Unlike BMW or Mercedez-Benz, Saab isn’t that well known among many people. Heck, if you mention the word “Saab” to the first guy you meet on the street; he’ll think it’s a name of some girl from some country in the Middle East.

But that isn’t a good reason not to find out more about this European car maker. Why not take some time off from whatever it is you’re doing and allow your brain to be filled with some extra info about Saab?

Now, there’s a good reason why Saab users always say that driving these cars feel like their flying a jet plane. That’s because Saab started out producing jets instead of automobiles way back in 1937. That’s when a brilliant thought emerged from out of nowhere.

“Airplanes? I think we’re better off making cars. Don’t you think guys?”

And that thought became a reality with the birth of Saab’s first car, the 92001, back in June 10, 1947. At the time of its release, the Saab 92001 made a solid reputation based on safety and reliability.

Just think of it this way. The Saab 92001 is what Toyota vehicles are to us today: Reliable and safe to the core.

As the 1940s passed and gave way for the 50s, Saab used a new technology that would be a staple of our lives today: computers. Back then, computer consisted of rooms full of transistors that can only calculate a small percentage of what modern laptops can do today. But hey, even though computers can’t process data as fast as those we have today, they were still efficient in giving engineers the information needed to improve Saab’s cars. This is the point where Saab diversified its business and made a department specifically for the development of computers – Datasaab.

After a few years and the 50s were over, giving way to the 60s and all the crazy stuff that happened during this decade. Along with Beatlemania, the Vietnam War and Flower Power, Saab gained more firepower for its production efforts with the merger of truck maker, Scania-Vabis. But that was it for Saab because after the 70s and 80s…

General Motors bought Saab. It all started when GM bought only 51 percent of Saab’s automobile division in 1990. But that didn’t stop there because after a decade, GM thought “What the heck, let’s buy all of Saab.” And that’s what exactly GM did in 2000, making Saab under their jurisdiction.

No matter who holds the ownership of Saab, it can’t be denied that their cars are different from the rest. Cars made by Saab are known to be clean, fuel-efficient and functional. That’s why if you own a piece of Saab, make sure to take care of it with your lives. Who knows? You may be holding a priceless piece of treasure in your hands.

Since we discussed about the new Mini Cooper in our last post, let’s now take a quick look at its ancestor – the Mark 1 Mini.

The Mark 1 Mini first saw the light of day way back in 1959 when its first version was produced by British Motor Corporation. This small, yet very useful, car right here was defined by its sliding windows and a grill that looks like a moustache. This British car came out with an engine size of 848cc that can only reach 72 miles per hour. Why so slow? Well, we should take into consideration that this car was produced back in the late 50s. Back then, road restrictions about speed were in plenty and in full swing.

Even though it has a modest engine size, the Mark 1 Mini can seat four adults inside it and transport them to wherever they need to go to. This was made possible with the help of a bodyshell that housed these four adults inside the Mini. Plus, the removal of transmission tunnel in the floor pan of the Mark 1 Mini gave the car more space inside. The overall length of the Mini was lessened too with the absence of a luggage compartment in the back. This was done to accommodate as many people inside.

For its wheel size, the Mark 1 Mini came with 10” wheels. Back then, this was acceptable but if you use that wheel size today for your car, you’d probably be laughed at. But mind you, these small wheels served a purpose – to lessen the intrusion of the wheel arches into the interior of the car.

Sure, the Mark 1 Mini may not have been comfortable or easy to drive but its significance is tremendous. Think of it people. Without it, our roads may not have any Mini Coopers on it.

BMW, one of the world’s bad-asses when it comes to making luxury cars, began after the First World War. Back then, BMW was manufacturing aircraft engine for Germany’s armed forces but was forced to cease operations by the Versailles Armistice Treaty. To ensure its survival, BMW shifted to making motorcycles for the German people to use in 1923. Eventually, they moved a notch higher by producing automobiles in 1928.

BMW continued manufacturing cars for the German people and eventually, for the Nazi regime. After the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, BMW went through hard times just to survive. It came to the point where the people responsible for keeping the car company alive almost decided to go into liquidation in 1959. Fortunately, this didn’t happen or else the whole world won’t experience the adrenaline rush and the luxury BMW cars are known for.

After a couple of decades and a string of successful cars, BMW bought the British Rover Group in 1994. If you’re thinking this group is a couple old men meeting to discuss how rich they are, you’re sadly mistaken. The British Rover Group is actually a group of car brands consisting of Rover, Land Rover and MG. With this acquisition, the German car maker grew more.