Commonly, we associate turbochargers with hot hatches and sports cars. The first turbocharged road car was the stylish Chevrolet Corvair, and Ford and Renault in particular ran rampant with turbos on their 1980s hatchbacks.
However, the same decade also saw several run-of-the-mill saloons hotted up with forced induction, creating family cars that could keep pace with sports cars. Join us as we celebrate all the times the family holiday got faster…
SAAB 99 TURBO (1978-1982)
We can hardly mention turbochargers without mentioning the manufacturer that did so much to facilitate their popularity and accessibility in the first place: Saab. The 99 was Swedish manufacturer’s move to take the brand upmarket, and beyond the scope of the existing 96 model. The prototype was even badged ‘Daihatsu’, to throw spies (or indeed, rival Volvo) off the scent.
When it formally emerged in 1968, the Saab 99 was quite a car – the handsome, modern styling initially clothed a 1.7- and later a 1.85-litre slant-four engine developed by Triumph, mounted longitudinally but powering the front wheels thanks to Saab’s unique gearbox-under-engine arrangement for balance. The slant-four was later redesigned by Saab to create its more reliable 2.0-litre B engine, fitted from 1972 and gaining fuel injection for the sporty EMS model.
With aero-inspired styling that made it efficient and refined, as well as typical Saab sturdiness and safety, the 99 proved popular as a left-field BMW alternative, but wouldn’t enjoy great popularity or success until Saab (directly or otherwise) took further inspiration from planes by fitting a turbocharger to its engine. The Saab 99 Turbo made its world debut in September 1977 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with 100 test fleet cars distributed around the globe that year, mainly made up of two- and three-door cars, but the production 99 Turbo was initially offered only in
