Like most people with an interesting car, Øystein Engen has been interested in cars since childhood. You might think that it has a strange name, but it is completely normal in Norway . And Øystein is from Hamar , Norway . He bought a then ten-year-old Saab 96 V4 as his first car in June 1979, but sold it in the fall of that year when he returned to college. After graduation, he bought a second Saab. The same type in green from 1974 that he drove daily for 37 years without any problems.
But in 2002 he started looking for another 96 V4 , because Saabs got under his skin and he wanted to have a piece at home in first class condition. He searched for a long time and even advertised in Swedish magazines, but he still couldn't find the piece he wanted. The turning point didn't come until September 2004, and since November, he's had his dream piece in his garage. This time it's a Saab 96 V4 from 1971. The first owner had it until 1989 and then the vehicle was in Trollhättan for fifteen years with a car collector who never restored it. The car was in such excellent condition. The only modifications were period original extras such as an American front end or Ronal wheels. Thanks to these parts and also the unique color Silvermink , which was only used in 1971, it is a completely unique car.
In addition, Saab 96 V4s were very successful in rallying . To capitalize on this potential, the automaker offered packages to customize your car in the 1970s. Øystein managed to get a package of these modifications and installed it on his car in 2006. He has built a completely new 1.7 liter engine with the original tuning kit , which was advertised in the Sport & Rally catalog in 1971. The current output of his Saab is one hundred horsepower, while the production cars with 1.5 L engines produced only 65 horsepower. The engine was followed by the construction of a completely new transmission with components from the Sonett III type. However, the first and second gears are from the racing gearbox. The brakes were also modified and the shock absorbers are new from Koni.
The car is now much more fun, but also much more manageable. You can see it best in small districts, where perfect driving is evident. In keeping with the solidity of the car and the quality of the Swedish steel, it is an excellent and fun car. And Øystein is still in contact with the original owner.
Source: Petrolicious
