Saab Formula Junior

The Saab Formula Junior was a racing car built in 1960 by the Swedish car maker Saab.

History

Saab Formula Junior

Saab Formula Junior in the Saab Museum

In 1960, the Saab 93F was replaced by the Saab 96 with a new 841 cc three cilinder two-stroke engine. The competition and testing departments of Saab did not want to see any series produced sports engines with the new size until they had a chance to try some new ideas. After their earlier experiment with the Saab Monster, they wanted to try things at hand.

By the late 1950s a new international entry-level racing class was setup as a nursery for racing drivers, the Formula Junior, which triggered the engineers at Saab to the creation of Formula Junior racing cars. Saab surprised the motor racing world in the late autumn of 1960 when they entered racing in the class with two cars.

Only two cars were built, as later regulations made them even less competitive. They were retired at the end of the 1961 racing season. History records them as having fulfilled an important developmental role for Saab's competition department. The cars appeared in Swedish livery of blue and yellow. The drivers were Gösta Karlsson, Carl-Magnus Skogh and Erik Carlsson.

Design and engine

The body design was unusual and was designed by Rolf Mellde. Instead of using a multi-tubular spaceframe chassis like other Formula Junior cars, Saab chose to construct an advanced aluminium monocoque car, with a plastic nose-cone. The fibreglass nose protected a 'bored-out' horizontal 950 cc three cylinder two stroke engine, with two dual Solex carburettors developing some 95 bhp.

One of the carburettors was cut in half, thus providing three chokes — one for each of the three cylinders. There was a cross-flow radiator, for cooling. The suspension was purpose-built, incorporating a unique type of tensile spring.

Performance

The cars first showed up at the Gelleråsen racetrack at Karlskoga and then at the Eläintarhanajot race in Helsinki (Finland), in 1961, finishing 4th and 5th. The cars performed modestly in the races. They were fast in a straight line, but suffered from understeer, affecting cornering ability. Nonetheless, two first places and a track record in Stockholm were achieved. The 70-30 percent front-rear weight distribution created pronounced understeer. This was only partially overcome by designing the rear suspension to encourage the inside rear wheel to lift during cornering.

Quantum Formula S

Saab Quantum

After Saab dropped Formula Junior racing in late 1961, an initiative was started to set up a similar Formula S class (Formula Saab) within the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). An independent engineer in the United States privately developed small sports cars with Saab components under the name of Saab Quantum. His fourth iteration, the Saab Quantum IV from 1963,Template:Refn was a kit car designed for the proposed Formula S class and drew on the Saab Formula Junior design. A few dozen were eventually sold, but the Formula S racing class never really materialized. Instead, the cars were raced in the Formula C.

Sources

• Lindh, Bjorn-Eric (1987) (in en). SAAB, The First 40 Years of Saab Cars (1st ed.). Förlagshuset Noren AB. pp. 117-120. ISBN 91-86442-34-1. 
• Chatteron, Mark (1980) (in en). SAAB, The Innovator (1st ed.). North Pomfret, Vermont: David & Charles. pp. 32-34. ISBN 0-7153-7945-3. 
• Tunberg, Anders (1989) (in en). The cars in the Saab Museum (1st ed.). Saab-Scania AB. p. 17. ISBN 91-7970-561-8. 
• Sjögren, Gunnar A. (1978) (in en). Saab, the first million (1st ed.). pp. 24-25,27. 
• "Saab Formula Junior" (in en). Saab Museum. https://www.saabmuseum.com/formulajunior/index.html. 
• "Saab Formula Junior" (in en). Formula Junior Racing Association. https://formulajunior.com/marque/saab/.