King Gustaf XVI of Sweden came to the United States for a 20-day tour in 1976.

King Gustaf XVI of Sweden came to the United States for a 20-day tour in 1976. But the king wouldn’t settle for an armored Lincoln Continental like his host, President Ford. He needed something from home. Something more… front wheel drive.

A Saab 99 stretched by 30 inches or so with a couple of jump seats shoved in would do the trick. A press release from Saab says that the King would use the entirety of his trip, which brought him up and down both coasts, inlcuding stops in Washington, DC and San Francisco, where the car likely had its work cut out for it when a transit strike nixed the King’s planned ride on BART and the cable cars.