1958 Saab 93 - Jay Leno's Garage 

"you don't need a Ferrari or McLaren to have fun." This is more fun. These types of videos are way cooler too. Thanks Jay and team.

Really respectful and interesting from you, Jay. As a swede, I'm happy that you honour an historic car from my country with this kind words and caring. You also have a giant knowledge that makes me impressed. Often I don't like american reviews (with music in background and people who don't know what they speak about) but you're interesting and serious. Respect from me to you, Jay.

Boy, this brings back memories. I took my driver's test in a '59 Saab 93 in 1963. The examiner was completely baffled by the rear-hinged doors and I had to explain about the free-wheeling so he wouldn't get freaked out going down hill. I grew up in Maine (still live there) and would purposely go out on a snowy day and pass people stuck trying to go uphill. It was a fun car to drive.

I remember whenever a Saab 93 passed by our home.the two-stroke engines would cause the TV reception to scramble .

in sweden, that license plate GLF249 has now been recycled and passed down to a trailer, a -08 Thule D0750, owned by a contractor company located 30miles away from the very SAAB factory.

Finally an episode where it's just Jay talking about a cool old car. No guests. No gimmicks.

Someone once asked Carlsson how he managed to beat so many more powerful cars in one of these. He replied: 'I just never took my foot off.' Marvellous.

hello ....i'm Pantelis from Greece...i'm 51 y.o and that video made me so emotional (especially my father he's 84 y.o and we saw this video together!!!!) cause he bouth this car in 1964 and i was born inside this car in 1969 ....it was a Saab 94 construction in 1964 the older model from this car in your videiowith fuel and oil at the same tank...it was semi automatic by puting 1st-2nd and 3rd gear without pressing the clutch all you needed to do that is pulling a small lever low on the steering axle next to and above the throttle..now the car is in the experienced hands of a fanatical collector of these cars..car's counter has reset 3 times. the engine was never converted and was spotless inside out and mechanically excellent for over 30 years. thank you for this video sir....Thank you so much for this emotional experience....* sorry for my English but i;m Greek)

As a Swede I got a big smile on My face right now. These cars are bullitproof and it’s really sad Saab went down.

I enjoy most of the guests but it’s a treat to see Jay on his own, in his element.

In Sweden they were called ”Djungeltrumma” (= Jungle drum)

Jay captured the cleverness of Sabbs and his humorous take on who drove them was spot on. Plenty of Saab still on the road cause thoughtful people won’t let them die.

I remember filling up my 1959 at the gas station and watching the looks on the faces of other patrons when I would pour 2 stroke oil into the gas tank and bounce the little beast up and down with my foot on the bumper for a minute. Ordinarily, I would mix it with some gas in a separate can I kept in the trunk, but sometimes you just love to do something to burn your existence into the minds in a small town. Keep doing what you do so well.

Somehow I am certain that Jay does his goofy foreign accents while giggling softly to himself when he is alone driving this car. Guaranteed.

I had a '62 93, in 1972, when I was 20. They had done away with the suicide doors, but everything else was the same. It came standard with the 4 spd on the column, which was a hoot to drive. The manual suggested when parking, while camping, find a suitable sized rock to put under a tire to keep the car from rolling away. The small door from the trunk folded down and the seats folded also to make a bed. As a 20 year old guy, this was a chick magnet car, girls loved riding in it. It smoked when you didn't get the mixture just right, it went like a tank through snow, etc. It got good gas mileage on long trips. I ended up hitting a Torino, parked in the middle of the street, and put a big U in the hood. It drove fine and I was able to sell it like that. I still miss that car!

You brought back lots of memories of my '67 SAAB 96 two stroke. I got to know every cop in San Diego County on a first name basis due to the smoke. Once I was pulled over because the cop wanted to tell me about a new two stroke oil he'd found at Fedmart.

Im from sweden and these bullets are superrare here too. Love them really. The model after this has the v4 engine. Also a rare sound.

Proud owner of a Saab 900 from 1995. Still kicking and getting close to 190,000 miles

Jay’s passion for cars goes beyond the hardware and gets into the backstory. It is what makes these “garage” stories so interesting. The shutter for the radiator was neat.

