General Motors (GM), Saab's owner at the time, did not approve further development of the SVC engine.
This technology is today in development by car manufacturers such as Nissan, Infiniti and Porsche more than 20 years after Gillbrand originated the idea.
Gillbrand was awarded a Gold Medal from the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences for his research work in 1988, and in 1992 he received the title of Honorary Doctor of Technology from Chalmers University in Gothenburg.
In 2023, Gillbrand was posthumously awarded the international motororganization Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA) Heritage Hall of Fame.
The motivation for the awarded was his pioneering contribution to the world of automobiles, especially the work at Saab with the turbocharged engines.