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1977 Saab 99 Turbo
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Frankfurt September 11, 2007; The new Saab Turbo X high-technologymodel, making its world debut tomorrow at the first press day of theFrankfurt auto show, celebrates that it was Saab who put turbocharging onthe automotive map. It all began exactly 30 years ago, at exactly the sameplace, when the first Saab 99 Turbo model was presented to the world mediaat the 1977 Frankfurt auto show.
At that time Saab was alone in pursuing turbocharging as a reliable andrealistic means of extracting more power and efficiency from a productionengine. Saab’s success over the next three decades shows thatimitation is, indeed the sincerest form of flattery -- there are now fewmanufacturers who do not offer turbocharged models.
That’s because the attractions of turbocharging are even moreseductive today than they were three decades ago. It is the key to whatSaab calls ‘rightsizing’. Less is more. A turbocharged engineis lighter, smaller and more fuel efficient than a non-turbo,‘naturally-aspirated’ engine capable of producing similarpower. Not only that. A turbocharger develops more power by harnessing theenergy from an engine’s exhaust gas flow. The idea of, in effect,recycling energy that’s otherwise wasted is even more compelling.
Something for Nothing
The idea that ‘less is more’ is intrinsic to the minimalisttradition of good Scandinavian design. Decoration and ornate detail cansometimes distract from an appreciation of form, line or shape. While thisScandinavian perspective is very much part of Saab car design, the‘less is more’ philosophy can be even more closely identifiedwith Saab’s mastery of the art of turbocharging.
While engineers will tell you that ‘getting something fornothing’ is not a realistic expectation in engine design, most willagree that about 30 per cent of the energy released when an engine burnsfuel goes down the tube, or, in this case, the exhaust pipe.
A turbocharger uses that energy to force more air into the engine. Ofcourse, some more fuel has to be added when extra air is pumped in, but aturbo gives the driver a choice in the matter.
As Saab’s leading expert, Dr Per Gillbrand, often known as the‘father of the production turbo’, used to say: a turbochargedpowerplant is really ‘two engines in one.’ There is a‘small’ engine for driving in everyday traffic conditions andthen a ‘large’ one, giving more power and performance, when theturbocharger joins the party at higher throttle openings.
Today, Saab remains at the forefront of turbocharging technology. In aworld seeking to reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, Saab BioPowerengines bring together turbocharging and bioethanol (E85) fuel todrastically reduce those emissions - while also producing more power thanis possible with gasoline. A smart, win/win solution.
Back at Frankfurt in 1977, the sceptics were more concerned aboutturbocharging being a winning solution in terms of just power. Earlyattempts at controlling boost pressure had produced severe reliabilityissues that discouraged other manufacturers from further development forroad-going production cars.
But Saab, driven forward by the independent mind-set of its engineersand executives, remained convinced that it could be done. The company wasable to draw on experience from aircraft design, where turbochargers werecommonly used in aero engines to compensate for the effects of thin air ataltitude. It also shared knowledge with colleagues in what was then thecompany’s truck division, who were using turbochargers with large,heavy-duty diesel engines.
Challenging Conventional Wisdom
Saab developed technology to ‘tame the turbo’ by using aby-pass valve to control the build-up of boost pressure. It did not takelong for the world to appreciate what had been achieved. Fitting aturbocharger to the 2-liter engine of a Saab 99 gave 23 per cent moremaximum horse power and a massive 45 per cent increase in torque, theengine’s pulling power under acceleration. To produce similar powerratings, a naturally-aspirated engine of the time would have been up to 50per cent larger in capacity and about 50 kilos heavier, with overall fuelconsumption 30 per cent worse. Saab has changed conventional wisdom thatequated engine power with engine size.
An early Saab 99 Turbo road test in the UK’s influential Autocarmagazine concluded: “It is not just its performance, but the way itdelivers it. Its acceleration pattern is unique. Like a roller coasterrunning downhill, the Saab just gets faster as the turbocharger boostincreases. It’s uncanny.” The age of the turbo had arrived and,during the next decade, black Saab 99 and 900 Turbo models were to becomedefining image for the Saab brand.
Over the years, Saab has continued to refine the art of turbocharging.The roller coaster is still there, but the ride is a bit more comfortable.Advances in engine management systems and turbocharger design have giventoday's Saab turbo engines a much smoother and more progressive powerdelivery. The new Turbo X, for example, delivers exceptionally strongpulling power of 400 Nm from very low engine revs, the characteristics of afar larger engine.
Rightsizing
Turbocharging has led Saab 2,650 meters ( 8,700 ft) up in the AmericanRockies to demonstrate how its turbo cars can still perform in the thin airof altitude. And down at sea level, it has given the 9000 Aero model fasterin-gear acceleration than a Ferrari Testarossa. There is even a satisfiedSaab 900 Turbo owner who has clocked up more than one million miles.
As long ago as 1992, Saab was able to demonstrate the abilities of itsTrionic engine management system (Generation 8 is used today) by arrangingan independent car test in City of London traffic. It showed that levels ofregulated pollutants in the Saab’s exhaust were actually lower thanfound in the surrounding atmosphere. The car was ‘cleaning’ theurban air!
Today, in an era when the desire to save energy and achieve greaterefficiency has never been greater, the future of Saab turbocharging hasnever been brighter.
‘Rightsizing’ is how Saab describes the process of makingengines more efficient, of reducing their size, weight and environmentalimpact without losing performance .. showing that less is more.Turbocharging is a key component, combined with sophisticated enginemanagement, ‘lean burn’ technologies and the potential use ofbio-fuel, such as Saab BioPower and E85 bioethanol.
Back to Saab turbo pioneer Dr Per Gillbrand. He shared a similarphilosophy when it came to efficient engine design. “All engines havean oil pump, a fuel pump and a water pump”, he used to say. “Sowhy not an air pump, which is all a turbo really is. I think it's odd thatall engines don’t have one!” Nowadays, thanks to the power ofsuch independent thinking, an increasing number do.
Saab is a division of General Motors Corp. Saab Automobile USA is theimporter and/or distributor of Saab 9-3, 9-5 and 9-7X automobiles for SaabAutomobile AB, Sweden. Visit www.saabusa.com for moreinformation.
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