SaabO
| Company type | Product |
|---|---|
| Industry | Caravan manufacturing |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Defunct | 1968 |
| Headquarters | Ljunga, near Norrköping , Sweden |
Key people | Bo Bjernekull, Birger Lindberg |
| Products | Caravan (Saab Typ 260-3 Saabo) |
SaabO (formally known as Saab Typ 260-3 Saabo) is a caravan that was designed and manufactured by Saab between 1964 and 1968 in Ljunga, near Norrköping, Sweden. A total of 390 units were produced.[1] Today, only 125 of these caravans remain.[2]
The initiative was led by Bo Bjernekull at the Ljunga facility and Birger Lindberg from Saab's Linköping office.[3] Initially, their work was kept highly confidential under the guise of a project named MEFAN, which was intended to develop military hovercraft. In reality, they were creating a camper caravan.[4]
The motivation behind the project was to balance the workload in the helicopter division, which primarily assembled French-made helicopters at the time. After producing a 1:10 scale model and securing approval, the initial prototype was constructed at Fisksätra boatyard, with subsequent pre-production models built at Marieholms Bruk. Early prototypes lacked brakes, but these were incorporated shortly thereafter.[1] Weight reduction was critical because the caravan needed to be towable by vehicles with engines as modest as 25 hp (19 kW), such as the 38 hp (28 kW) two-stroke Saab 96.[5] Additionally, Swedish regulations at the time permitted unlimited speed when towing a caravan if its weight remained below a certain threshold.
The SaabO was designed to accommodate a family of four comfortably, or five if using a bunk bed arrangement.[1] Its design featured large windows placed low on the sides to enable drivers to maintain rear visibility through their mirrors while towing.[1] Inside, it offered two sofas, a dining table, a kitchen sink area, and two wardrobes. Cooking, heating, and lighting functions were powered by liquefied petroleum gas. The structure consisted of two glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) half-shells enclosing an insulating layer made from folded cardboard.[6]
Specifications
At the time of its introduction
- Overall length: 3.60 metres (141.7 in)
- Width: 1.84 metres (72.4 in)
- Height: 2.10 metres (82.7 in)
- Interior height: 1.80 metres (70.9 in)
- Mass: ranged between 230 kg (507 lb) and 290 kg (639 lb)[7][8]
- Initial price: 4950 SEK
See also
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSaabhist - ↑ "Vitsiga Saabo finns bara i 125 exemplar". Östgöta Correspondenten (in svenska). 2007-08-24. Archived from the original on 2024-06-16. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ↑ Möller, Thomas (2009-12-08). "Saabo med plats för familjen". Norrköpings Tidningar (in svenska). Archived from the original on 2024-06-16. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ↑ "Udda Saabprodukter" (PDF). Försvarsmakten. 2024-02-27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-06-16. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ↑ "Saab-husvagnen: "Riktigt häftig på campingen"". Carup (in svenska). 2020-06-05. Archived from the original on 2024-06-16. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ↑ "1967 Saab SaabO Camper: A Rare Gem from the Swinging '60s". SAAB Planet. 2023-10-16. Archived from the original on 2024-06-16. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ↑ Featuring a lightweight fiberglass shell weighing approximately 80 kilograms, combined with a simple tubular frame and the absence of brakes, parking brake, and stabilizing legs, the net weight was maintained at around 230 kilograms.
- ↑ The Saabo was produced using a single-piece fiberglass laminate ("baked") construction and had a total weight of only 290 kilograms.