Saab
Catherina prototype (Sixten Sason)

Why it matters

The Catherina was Sixten Sason's personal sports car project, adapted for production but beaten by the MFI13, which became the Sonett II. Its lines anticipated the later Saab 99.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Like the Formula Junior and the Sonett Super Sport, the Catherina began as a private project of Sixten Sason, who was then commissioned by Saab to adapt it for series production. Work started in January 1963 and the prototype was assembled from May at the ASJ workshops in Katrineholm, which gave the car its name. It was first shown on 24 April 1965 at the Linkoping sports centre.

Tests showed that more development was needed before production, and the MFI13 had meanwhile appeared. Comparison of the two led Saab to choose the MFI13 as the basis of the Sonett II. The Catherina is displayed in the Saab Car Museum.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The Catharina is a fibreglass two-seat coupe on Saab 96 mechanicals with a removable targa top that clips out and is stored in the boot on carpeted brackets; a small rear window held by a pin must be lowered before the roof can be removed. Other details are a tilt-forward bonnet, black-painted wheels with metal trim between the wheel nuts, a boot lid supported on one side only, a concave rear panel that foreshadows the Saab 99, and Saab 96 seats and interior.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Saab Museum (saabmuseum.com) – Catherina Level B

   • 1 prototype

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   Sixten Sason's concept Saab - Catharina Level A Steven Wade · Inside Saab (Saab Automobile corporate blog, Steven Wade) · 2012-03-30

   • Catharina now resides at the Saab Museum in Trollhattan
   • We think it's the same 841cc 2-stroke that appeared in the GT850 but there is some confusion about the year
   • using the engine, gearbox and floorpan of the Saab 96
   • this fibreglass bodied vehicle

   Accessed 2026-11-13
3. 3
   Saab Catherina Level D Saab history pages (Danny, home.swipnet.se) · 2006-09-07

   • Numbers manufactured (prototype)

   Accessed 2026-11-13
4. 4
   Catherina history Level A The Saab Museum (independent enthusiast archive)

   • targa top that was the correct shape to be neatly stowed in the boot

   Accessed 2026-11-12