The Saab 95 was Saab’s first attempt at an estate car – something they didn’t try again until 1998, it was made available to the public in May 1959. The car was made with a mixture of parts, from the old Saab 93 and from the upcoming 96, it carried a four speed gearbox which would also be fitted in the 96 and the rear hinged doors of the 93. At first they were not fitted with rear spoilers to aid the airflow over the rear window to keep it free from dirt, this was added in 1960.
The car could carry up to 500 kg’s in it’s load area. There was also a foldaway bench which allowed the car to carry up to 7 people as well as luggage. There was also a roof rack available.
The car took on the components of the 96 when it was released, meaning that only the cars appearance differed. Both cars also took on the Ford made V4 engine in 1967 which became an immediate favourite with Saab drivers. The 95 was discontinued in 1978.
These cars are far more rare than the 96’s which are still fairly easy to get hold of. The 95 never sold in the same numbers and were often used with less than perfect care – good condition models can fetch high prices among collectors. The older two stroke engines often suffered from reliability problems, as did the column mounted gearboxes. These generally had to be fully reconditioned at around 100,000 miles – this was generally expensive and many people didn’t bother, instead breaking the car for spares – these are now worth money in their own right. Avoid Saab rally copies (with Cibie headlights and different carburettors) as these will have been modified in the engine and the gearbox is unable to cope with any power increase. This can result in a very dead car and a very hefty repair bill.