The Saab 92 was the first production car from Saab. The design was very aerodynamic for its time, with a drag coefficient (cx or cw) of 0.30. The entire body was stamped out of one piece of sheet metal and then cut to accommodate doors and windows. Full-scale production started December 12, 1949, based on the prototype Ursaab.[1] All of them were of the Deluxe version. A standard version was advertised, but nobody was interested in buying it so no standard versions were produced.
The engine was a transversely-mounted, water-cooled two-cylinder, two-stroke 764 cc displacement, 25 hp (19 kW) [2] engine based on a DKW design, giving a top speed of 105 km/h. The transmission had three gears, the first unsynchronised. In order to overcome the problems of oil starvation during overrun (engine braking) for the two-stroke engine, a freewheel device was fitted. The suspension was by torsion bars.[3]
All early Saab 92s were painted in a dark green colour similar to British racing green.