:* Roll bar, also known as anti-roll bar or sway bar, a torsion spring bar that reduces vehicle roll* Roll cage, a vehicle frame designed to protect occupants in the event of a crash...
', it was still a new concept in the automotive industry, preceding the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
, which popularized it (and established the name). Sason also designed some other unusual features for the Catherina, such as the roof-mounted headlamp
Headlamp
A headlamp is a lamp, usually attached to the front of a vehicle such as a car or a motorcycle, with the purpose of illuminating the road ahead during periods of low visibility, such as darkness or precipitation. Headlamp performance has steadily improved throughout the automobile age, spurred by...
s (for longer range), which were not included in the prototype because of the need to make the car fit for mass production.
After test drives on the prototype it was concluded that some more development work was needed. Meanwhile, another prototype, known as Saab MFI13
Saab MFI13
The MFI 13 was a February 1965 prototype for the Saab 97, later known as Sonett II. It was built at the Malmö Flygindustri as they had some experience with plastic manufacturing. The body of the prototype was made of steel though...
, was prepared by the Malmö Flygindustri (MFI) and Saab chose it as a basis for its sports car, the Saab Sonett II
Saab Sonett
The Saab Sonett is an automobile manufactured between 1955 and 1957 and again between 1966 and 1974 by Saab Automobile AB of Sweden. Sonetts shared engines and other components with Saab 96s and 95s of the same era....
. The Catherina ended up on display in the SAAB museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in Trollhättan
Trollhättan
Trollhättan is a city and the seat of Trollhättan Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 44,498 inhabitants in 2005. It is located 75 km north of Sweden's second-largest city, Gothenburg....
, but Sason used some of the design cues previewed in the Catherina in his later design, the mass-market Saab 99
Saab 99
- Development :On April 2, 1965, Gudmund's day in Sweden, after several years of planning, the Saab board started Project Gudmund. This was a project to develop a new and larger car to take the manufacturer beyond the market for the smaller Saab 96...
.