We drove Saabs in our family from the early 60's thru 2007. Every type...except the Sonnet. And we got our neighbors to also drive them. We lived on Main St in our town. We always had so many SAABs in the driveway that people in town thought we were a SAAB garage and occasionally someone would knock on the front door needing service for their SAAB. The other night I had a dream - I had dropped off my 2018 SAAB 9-5 Wagon at the dealer for service and was asking my good friend if she could give me a ride to the dealer to pick up my car..It'll be ready tomorrow morning by 11:00am. What a great dream it was! I miss the SAAB family. And it really was a family. Very special.

as a swede I found it really interesting that this saab has a swedish plate :)

The British did combine water and electricity in one unit. The distributor in a classic Mini, right up against the grille, just waiting for a rainy night. I didn't say it actually _worked_ when that happened. :-P

The freewheeling was not intended as a fuel saver, it avoided the engine being dragged at high speed with low fuelling and lubrication ;-D

I rewatch this episode just to hear the "It's like a hive of bees coming at you" line. Makes me smile every time. Thanks Jay.

OMG LMAO! The only 2 people I knew that owned real Saabs (before GM) were an English teacher and a college professor. You nailed it, Jay. 😂

As a Swede and as a SAAB owner I got a big smile on my face while i was watching this video. My dad had a Saab 93, also 2 stroke but a newer model (1973) It’s really sad Saab went down.

"Imagine the British trying to combine electricity and water." :DDD

I'm sure somewhere in the 2500 comments it was pointed out.. but i didn't see it. Volvo invented the 3 point seat belt. They didn't charge anyone else to use it though.

a fun fact about those early saabs , and a shame you didn't mention it , was the bottom of the car . It's allmost completely flat .In the year 63 they won the Monte Carlo Rally. That year the weather was terrible , most teams got stuck in snow and had to dig the car out again and again. but because of the flat undercarriage , on bad downhill stretches , they just let it freewheel and they allmost used it like a sled , just gliding over the snow . wasnt hard to push out either , and because of the freewheeling , they didn't dig in fast. So front wheel drive and 2 crazy swedes , and you got yourself a winning combo.

I had an uncle who drove different SAAB models for 40 years, he got invited to the factory in Trollhättan :) I had one myself a 1978 SAAB 99 Turbo.

I miss Saab, last one I owned was a 92 Saab 900 coupe. Great car

This was a real blast from the past fpr me. Growing up my mom had a green 1960 Saab 93 and that engine sound is embedded in my brain forever. And now 30 years later a guy moved in down the street from me who drives one, same year same colour. Ah memories.

Finally! I'm one of those SAAB "guys" you refer to. My whole family is. The German Ford Taunus 4-strokes are killer too. Sweeden had the strongest steel w/the highest Boron content, and these were the strongest car bodies to ever have wheels. Thanks!

The two-stroke rap cracks me up. I appreciate the good old cars like this. Volvo and Saab made really good stuff.

Fun, simple video highlighting the quirky brilliance of SAAB. Well done, Jay. The SAAB community is probably the kindest, most supportive auto community. SAAB owners are quirky like their automobile counterparts but always friendly and helpful.

Great video Jay. In 1968 I purchase a white 1963 Saab from a dealer in Highland Falls, NY with about 85k miles on the odometer. Previous owner was the chaplain from West Point Military Academy. The ‘63 version Had 4 speed on the column, freewheel, fold down rear seat, no suicide doors though. Being 18, I beat the hell out of that car and probably added another 80K miles to it. For every eight gallons of gas I added a quart of oil to the tank and never had an issue. I miss that car.

its warms my heart to see the name of my little town of 50 thousand people on a sticker on a car from 1958 :´)

Thank you so much for this Jay. My dad is Swedish and the first time he took me over there in the mid 80's, my grandparents drove this exact car! Their '58 Saab actually had a glass cylinder to help you mix the gas and oil! I'm a German sports car guy at heart, but this car is my family roots! Great stuff Jay!!!

Love the raspy, burpy two-stroke sound...

That engine really put a smile on your face! Much more joy than all these Ferraris. I have driven cars with alot of horsepower but this one is pure fun and character

It's like a Harley Davidson, "turning gasoline into noise without moving you very fast." =P

It's wonderful to see old SWE-classics in US and outside of Sweden. Also 2-stroke = 100 % music & love for me.

