There are several colours in the spectrum that have been used sparingly in Saab’s 60 year history. You won’t find too many orange Saabs, for example, save for a few Sonett IIIs and 99s during the 1970s. Yellow is another rare colour, but it always looks special on a Saab, and in many instances, it’s because the Saab itself is special.
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In the beginning…
Yellow first made an appearance on Saab 95s and 96s in the mid 1960s. This was a time where colour was king and companies weren’t afraid to paint with a bold palette and a strong brush. Saabs from this time featured interiors with bold reds and cool blues, a far cry from the neutral greys that dominated the 1990s.
In the early 1970s Saab reintroduced yellow with a color called Brilliant Yellow, an example of which can be seen below on this Saab 96 V4.
These initial yellow Saabs were standard cars. In future years, a yellow Saab would come to signify something rather more special within the range.
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Saab Sonett
Yellow also featured as a colour for one of Saab’s more different cars - the Sonett.
There’s nothing else quite like the Sonett in Saab’s history. The Sonett name started life with the Saab Sonett Super Sport in the 1950s. Only six were ever made and none of them were yellow. But if you look around Saab’s home city, Trollhattan, during the Saab Festival it’s quite likely that you’ll actually see a yellow Sonett on the streets there. It belongs to a Saab devotee and is a handbuilt replica of the original Sonett.
The Sonett II featured a strong shade of yellow, and the Saab Sonett III featured a color called Mellow Yellow. An example in that colour can be found at the Saab Museum in Trollhattan today. This isn’t that car, but a fine example, all the same.
Photo: Liftarn
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The 900 Turbo S convertible.
In the early 1990s, Saab introduced a new, fully equipped version of it’s very successful 900 Convertible - The 900 Turbo 16S. There was a similarly designated model in the hardtop 900 as well.
The Turbo 16S Convertible got directional alloy 3-slot wheels and seats from the Saab 9000 that even included an option for electric adjustment of the driver’s seat.
For the purposes of this story, however, the Turbo 16S Convertible saw the introduction of a new color for the Saab 900 - Monte Carlo Yellow.
The new color was striking to say the least. In a time where metallic silvers, greys, greens and blues were crowding the streets, the solid, non-metallic Monte Carlo Yellow stood out like a beacon.
Unlike the SPG (or Aero) model that was around at the same time, the Turbo 16S convertible had the dark grey body kit of earlier 900s, rather than a full body-coloured kit. Perhaps it would have been too much if they’d gone the full Monte?
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Saab 900 SVO concept
The SVO (Special Vehicles Operations) concept began life in the mid 1990s with the “next-gen” Saab 900. The end result of the project was the Saab 9-3 Viggen that would follow, but the immediate fruit of SVO’s labour was the SVO concept vehicle - painted in Monte Carlo Yellow.
This vehicle was first shown in 1996 and provided a big leap forward in terms of the performance editions expected from Saab. In essence it was to the NG900 as the Aero or SPG was to the classic 900. The only problem being that it wasn’t in production, and wouldn’t be until 1999 when the Viggen was released.
Whilst the signature colors for the Saab 9-3 Viggen were Lightning Blue and Black in most countries, the US also got versions in Silver, Red, and in Monte Carlo Yellow. The original SVO concept vehicle now resides in the Saab museum, in Trollhattan, and is surprisingly accessible!
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The Monte Carlo
Saab made a limited edition model of the original Saab 9-3 called the Monte Carlo.
Production in the Australian market, for instance, was limited to 50 units and worldwide production stopped at 195 units. The car featured the 2.0HOT engine, woodgrain trim with black leather, and each of the Australian editions wore an individual number on the passenger side dash.
The car was identifiable not only by it’s colour, but also by a small Monte Carlo badge on the rear, below the tail lamps.
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A new convertible - a new colour
The Saab Convertible has become the signature modern Saab, and Lime Yellow was undoubtedly a distinct signature colour to launch it with back in 2004.
It is, admittedly, more Lime that Yellow, but it certainly is distinctive and imagery of this particular car was commonplace in Saab promotional material at the time of it’s launch.
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New for 2008 - Lynx Yellow
The latest Saab to get dressed in yellow is the 2008 Saab 9-3 Convertible. Whilst this shade was widely referred to as Saffron Yellow in the lead up to its release, Saab Sweden called for a change prior to release, and the color was thereby officially named Lynx Yellow.
Well, it will be called Lynx Yellow in most markets, at least. The German market like to specify their colors according to what they think their clients will relate to, and they renamed the colour Inca Yellow, to stir up images of the gold held by the ancient Incas. This isn’t the first color to receive a different name in Germany, where the very deep, dark Nocturne Blue is known officially as Sapphire Blue.
