Spring 1959, Gothenburg, at the Volvo offices. A 37-year-old engineer named Nils Bohlin has just completed his revolutionary prototype: a simple seat belt that will save more than a million lives. Except no one knows it yet. And you know what? Instead of jealously guarding this invention to make money, Volvo is going to offer it to the world for free. Yeah, totally, they're going to waive their patent rights so that all manufacturers can save lives with their invention.

But that's just a glimpse of what's in store for us today, because we're going to talk about two brands that literally revolutionized the global automotive industry from a small Nordic country: Sweden . Two manufacturers that made safety and innovation their obsession, to the point of forever transforming the way we design cars. I'm telling you the story of Saab and Volvo , these Swedish giants who proved that you can be both visionary and altruistic in a ruthless business world.

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But hey, let's start at the beginning, and trust me, it's off to a great start.

Origins: When airplanes meet the automobile

It's 1927, Gothenburg , Sweden. Two men, Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson, have just founded a brand that will go down in history: Volvo. Their vision? Simple but revolutionary for the time: to produce safe and durable cars for Swedish conditions. Because, well, in Sweden, winter is no joke, and neither are the roads.

And hold on tight for the anecdote about their first car: on April 14, 1927, the very first Volvo left the factory... in reverse! I swear it's true. The engineers, exhausted after working all night, had assembled the transmission backwards. The ÖV4, nicknamed "Jakob" by the workers, therefore made its first outing in reverse. A slightly shaky start, but it already announces the unique character of this brand.

But the craziest story is that of Saab . In 1937, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget was founded. Their thing? Military aircraft. They built fighters for the Swedish army, and they were pretty good at it. Except that in 1945, the war ended, and orders for military aircraft, well... they collapsed.

So rather than close up shop, Saab's executives had a brilliant idea: "What if we applied our aeronautical expertise to the automobile industry?" And there, my friends, was the beginning of a revolution.

Sixten Sason: The driver who couldn't draw cars

And that's where an absolutely fascinating character comes in: Sixten Sason . This guy is the ultimate anti-car designer. Born Karl Sixten Andersson in 1912, he was a fighter pilot in the Swedish army. Except one day, bam, a plane crash. The accident cost him a lung and ended his racing career.

So he joined Saab as... a technical illustrator for military aircraft. And in 1946, he was asked to design the first Saab car. The problem? He'd never designed a car in his life! So what did he do? He drew direct inspiration from what he knew: aircraft aerodynamics.

The result? The Saab 92 , a car that literally looks like an airplane wing resting on four wheels. And the craziest thing? In a wind tunnel, it achieved a drag coefficient of 0.32, which was exceptional for the time. These guys had invented automotive aerodynamics without knowing it!

The innovation that changes everything: The seat belt

But let's go back to our friend Nils Bohlin at Volvo in 1959. This guy was going to revolutionize car safety with a disconcertingly simple invention: the three-point seat belt .

Before him, belts existed, but they were either nonexistent or had two points and frankly, not great. Bohlin had this brilliant idea: why not create a belt that goes across the chest AND the pelvis? Three anchor points instead of two.

And this is where Volvo could have made a fortune with this patent. But no. They decided to make it royalty-free so that all manufacturers could use it for free. Their reasoning? "Safety doesn't sell." Period.

This selfless decision has saved over a million lives to date. The German Patent Office even listed this invention as one of the eight most important automotive patents for humanity. Not bad for a simple seatbelt, right?

Sweden's obsession with security

But it's not over yet. By 1962, all Saabs were factory-fitted with seat belts as standard , several years before Swedish law required it. These guys were ahead of their time.

And I assure you, it was the same at Volvo. As early as 1927, the founders declared: "The guiding principle in everything we do is – and must remain – the protection of men and women." They weren't kidding about that.

Volvo didn't stop there. In 1972, they invented the first rear-facing child seat. In the 1970s, they began systematically collecting and analyzing accident data to constantly improve their cars. And more recently, they developed the City Safety system to prevent urban collisions.

Saab's turbo revolution

Meanwhile, Saab isn't idle either. In 1976, they released something crazy: the world's first turbocharged passenger car . Yeah, absolutely. Before them, turbocharging was reserved for racing cars or large industrial engines.

But Saab engineers, with their aeronautical background, already mastered this technology on airplanes. So they said to themselves, "Why not on our cars?" And bam, they democratized the turbo engine.

The result? Family cars with sports car performance. It was revolutionary. They had just proven that you could have power and efficiency in the same engine.

Erik Carlsson: The legendary "rooftop" pilot

And then there's Erik Carlsson , the official Saab driver who was a living legend. This guy was nicknamed "Carlsson on the Roof" because of a spectacular accident where he was literally found on the roof of his car after a rollover.

But the craziest thing about Carlsson was that he was a master of racing psychology. He would sometimes fool opposing teams into thinking he had a fourth gear on his Saab 96... when it only had three! How? By simply declutching in third to imitate the sound of a gear change. Pure genius.

With his little two-stroke Saabs, he won three consecutive RAC Rally victories and two in Monte Carlo. Not bad for cars that looked like eggs on wheels!