I LOVE these Saab's, I had a Saab 96 back in the day which is a four-stroke with an old Ford engine but the design was still teardrop so its looks were preserved, fantastic looking car

It's funny as hell when he says, ya Sven, we go driving, and just pauses and stares at the camera.

I wish cars now would require four separate steps to start, in the right order. The traffic would have been so much easier since half the drivers in my area would never get out of their driveways.

Back in the late 60's I worked at Slingsby Sailplanes/Engineering and one of my collogues rebuilt a Saab, probably a 96, and had an old bonnet (hood) left over, so when it snowed he used to swap the bonnets (he used pip-pins for quick release) and drive to the local hills, take off the bonnet, and use it as a sledge. We never found out what others thought of him using part of his car as a sledge but he had plenty of strange looks when he'd finished and put it back on and drove off.

"it's like a hive of bees coming at you" love this effin review and love Jay's love of cars

I have a model 96 Saab, somewhat similar looking in body style to this 93. It has the stock Ford German V-4 engine. It's absolutely indestructible. I used to have a 1957 DKW also a two-stroke 3 cylinder with the radiator behind the engine and also with suicide doors.

The best site on RU-vid. If you are having a bad day, Jay will always put a smile on your face with his whit and passion for the automobile.

When I moved to my new house I was cutting the hedge and the hedge cutter hit something, It was the crankshaft/ conrod and piston assembly from a two stroke saab, The pistons looked like they had been damaged by seizure and had some prety deep gouges in them but I loved the way that it looked like whoever had stripped the engine had just thrown the whole crank assembly into the hedge in a rage where they had remained until I found them years later. It now makes a great garden ornament :-) Love the vids

Love these little cars. A buddy had one in college. Starter cable went and he hooked up an outboard motor cord with a pull handle hanging down. Was hilarious starting it. Such fun we had with it.

LOL! The lawnmower influence continues with a pull start! Seriously love the weird stuff that Jay has. Doug Demuro would have a “qwirks and features” seizure in this shop! 🤣

My Swedish neighbors had one, a 1964. The dad was a christian movie producer. I'd be a passenger in it as a kid, and I loved the sporty way that he drove it, and the sound, and the smell of the 2 stroke engine! ..Jay, you should have stopped by my hamburger joint, (Carl's) pictured from 11:10-11:13 for a burger!!

Come on Jay, the difference between the word "instruktionsbok" and "instruction book" really isn´t that big!

Jay left out one thing about 2-stroke engines namely that they produce power right away because every second stroke is a power stroke. A four stroke takes twice as long to rev up and start producing power, hence 2-stroke motorcycle engines. I had one back in the '60s, a Yamaha 100cc Tin Twin as they were known. You twist the throttle and bang, it's right there. Small bike, but a riot to drive. Rev it up and back off and all you heard was ding-da-ding-ding-ding-da-ding which I'm sure is where the "Tin" came from in the nickname. One of the reasons the Saabs were great rally cars, instant power and front-wheel drive. They owned it until another fwd car came along...the Austin Mini with a 4-stroke 850cc engine and incredible suspension. That was fun too. I used to bank-shot it off snowbanks here in Canada during rubber to ice races. It worked!

My daughter always loved the jelly mould saab.s. I rebuild one for her 18th birthday. She is now 48 and still has it. Now fitted with the rally front end. But standard engine.

Last year I drove from Stockholm to Gothenburg and, while passing the SAAB airplane factory just outside Linkoping, saw that they had examples of all their famous planes, the Viggen, Gripen, etc mounted on poles, so you can see them while driving along the Motorway. It's a shame they don't make cars any more but they're still making airplanes

Holy cow, Jay -- I remember that comic with the Corvette and the Saab on ice! Man, it must be 50 years since I read that comic book, but I remembered it as you started talking about it. Amazing to think that's stayed in my memory all those years, just waiting for a cue.

