Saab V8

Saab V8

Company type	Prototype engine
Industry	Automotive
Predecessor	Triumph V8 (experimental fitment)
Founded	1987
Headquarters	Uusikaupunki , Finland
Products	V8 engine

The Saab V8 was a V8 engine engineered by Saab-Valmet specifically for Saab Automobile. Only five prototype units were constructed, with one undergoing extensive road testing. This engine never reached mass production.

History

At the launch of the Saab 99 in 1968, the vehicle was equipped with an inline-four engine sourced from the British Triumph Motor Company. The Triumph slant-four engine#slant-four belonged to a family of engines that eventually included a V8 variant. Saab experimented with fitting the Triumph V8 into the Saab 99, reportedly installing it in 28 vehicles. However, Saab did not proceed with mass-producing a V8-powered 99. Instead, they first localized production of the Triumph four-cylinder engine and later developed two redesigned engines: the first led to the introduction of the Saab B engine in 1972, followed by the Saab H engine in 1981.

During the 1980s, Robert Sinclair, serving as Saab-Scania's president for the US market, aimed to reposition the brand towards a more premium segment. He expressed a desire to "...add content, add performance, add sparkle and luster to the brand." Sinclair believed introducing a V8 was crucial for appealing to American consumers.

Sinclair shared this concept with Juhani Linnoinen, director of Saab-Valmet’s facility in Uusikaupunki, Finland, during a meeting held in the United States. Upon returning home just before Christmas 1987, Linnoinen formed a small design team comprising Test Department head Simo Vuorio, Prototypes Department member Hannu Häyrinen, and Chief Mechanic Kari Kuusrainen to commence development of the engine.

Cost efficiency was a priority, so the design incorporated as many existing components as possible. Additionally, the new powerplant needed to fit transversely within the front of a Saab 9000. (The success of the 1986 Lancia Thema 8.32, which mounted a V8 on the shared Type Four platform also used by the 9000, demonstrated feasibility.) The team constructed a prototype engine block by combining two four-cylinder blocks at the crankshaft. To accommodate this setup, they also engineered new gearbox casing and clutch housing components.

In August 1988, Linnoinen reached out to Jouko Tommila, head of Valmet’s diesel plant in Linnavuori, Finland, requesting Valmet’s involvement in manufacturing the engine. A dedicated team was assembled including Chief Engineer Mauno Ylivakeri, Head Designer Kalevi Salminen, Development Team Manager Timo Mäkinen, and testing lead Jarmo Kallio. This Valmet group assumed responsibility for producing the engine and modifying the vehicle accordingly. The power unit was designated Valmet TF—short for Twin Four—with an anticipated completion date by late summer 1989.

Parts were fabricated sufficient for ten engines, and five complete units were assembled. The initial assembled engine underwent prolonged testing on a dynamometer; its only issue was minor crankshaft vibration which was resolved by adding counterweights.

The finalized engine fit into the Saab 9000 without requiring any body alterations and first took to public roads on May 3, 1989. Following six months of trials around Linnavuori—during which at least one speeding citation was recorded—the car proceeded to further evaluations in Spain and Germany. In total, it covered approximately 65,000 km (40,389.1 mi). Feedback on performance was favorable, prompting plans for constructing a new facility capable of producing an estimated 30,000 engines annually upon approval.

However, integrating a large V8 conflicted with Saab’s traditional engineering philosophy; notably, Per Gillbrand—the developer behind Saab’s renowned turbocharged engines—expressed reservations about introducing a V8. Additionally, fuel consumption was relatively high at an estimated 10 L/100 km (23.5 mpg_‑US).

In 1989, after General Motors acquired half ownership of Saab, their own 54° General Motors 54° V6 engine#Ellesmere V6 powerplant was adopted for use in both the Saab 900 and 9000 models. Consequently, development of Saab’s V8 was discontinued.

Currently, four Saab V8 engines are known to survive: one is preserved in the factory museum at Linnavuori while three others reside at the Uusikaupunki Automobile Museum—one installed in a Saab 9000 and two displayed separately. Remaining parts were returned to Uusikaupunki's factory; their whereabouts are presently unknown.

Besides badge-engineered models like the Saab 9-7X, only one other factory-equipped Saab featured a V8—a prototype GM XV8-powered version of the Saab 9-5 used for evaluation purposes.

Technical features

The Saab V8 featured a 90° angle between its cylinder banks and utilized four camshafts, with each cylinder having 4 valves, summing up to 32 valves in total. The cylinder heads were sourced from the Saab B202 engine, but to position the intake ports inside the valley of the vee and the exhaust ports on the outside, one head’s flow was reversed—transforming intake ports into exhausts and vice versa. Pistons and connecting rods were identical to those used in the Saab B202. The engine block was produced at the Valmet Rautpohja facility in Jyväskylä, while crankshaft machining took place at the Linnavuori plant.

Weighing approximately 217 kg (478.4 lb), the completed power unit was around 60 kg (132.3 lb) heavier than the B202. It delivered an output of 280 hp (208.8 kW) and generated 243 ft⋅lb (330 N⋅m) of torque.

External links

• Video presentation of the Saab V8 by Valmet Automotive, published on 26 December 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2yu_11CQHA (archived at https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/l2yu_11CQHA)
• Footage showcasing the Saab 9000 V8 by bixprotman, dated 12 April 2009: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVidhrnLFf0 (archived at https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/pVidhrnLFf0)