It’s impossible to think of Saabs and not think of safety first, it was one of their founding principles after all. Inspired by their aviation engineering, Saab applied the same precision to their cars, and continuously pioneered numerous safety features. They standardised seat belts in all production Saabs, invented headlamp washers and wipers, fitted self-repairing bumpers and even floor mounted ignitions. More notably, they introduced their SAHR (Saab Active Head Restraint) system; a mechanical system activated by the occupant's weight during a rear-end collision to catch the head early and drastically reduce severe whiplash injuries and of course, the glorious night panel feature, ensuring driver’s focus is maintained when darkness falls.
This high level of innovative safety continued into the structural integrity of the cars, including their unique Moose Crash Testing. For this specific reason, they Engineered ultra-strong A-pillars and reinforced roof structures designed to deflect large wandering wildlife away from crashing straight through the windscreens. The car’s entire bodies were designed as large steel safety cages in which the passengers sit protected from outside forces. The bodies are built with a network of protective members and reinforcing plates-entirely covered by soft, energy absorbing padding, and have often been referred to as best in class.
Although the safety element of Saabs has always been a reassuring constant for me, it was an absolute privilege to be able to see their cutaway cars at The Box exhibition, the 900, 9000 and 9-5 models were all on display, and feature colour coded structural components that identify individual zones and features. I’m not an expert on this, but believe the warm zones, such as red, orange and purple mark the ultra high strength steel and passenger safety cages, whilst the cooler zones like yellow and blue, designate the softer, force absorbing crumple zones, designed to deform during a collision.
Even back in 1989, when Saab had introduced their outstanding 9000, they featured wonderful illustrations to highlight their safety and innovation, these are just some of the features listed in the original brochure :
Large crumple zones at the front and rear, designed to arrest the collision forces.
The sturdy reinforcing members in the doors provide effective protection in side-on collisions.
Collapsible steering column and a large, impact-absorb-ing steering wheel centre pad
Head restraints with a special plate that protects the neck vertebrae in a collision from the front or rear.
Heavy padding throughout the interior. Smooth surfaces without hard edges or projecting controls.
‘The Saab 9000 is an extremely safe car. Its chassis design provides consistent and "forgiving" behaviour in all situations and never produces unpleasant surprises. In case of collision, the driver and passengers are well protected by one of the safest car bodies ever built.’
There are endless documents and words written about Saab safety, but I’d never been able to find many pictures of these actual cutaway cars, not only are they intriguing to study, but an absolute joy to stand and look at. These where never meant to be about beauty, but in their own way, they were some of the most beautiful in the collection.