Dog Days & Saab Sundays

December 9, 2019 Eleven

Cold crisp Sunday morning, blue skies and an invitation to pop along to one of the last Sunday Saab gatherings of 2019. Organised by the East Midlands branch of the Saab Owners Club GB, a lovely chilled out Dyno Day kindly hosted by the folks down at StreetRacers in their brand new digs in Billsdon, Leicestershire.

50 of so cars, mostly Saab's but a few other suitably interesting beasts, including a, Mercedes E63 AMG, a rather gorgeous sounding TVR Cerbera and an immaculate cult classic Rover P6 V8.

Some familiar faces in the crowd together with a few new ones - drinking coffee, talking cars, eating cake and guessing what the next on the dyno will make. Jason from Malcolm Miles was there with his expert views, and accompanied by his dog who seemed to be more than content drooling over the cake with minimal interest in much else.

An enjoyable few hours spent with great folks, great cars and decent coffee, what more could you wish from an early December Sunday morning?

Saab Club GB | StreetRacers

Slammed Swedes

November 20, 2019 Eleven

I know there’s a load of Saabists out there that neither appreciate or understand the slammed scene, but it’s truly massive and as far as I’m concerned, if folks are saving Saabs and spending good money on keeping them in tip top condition, all the better.

I attended a Rollhard even at Bicester Heritage earlier this year and was both pleased and surprised to see a few Saabs in the mix, after a bit of digging I found out that Rollhard had also been at the Swedish Performance Show, Elmia back in 2018 and had captured a few gorgeous Swedes there too.

‘The Saab 9000 CS is epitome of Swedish cool. A modern classic reworked and oh so relevant. Perhaps not the most obvious choice of project car for most, but this is Sweden - this 9000 is a perfect example of what is possible. The last of the non-GM Saabs, these things are bullet-proof. Don’t blame us if you find yourself browsing the Car and Classic classifieds for a 9000 CS 2.3 turbo’

Rollhard | Elmia Sweden

Built not Bought

August 29, 2019 Eleven

A fellow Saabist, Jonas Kakarikas from Sweden has recently posted a time-lapse film of him building his dream Gen1 9-3 Aero convertible.

Jonas's build is similar to how I tend to like my Aero convertibles too, he's added around £5,000 worth of performance parts including upgraded and lowered suspension, sports exhaust with rear muffler delete, DO88 intercooler, an induction kit and the ever gorgeous BBS CH alloys.

I rarely see any other colour besides silver now, so this exceptional blue one is a real treat. Well worth a few minutes watch, and the smile at the end says it all, that's what Saabs are about.

Jonas Kakarikas | Instagram

Nothing to prove

May 29, 2019 Eleven

I find it hard to explain why I’m drawn to Saabs, despite having a choice of other marques to grab the keys to, I still choose the Saab ones. I think about this a lot, what makes them such emotive cars, yes they have smile inducing performance, they’re becoming rare and yes they’re ridiculously comfortable, all reasons to love them, but I keep coming back to one thought - they have nothing to prove.

They take you out of an increasingly banal world of shiny identikit cars, not competing on worth or ego, not ashamed to be different, they offer a kind of moving sanctuary from a world of meaningless superiority.

Saabs still have a presence that is rare, they sit alongside their peers with ease, they allow you to arrive anywhere in style and more often than not, induce happy conversation, “Do they still make Saabs?” “My Father used to own a Saab” “The most beautiful convertible ever built”.

In an age where everyone should be considering sustainability, I find it hard to comprehend why folks need to buy a new car every 3 - 4 years with huge manufacturing impact, when an older Saab offers luxury, reliability, style and efficiency.

Saabs have nothing to prove, and I love them for that

Griffin from the flames

May 19, 2019 Eleven

On Friday I collected the Aero convertible from Malcolm Miles, it had passed its MOT, the new wheels and tyres were fitted and it was more than overdue for a bit of clean. First stop at the local car wash proved that the roof indeed needs re-coating and waterproofing again, i left rather damper than i’d have liked but it reassured me that all of the windows seal beautifully though.

A rainy Saturday morning wasn’t a great start to a day dedicated to interior mould and dirt removal, but soon the Saab gods smiled, the rain stopped and I set about cleaning every visible surface, it really is amazing how years of dirt and use can build up, but it also never fails to impress just how robust and beautifully made older Saab interiors are. After several hours of hard work its starting to feel driveable again, the mould smell is still there but already less, the dashboard and buttons are all spotless again and various joints cleaned and greased.

It still has many hours of work left, but already feels special again, although I’ve changed the badly warn front Aero seats, they’ll need a good clean, colour and moisturise to bring them up nicely, and then it’s on to the roof lining, that to needs demoulding and refreshing.

With a couple of hundred miles under its belt, Ive also realised the original shocks are way too soft and floaty, it has lowering springs on, but without upgraded shocks, the ride still feels a little like a boat on waves so they’ll soon be replaced with a set of Bilstein B8s all round.

It’s also the latest addition to Aerorignal.

Dirt don't slow you down

May 2, 2019 Eleven

A few weeks ago, I got a great email from Mark, it simply said 'Too many shiny cars, let's have some contrast.' And let's face it, he's spot on, who drives around in perfectly shiny Saabs all of the time?

Mine for one, is constantly dirty, I actually like it to look dirty, means it's been driven and enjoyed, where others are careful not to go on grass verges to let a car pass, or enjoy a full on drive in the pouring rain, mine gets stuck in. Drive it, enjoy it all, come rain or shine, wind or snow, our Saabs are built like tanks and can pretty much cope with whatever nature has to throw at us, even a bit of old fashioned dirt, and all in sublime comfort and individual style. Cheers Mark.

A Saab Life

February 13, 2019 Eleven

If there’s one single thing I love about Saabs above all else, it’s how they bring people together, locally, nationally and globally, people are interested in talking about them, asking questions and sharing Saab stories. Whether you drive a modern 9-3 or a rare Sonett, a quirky 95 V4 or an iconic 900, they seem to inspire friendliness and conversation - a shared love.

Many marques have a similar following, but what separates Saab is the inclusivity and affordability to be a part of a lifestyle, young and old, families and teenagers are all able to share the Saab vibe. What usually starts as a connection to Saab through generations, becomes a life long affinity that’s sometimes hard to explain or reason with.

I recently happened across an Instagramer who clearly shares this feeling, she not only drives an exceptionally beautiful Ambassador Blue 900 classic, but also explorers every corner of Europe in it. She’s taken road trips to Sweden, Italy and Austria and in her words “My little Saab really made me connect with so many new people”. Having covered hundreds of miles, she returns safely to her home in the German Alps.

She also loves nature photography and videography and her page is a beautifully curated collection of everything that encapsulates her life passions, and her trusty classic Saab is very much centre stage "The best decision ever I made on my own against every other opinion was to buy this car".

As our Saabs get older and rarer, it's exceptionally heartwarming to see people like Janina not only take care of them for the future, but enjoy every moment and every journey, just as Saab imagined.

Janina Elisa | Instagram