Robert J. Sinclair

Robert J. Sinclair, (March 17, 1932 – May 10, 2009) was an American automotive industry executive who served as Chief executive officer of Saab-Scania of America from May 1979 until September 1991, where he helped improve the popularity of Saab's cars by convincing the parent company to manufacture cars with high-end options such as turbochargers and a convertible version of its Saab 900 that was designed to appeal to American consumers.

As a child he helped in his father's grocery shop and attended Haverford High School in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania.

He met the woman who was his wife-to-be while performing in an operetta there, and his plans to pursue a career as a concert pianist were cut short after his hand was injured by a meat slicer in his father's grocery store.

[1] By 1983, under Sinclair's management, the 25,833 Saab vehicles sold exceeded the previous year's record-breaking sales by 42%.

[2] In lieu of the annual allotment of 1,000 two-door economy-model sedans, Sinclair pushed the parent to manufacture vehicles equipped with high-end specifications including fuel injection, turbocharger, a five-speed gearbox, and also that the car would be available as a convertible, a body style that other car manufacturers had stopped producing expecting that safety rules would ban them.