I was almost borne in a car like this. However in 1956, I was carried home in A Lloyd, but my first car memories appeared in a white Saab 93, like this. As you say, it was a well built car, created by an airplane company, that manufactured aircraft for The Swedish Air Force. The logo is a stylized front view of the medium class bomber B18, as was one by the last designs before the jet-era. I remember the car as a very pleasant vehicle. The entry through the suicide doors eased the entry to the back seat. It managed the tough mountains in Norway without troubles. Engine sounds were never disturbing, and the motor wheeled happy in the worst of uphills. Downhills, it could tear the brakes, however, but they never let us down. I have seen Norway by lying upon a pile of luggage in the backseat. Eh. Seat-belts did not suit kids by that time anyway, and I survived. The back storage was full, as well as the backseat. The problem was the roads by that time. Very few were covered by asphalt, and at the gravel roads, the wheels hammered the fenders with a massive throw of pebbles that made a terrible sound inside the car. They had also lots of deep holes, as well as bumps, and after some time I felt ill, and sometimes wanted to puke. These roads would not qualify for tough rallies at these days. I will never claim the car for my illness, but the roads were horrible, and very dangerous with kilometer scarps on one side, and rock walls on the other, and no protection walls, except some stone here and there. It was however worth some danger, though the views of the three-dimensional landscape from above was adorable, at least. I can assure everyone, that after day-trip of this kind, it was awsome, to make up the tent, and get on the food cook. Such easy dinners are better than anything. However, we were teared sometimes, but the Saab 93, never protested, and ever delivered any requirement. 33 horses. Would such a span fail three people, and luggage over a hill? Nope, never if they were not insane, and Saab's horses never went insane. Saab's Two stroke horses were of full blood arab's, that never let someone down. They were always awaken. Nowadays the horses in a car, is asleep until calling up, but sleepy things are not happy to deliver at once. Otherwise you are cheating against the envirionment rules. The old twostroker is always awake, and uses a great part of maximum all the times. The engine is a pollutioner, of course, but its 33 Hp of 750 cc made our day by honours at the time. Cheers to Jay Leno, and all two stroke lovers.

Thanks, Jay. Not sure if this was covered in all the comments, but the freewheel was there to keep from destroying the engine on deceleration. With premix, the engine relies on oil in the fuel for lubrication. The more fuel going into the engine, the more lubrication. But if you go down a long hill at 6,000 rpm's with your foot off the gas....no fuel, no oil, no lubrication, and...no engine! With freewheeling engaged, the engine goes to idle on decel and gets the right amount of oil. In my youth, I rode 2 stroke motorcycles using premix. I was taught to pull in the clutch going down hills or approaching a stop.

I can almost smell it through the screen! Wonderful episode.

About 1961, UpState New York, having to drive back roads to get to work. Finger Lakes area, cold heavy snow, unplowed roads at night with ice on inside and outside of the windshield with big wet flakes coming down. Though not much fun at the time can look back at that 59 Saab with affection today. We went through many an adventure together and as a not too smart 21 year old managed to survive. Mountainman Carl.

My neighbor had one in the early '60's, his had a separate tank for the oil. My father had a Diesel Mercedes, our families were the neighborhood odballs

I learned to drive in a 1968 V4 Saab. My friend had an older 2 stroke. Fun cars and good with the Wisconsin show. Saab did not update the transmission for the V4 so mine had the free wheeling knob too. I would usually pull it out for engine braking. The 2 strokes needed the free wheeling because it there was no fuel there would be no lubrication. If the engine was at high RPMs rolling down a long hill the engine would seize up if there was not free wheeling. Same is true for a two stroke motorcycle so I would pull in the clutch while going down a long hill on my Suzuki T500.

I had a Saab 96, brilliant in the snow, I remember that free-wheeling feature, the seats flattened in the back so you could sleep in it.

An old swede in good hands. I had the 4 stroke one, a dream in winter to drive. Sometimes they were called "sne fyra" (crooked four) as the pedals was not in the middle of driver position. People who walked crooked did so after driving that saab :-)

Growing up in NYC I had a neighbor that lived down the street who had two of these, both bright robin's egg blue, and with consecutive VINs. These were some of the first cars I ever worked on as a kid, helping that neighbor do things like oil changes, setting points (one of his was a 4-stroke 4-cyl, the other a 2-stroke 3-cyl), changing filters, etc. He was a college professor and drove them to work regularly during the school season, changing over to his Vespa scooter for summer. He also owned a Citroen DS that I loved. Many years later, when I had my own service station, I was one of the few mechanics in NYC who could/would work on Citroens and Saabs. One client even gifted me a gently used 1970 Saab 99 hatchback that I fell in love with. Saab's are really great cars. A driver's car for sure.

