Saab 98

The Saab 98 was built by italian coachbuilder Coggiola in very few test cars before the project was abandoned when Saab decided there was no room in the market for a car between the Saab 95 and Saab 99. The Saab 98 project, originally referred to as X14, began just two years after the production of the Saab 99 started. The X designation conjures up a mystique in the project that was never really there, but it did serve to open motor industry eyes to a new concept termed by Saab as Combi Coupé. The Combi Coupé was essentially a hatchback that was a cross between a comfortable family saloon and an estate car. Just into the new year of 1974, the Saab 99 Combi Coupé had been introduced and Saab was debating the merits of applying the same concept to the Saab 96. The design, led by Björn Envall, was based on the floorpan of the Saab 95. The prototype was assembled by Italian Sergio Coggiola who had also worked with Saab on the styling of the Saab Sonett III. The Saab 95 was already a practical family car positioned in the market just below the Saab 99 and as such Saab decided that the Saab 98 was not worth putting into production. The only ever example of the Saab 98 sported a plastic grille and was finished in a new colour for that model year, Sienna Brown and is on display in the Saab Museum in Trollhättan.