Makes › Saab › Formula Junior · Factory competition · 1960 Ultra Rare
Saab
Formula Junior
Factory monocoque front-drive two-stroke Formula Junior racer; only two built, one in the Saab Car Museum
Still being researched: identification guide, full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: Lukasz19930915 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 2 Built
- Years
- 1960
- Engine
- three-cylinder two-stroke, mounted horizontally ahead of the gearbox
- Power
- 64.1 kW / 87.2 PSFactory: 86 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Engineers of Saab's combined testing and competition department
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- 1 (unknown)
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
Saab's Formula Junior was an unconventional attempt to race a front-wheel-drive monocoque with a two-stroke engine, built by enthusiasts in the testing and competition department.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Saab Formula Junior (Wikimedia Commons: Saab Formula Junior)
Photo: Lukasz19930915 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Saab Formula Junior (Wikimedia Commons: Saab Formula Junior)
Photo: Jelger Groeneveld · CC BY-SA 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionone of the two cars built is on display at the Saab Car Museum in Trollhattan; the fate of the other is not stated | about 11Reported by enthusiast sources – not verified. Know the real figure? Send us a source. | Surviving examples | Unknown |
| Total model productioncars built | 21,2 | Factory production | Factory reported |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
In 1960 enthusiasts in Saab's combined testing and competition department built a car for the Formula Junior class even though the engine was well below the permitted 1100 cc. The three-cylinder two-stroke sat horizontally in front of the gearbox and drove the front wheels. Output was around 86 hp, but 70 percent of the weight was on the front axle: the car was fast on the straights and braked late, yet understeered badly.
After a couple of seasons racing was discontinued. Two cars were built and driven by Gosta Karlsson, Carl-Magnus Skogh and Erik Carlsson, and one is displayed in the Saab Car Museum.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Formula Junior.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | three-cylinder two-stroke, mounted horizontally ahead of the gearbox1 |
| Cylinders | 31 Independently researched |
| Displacement | Not yet verified |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 64.1 kW / 87.2 PSFactory: 86 hp · converted1 Independently researchedMuseum says "around 86hp". |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | front1 |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | monocoque1 |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Monocoque (unlike the space-frame designs of competitors); 70 percent of weight on the front wheels1 Independently researched |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Saab Formula Junior Level C The Saab Museum (independent enthusiast archive)
- Only two cars were ever built
- One of the cars is on display at the Saab Car Museum in Trollhättan
- installed, horizontally, in the front of the gearbox in the front of the car
- The three-cylinder two-stroke was installed, horizontally
- Engine output was around 86hp
- driven by the front wheels
- advanced monocoque car
- The engineers at Saab constructed an advanced monocoque car in contrast to the space frame designs of their competitors
- weight distribution of the car put 70% at the front
- 2
Keep exploring
More from Saab
-
Saab · 1964–1965
Catherina prototype (Sixten Sason)
1 Built
-
Saab · 1964–1965
MFI13
1 Built
-
Saab · 1981
900 Safari (Nilssons estate)
2 Built
-
Saab · 1966–1967
Sonett II (two-stroke)
258 Built
More from Sweden
-
Volvo
850 T-5R (1995)
Production not yet verified
-
Koenigsegg · 2008
CCX Edition
2 Built
-
Polestar
2 BST Edition 230 (2022)
Production not yet verified
-
Snow Trac · 1957–1980
Snow Trac
Production not yet verified
7 other makes from SwedenJosse CarKoenigseggLeopardOBCPolestarSnow TracVolvo