Awesomeness!! Love the rare stuff... Riding a mini bike makes me smile more than a F 40...even a scooter... happiness overrides all

Hi Jay! I need to tell you some more details about the 93! My parents had two of them when I grew up here in Sweden. Not only is the radiator mounted behind the engine, making it easily overheat when a family of 5 persons and a roofrack etc making summerhollidays in hot weather... But then if we had some rain it would suffer from the fact that the ignition distributor was mounted right up in the front where all the rain hit... :-/ I remember that my father tried to protect it with a rubber glove with tiny holes on the "fingertips" where the cables passed through. The car has no window flushing, only the wipers, but an old bottle of Heinz Ketchup with water squeezed by the steering column was the solution for that! :-) WE LOVED THE SAAB hehe! :-D

Even called the "Djungledrum" due to the 2-stroke popping! My dad had one. And its totaly a marvelous car!

Who needs 500+ hp. I've driven one of these, and less than 50hp, is so much fun. These cars brought a huge smile to my face. But hey, we with the 4 stroke Saabs still love and lust over the 2 strokes.

One of my little grade school friends' parents owned one of these back in the early 70's! It was a wild ride.

10:45 - My sister took a trip to Germany in high school (then "West Germany,") and when she got back, "It was amazing, we got on the Autobahn, and were doing a hundred! And that was kilometers, so we were going *REALLY* fast!" I didn't have the heart to tell her she had her conversions backwards. (She thought the was doing over 160 MPH, not 62.)

Gotta love a Saab!

Growing up in Massachusetts I did see a number of these cars over time. One of my high school teachers had this exact model. Great video! It brought back fond memories.

That talk about the New England English college professor smoking a pipe, hippie, laid back and driving a Saab was very true back in the 50s-80s in that area. A great time to be alive, and at the same time saying "screw the man"

I believe the freewheeling system was because of an inherent problem with using a 2-stroke engine - when you back off the throttle, the engine doesn't get enough oil. Not really a problem in motorcycles, as they slow down fairly quickly, but with the better part of a 1/2 ton of car, the car speed (and therefore the engine speed) didn't drop quickly enough just with compression to slow it.

Beautiful restoration, love the way Jay chucks the oil bottles in the boot, hopefully they won’t leak all over the boot carpet 😉. I also cringed when the photocopied paper was stuck to the original manual. Fantastic car as usual with these Mr Leno. I’m a 49 year old engineer and I look forward on a Sunday night to what will be up on a Monday morning, you didn’t disappoint.

My father owned a 93 (2 of them, I think), a 96, two 99s. We were the only ones in the neighborhood with Saabs. Everyone laughed when he would start up the 93, blue oil and motorcycle sounds. :D

My brother owned and operated a German car shop for 35 years. Porsches, Mercs, VW - and lots of Volvo's and Saabs. He once remarked the of all the cars he worked on, rebuilt, restored, owned and sold, the very best was this Saab - even though he was fond of saying: "It's a Saab story." He retired early as a millionaire, and with a wink, recommends Ford trucks if you're a big guy, and Toyota Camry's for anyone else. ; )

No, Jay, this car looks familiar to me because I am really, really old. My father had several 93s and 95s. I bought my first car when I was 21: a 1967 Saab 96. Later there was a 99 (great car) and then a 900. But you live in the wrong part of the country to truly enjoy a classic Saab. Snow and twisty steep back roads that are the same as they were 250 years ago, except with some asphalt on them. One spring morning on my way to classes at the University of Virginia (all male in those days) from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg (all female in those days) I had the great pleasure of running a Plymouth GTX off the road that hadn't changed since the Civil War. I just kept pushing him and pushing him with the little Saab and he put his foot into that 440 and flew off the road at the next curve. The Saab clung to the road like it was on rails. Does yours have freewheeling? My 96 did. No engine braking. Take your foot off the gas going downhill and the tach dropped to idle and the speed kept climbing until panic sat in. Fold down the rear seat, not common in those days, and who needs a motel? This was a fantastic brand, conceived by ingenious Swedes, and perfect for a young man wanting to stand out from the crowd. I got 32 to 36 miles per gallon. In 1967! Too bad GM destroyed it. Oh, and my 96 had a magenta high beam indicator jewel light. Never seen anything like it.

