Date: Tue, 05 Mar 2002 16:45:25 +0000 From: Johannes H Andersen <johsnopsamanytime.co.uk> Subject: Re: Why SAAB 93 !
davehinznopsamcop.net wrote: > > Someone who looks an awful lot like Frank Coviello <francisjcoviellonopsampam.please.hotmail.com> wrote: > > Without a doubt, that is the strangest naming timeline I have ever heard of. > > Anybody know why the model 98 is 9 years newer than the model 99? Perhaps > > theres a good reason but it's lost on me.... > > Because the 98 was based on the 96's platform, and they left room for it. > "for future expansion". Engineering types do that alot. > > I suspect the 91 was before the 90 because they finished it first, but > started designing it second. (airplanes). About the later names, all I can > suggest is by then, marketing started naming the cars rather than > engineering, because they're less-than-logical. > > Dave Hinz There are also some constraints on the naming. Peugeot has the right to all x0x names where x>0. Therefore we have Porsche 911 instead of 901. The Peugeot 309 was years ahead of its time (in name only). Audi had the cars: 80,90,100,200. The Saab 90 could be viewed as a halfway Saab 900, i.e. they didn't bother with the last zero. Logically, the 9-5 should have been called 995, but it takes to long to say and it also sounds too much like a price tag for comfort. There may also be some problems with Porsche as they have a lot of 9xx names. BTW Didn't Porsche have a 995 racer? Johannes