Swedish aeronautics company Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget began building cars in 1949 in response to the need to diversify away from aircraft manufacture. It went under the acronym SAAB and soon established itself as a maker of innovative cars, thanks to the splash made by the UR-SAAB, the 92. This car made great use of aviation principles in its design and was very advanced for its era.

Subsequent developments built on the foundations of the 92 and kept much of its styling, up until the 1968 launch of the 99, which in turn grew into the 900. These cars brought Saab much acclaim thanks to their innovative use of turbocharging - but also little profit. Following the firm's 1980s partnership with Fiat General Motors took over in 1989, unfortunately managing to destroy much of Saab’s quirky character in the following years. The company ended up by Spyker after GM pulled out, and ceased car manufacure in 2011.