What a totally cool obscure, weird old car to showcase. My dad was an early adopter. When I was a kid of 9 or 10 he wanted to get away from the big iron of Detroit. We lived in Massachusetts and he heard front-wheel drive dealt with snow very well. So I remember brochures for this car being all over the living room. He wound up buying a Lloyd, which was an even quirkier two-cylinder FWD, to replace our gnarly, beautiful '57 Plymouth station wagon. Thanks so much for the memory!

Jay, It never gets old watching you talk of these earlier cars. You Sir are a National treasure.

My Father had a 1962 Saab, and I remember the first time I drove it in snow, was amazed at the traction the front wheel drive had. quick and responsive. I used to kid him that it sounded like he was gargling with marbles in his mouth when he drove it. He even pulled his 14ft aluminum boat and trailer with it. over 60mpg (with out the trailer of course. fun little car he loved it. so did I. when I got the chance to drive it. Thanks for the reminder Jay!

"And the nice thing is, it's in swedish!" *ironic smile*

Such a good video - many thanks Jay and Team. Show us more of your own vehicles!

I had two two stroke Saab's, a 1965 850 and a early 1967 850 3 carb model with oil injection. Both were such a blast to drive

That's the car! My father owned a 1958 Saab, the only one in our neighborhood. This was he car we had when I was born and he drove this until I was about 8 years old, then he gave it to his nephew, who drove it for another 8 years or so until he was rear ended and it was "totaled." I haven't seen one of these since I was a child. Thanks Jay! I can still smell it and see my dad adding oil to the gas tank, to the shock of those around him at the gas station.

My father had a sonnet and a 96 during his automotive ownership days...loved them both

When I was a kid living with my grandfather I went with him too the Saab dealership in Brunswick Maine and watching the P3 Orions land at the naval base, I miss him

Its really great to see Jay enjoy his cars. He is so passionate, and knowledgeable. Saab were great eccentric cars. I would love to see a whole series covering all the Saabs and Citroens.

I had a ride in one of these up in Ottawa Canada back in around 1972. What a riot. I still remember the ride after all these years.

In Sweden we call them " oljedriven djungeltrumma" oil driven jungle drum". My neighbors is still driving one of these, as theirs only car. Perfectly served and rust protected with linseed oil.

I remember my '67 Montecarlo 850 GT. Whata solid road-runner; specially in the mid West winters.

Wonderful video - brings back lots of memories - had a 1958 93 like this one which a friend of mine and I raced with the Grumman Sports Car Club on Long Island NY in the 60's. Stripped out the seats, removed the exhaust resonator, took off the hubcaps and raced in the gymkhana circuit on Long Island. Also got me to work in the snow because my TR-4 was awful in bad weather. Thanx Jay !!

Dad's '60 93f (last year of the 93) did not have suicide doors, but all the rest of this brings back memories. In 61 my older sister totaled that great little car and walked away from a serious crash. (The windshield popped out-as designed.) Dad then bought a new 61 Saab 96, with the new back end (big taillights, big backlight, flip out back windows, 40 horsepower, new instrument panel, key starter) We used that for 5 years, then he traded it for a new 66 96 (new front end, radiator in front...then the engine, 3 carbs, 850, (46 hp.) 4 on the tree). -I used that car a lot. it topped out at 86 mph. -BTW, even our 60 had MPH on the speedo, not KPH.

I always like it better when Jay reviews his own cars.

Thanks for putting this car up again Jay, I have always been fascinated by these early 2 stroke saabs.. but, will it do a burn-out...

I just love your channel! This car reminds me precisely of my boat’s late 60s/early 70s Volvo Penta MD2 engine: utterly bulletproof. 4-stroke. Starts immediately, no matter how long it sits. True engineering and quality

Best regards from the DKW fans to the Saab drivers. Two stroke engines forever.