Last updated on September 19, 2023
Today’s car is a 1969 Saab Sonett V4. It is finished in Sonett Red with a Black interior trimmed with grey carpet. The car is owned by Scott Ganary and he is the original owner! I saw this car at the Marina del Rey, CA Cars and Coffee. It is powered by a Ford Taunus 93.1 cu in, 1.5 liter, V4, with a 1bbl Solex 32 carburetor and producing 65 hp. It is front wheel drive and sends the power through four-speed manual transmission using a column shifter. The transmissions were equipped with a unique manually operated free wheeling clutch that disengaged the transmission whenever the accelerator pedal was released and allowed the car to coast, Delivering that power to the front wheels through a 4.67 to 1 gear ratio. Helping slow this baby down are solid 10.5″ disc brakes in the front and 8 inch drums in the rear. The front suspension is a ball- joint type with coil springs mount on top of upper arms with strut-stabilized on the lower arms. The rear suspension is coil springs with shock absorbers. In addition to its fiberglass body, the Sonett V4 featured advanced safety features for its day, including a built in roll bar, three-point seat belts and high-back bucket seats to protect against whiplash injuries. Its top speed is 100 mph with 0-60 mph time of 11.8 seconds. The original MSRP was between $3,200.00 and $3,800.00. The total number of 1969 Sonett V4’s produced was 690.
I think that it is great that this car has been part of Scott’s family for 53 years. Scott also has some great memories with the Sonett. If you see him ask him to reminisce. This is a very unique and rare car, that gets a plenty of attention. This car is great for conversation, car shows and Cars and Coffee events. Thanks for riding along. Frank
