START 1988

The second style modeling job was once again for Saab, taking place in the early days of 1988.
Given their excellent experience in Turin with the two Saab 900 Aero, The Trollhättan style center ordered the construction of an advance design model to imagine the future Saab 900 "new generation".
Roberto and Alfredo Stola made a proposal to Director Saab Bjorn Envall to build a Hard see-through model, an absolute novelty both for Alfredo Stola & Figli and for Saab who had always made full models in resin in Turin and in clay in Sweden.
In early spring this innovative model was transported to the Trollhättan Style Center in Sweden, allowing not only the designers but the entire Saab management to imagine the future of their most iconic car.

Turin 1988 The advance design model of the Saab 900 "New Generation". This is the first "see through" in "hard material" made in Alfredo Stola & Figli.

Turin 1988 The rear bumper of the "see through model" of the Saab 900 "New Generation".Turin 1988 A rear view of the "see through model" of the Saab 900 "New Generation"ß.

1990 Original photo of the "Hard See Through model " of the Saab 900.
For reasons of confidentiality, Saab took this photograph in a studio in Sweden.

At the beginning of 1990, General Motor acquired 51% of Saab, and immediately the collaboration with the Swedish car manufacturer for the future type 900 would begin through Opel. Bjorn Enval was the contact for design and was asked by the new board to make the final model.
The Saab Style Center had never been more been ready for this in the previous 2 years, the “New Generation” hard see through model built in 1988 had been refined and improved continuously over time.
The two years lost since the first presentation was unfortunately, attributable to the great financial crisis that Saab had been going through. It was General Motors that became the motor that would restart this activity.
In May 1990, Bjorn Envall asked Stola s.p.a to build the definitive style model with the same technical characteristics as the 1988 research model, taking into account the use of the new General Motor GM 2900 chassis.

1987 Original photo realized by the Saab-style center in Sweden, above can be seen a sheet metal 900, below appears a styling model of 900 new generation in transparent resin.

So, see through, with realistic transparent headlights and lights, and with the definitive design derived from precise mathematic models; the left side will be with two doors and the right side with one door, to be able to see both versions.
This was high quality work, even after the milling of the model, when, for over two months the Style Director and designers Eric Sorum and Tony Catellani along with Stefano Ardagna’s Modeling Team ,carried out all the refinements and modifications required.

August 1990 It is photographed for the first time in an open but reserved space in the Saab-style center of Trollhattan in natural light in late evening the seetraught model of the Type 900 just arrived from Italy. In this image you can see the change of the wheels in the basic version (not made of Stola).

Trollhattan 1990. a rare photographer of the saab Design Team Management. The director Bjorn Envall, Einar Hareide, Eric Sorum, Haina Nilsson, Ingrid Karlsson and the consultant Lena are recognized.

Turin 6 August 1990 at 11:28 am. The beautiful fax signed by the Director of the Saab Style Center Bjorn Envall received at the teletypewriter of Stola s.p.a. of la Thuile 71.

The model was shown to the board at Saab’s presentation room in Trollhattan on August 3rd, 1990.
It was an absolute success. Thanks to the total realism of the model which was displayed alongside the current 900 as well as its competitor vehicles, it was decided that with some small detail changes these would be the new forms of the future 900.
Roberto and Alfredo Stola, together with Engineer Sasso, were invited to this important meeting, but, due to family commitments, only Sasso could be present.
On August 6, a wonderful fax message arrived in the Turin company, with the compliments of Envall who wrote verbatim "the most beautiful model that Saab has ever seen".
The new 900 went on sale in 1993 in three-door and five-door combi version.

Turin 1987 at Alfredo Stola & Figli two Saab 900 style proposals are made in a 5-door version and 3-door combi. The Areo versions are also produced in parallel

Trollhattan 11 November 1993.
Eric Sorum designer of Saab on the occasion of a visit
by Alfredo Stola gives him a brand new book featuring the Tipo 900.