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I'm looking at this Sonett III and am wondering what the purpose of the freewheel was originally.
It really seems to be the same functionally as putting the car in neutral while driving, although you have to be stopped to engage it, so it makes no sense to use this while driving. The vehicle also has a nice bar across the front, suitable for a tow bar. And the whole car weighs 1960 lbs.
Was this vehicle originally meant to be a light, high MPG commuter car, rather than a sports car which it more closely resembles? The freewheel seems ideal if you wanted to tow the car behind an RV, as do the tow bar connection and the overall light weight. The car also has a very aerodynamic shape, which was apparently intentional (the mirrors are bullets, for example, to reduce drag, and the headlights are hidden.)
I'm thinking about the Pontiac Fiero, which was originally (in concept) supposed to be a lightweight, cheap, high MPG commuter car. Once the head of Pontiac saw the concept he thought lightweight, cheap sports car. The car ended up somewhere between b/c of this difference in opinion.
There are several idealogical similairities between these two cars: materials, construction, platform design (Saab used the 9X series, GM used the Pontiac 6000 and Chevette), and power output (read small). The biggest difference is fuel tank and engine placement.
Any thoughts as to the original purpose of this car, and thus the problematic freewheel? Do any of the other Saab 9X cars have this feature?
, Sun, 24 Sep 2000 18:13:12
, Sun, 17 Dec 2000 22:41:35, Mon, 25 Sep 2000 06:02:47
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