Some cars leave a paper trail; the Saab 98 left a name, a year — 1974 — and a place in Saab Automobile's list. What follows is what can be said with a source behind it.
Where it came from
The Saab 98 was an automobile built by Saab in 1974 which never reached full production. Originally it was called X14, designed by Björn Envall as a combi coupé based on the Saab 95 and using its floorpan. The prototype was assembled by Sergio Coggiola, who had already done work on the Saab Sonett III.
Only a handful of test cars were built up to 1976 before the project was abandoned when Saab decided there was no room in the market for a car between the Saab 95 and Saab 99. The only surviving 98, licence plate (Swedish) AYX 330, started its life as a white Saab 95 registered on 7 September 1973. It is currently painted 'Siena Brown' and on display in the Saab Museum in Trollhättan.
In context
On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Volkswagen Scirocco, the Jeep Cherokee, the Volkswagen Golf. Nearby in the Saab Automobile catalogue sit the Saab 60 and the Saab 600.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Saab 98 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.