Okay, and now I have to confess something. All this passion for Swedish cars reminds me why I love miniatures from that era. Because holding a small Saab 96 or a 1/43 scale Volvo 122S in your hands is a bit like experiencing that whole era of innovation all at once.

That's why I opened my shop BernardMiniatures.fr. I have more than 1,500 miniatures in stock, mostly 1/43 scale, with quite a few Swedish models from the period. Well, I'm not a big site, so I often only have one or two pieces of each model, but that's also what makes it charming. I have Volvos, Saabs, rally cars... a bit of everything.

Delivery is free from 75€ in France, and I make sure to wrap everything well with bubble wrap because these little cars break easily.

Go take a look at bernardminiatures.fr if you're interested - and you'll see, I have some Swedish models that are really worth a look.

Now, let's talk a little more about the influence of these brands on the rest of the world...

Revolutionary Design: When Aerodynamics Becomes Art

What you have to understand is that Sixten Sason didn't just design cars, he created an aesthetic language . His famous "hockey stick" profile, that characteristic line that sweeps up towards the rear, has become Saab's visual signature right up to the most recent models.

And you know what? At first, all Saab 92s were delivered in a single color: a very particular bottle green . Not for aesthetic reasons, oh no. It's just that Saab was using up the stocks of green paint that were used to paint their military aircraft! Economical and practical, very Swedish as an approach.

It wasn't until 1953 with the 92B that other colors were offered. But this military green remained in the brand's DNA.

Innovation continues at Volvo

For its part, Volvo continued to innovate. The brand has always had a methodical, almost scientific approach to safety. They didn't just invent; they analyzed, measured, and improved.

And that led to some crazy things. Like the self-repairing bumpers on the Saab 99, headlights with washers, side protection reinforcements... Innovations that seem obvious today, but were revolutionary at the time.

The global influence of a small country

And this is where it gets truly impressive. Sweden, with its 10 million inhabitants, had a disproportionate impact on the global automotive industry. Their manufacturers produced "only" 200,000 to 300,000 cars a year, but their innovations influenced everyone else.

The three-point seat belt? Mandatory everywhere in the world today. The turbo on production cars? Standard on most modern engines. Automotive aerodynamics? Sason was the pioneer.

I find it fascinating that such a small country was able to revolutionize an entire industry. It shows that in innovation, it's not size that matters, it's vision.

The glorious years

In the 70s and 80s, Saab and Volvo were at the top of their game . Volvo with its indestructible family estates, Saab with its turbocharged sedans that made headlines in rallying. These cars had a unique personality, a character that you wouldn't find anywhere else.

And then there was this image. Driving a Volvo was saying, "I prioritize the safety of my family." Driving a Saab was saying, "I'm an engineer, an intellectual, someone who understands real innovation."

These brands didn't just sell cars, they sold a philosophy, a Swedish way of life.

The Descent into Hell and the Inheritance

But hey, all good stories must come to an end. For Saab Automobile, it ended tragically in 2011 with bankruptcy. General Motors had taken over the brand, but had never really understood its DNA. They tried to transform these engineered cars into standardized consumer products.

The result? A fatal loss of identity. The last Saab rolled off the production line in December 2011, and with it disappeared 70 years of automotive innovation.

But beware, Saab AB, the parent company, still exists . With more than 16,500 employees, it is one of the largest defense and aerospace companies in the world. The technical expertise hasn't disappeared; it's simply returned to its aeronautical roots.

Volvo: Continuity in excellence

Volvo, for its part, has navigated the troubled waters of globalization more successfully. Acquired by China's Geely in 2010, the automaker has managed to preserve its identity while benefiting from massive investments.

With more than 615,000 vehicles delivered in 2022, Volvo remains a global leader , always faithful to its safety philosophy. And today, they are even pioneers in electric vehicles with their EX range and their carbon neutrality objectives.

The Eternal Legacy

Today, when I look at a modern car, I see Swedish heritage everywhere. Every seatbelt, every airbag, every driver assistance system has its roots in Volvo's obsession with safety. Every turbocharged engine, every aerodynamic optimization bears the hallmark of Saab innovation.

These two brands have proven that it's possible to be profitable while being ethical, innovative while remaining pragmatic. In an often cynical automotive world, they have retained their souls as passionate engineers.

And you know what? That's exactly what fascinates me about miniatures from that era. Each little model tells this story of innovation, this era when manufacturers still dared to take risks and propose revolutionary solutions.

Holding a miniature Saab 99 Turbo is like holding 70 years of aeronautical engineering applied to the automobile. It's like holding the story of the guys who dared to say, "What if we put a turbo on a family car?"

So this is the story of automotive Sweden. Two brands, two philosophies, but one obsession: to do better than the others. Saab with its aeronautical heritage and its cult of performance, Volvo with its eternal quest for perfect safety.

Manufacturers who have proven that a small Nordic country can revolutionize the global automotive industry. And somewhere in every modern car, there's a little bit of Swedish genius still going strong.

It's beautiful, isn't it?