This is a story about a Swedish lady named Inga who owned just one car for her entire lifetime; a Saab 92B purchased in 1955, and she owned it for 70 years.
It was a story I came across recently, and had to share it. Sadly, Inga passed away last year at the wonderful age of 98, but had owned, loved and driven her Saab since she was just 28 years old. It's a story that most of us can only dream of happening to us, and I hope, by sharing this lovely story, it manages to create another small, lasting memory of Inga.
Ingrid and Göte Sundin never had any children. However, they adopted a Saab that became their darling. They bought it new, and over the years, Ingrid and Göte took great care of the car.
The story began one summer day in Stockholm. Ingrid was 19 and Göte a couple of years older. They were newlyweds and had their whole lives ahead of them. They were not very well-off. Göte had just finished his studies. He would later graduate as a construction manager. That's why they were looking for a practical car that didn't cost too much money.
"I think it cost about 10,000 kronor at the time, it was my husband and I's first car. And I remember we also looked at a Morris Minor. My uncle joked about it and said that a Saab that only has five moving parts would suit us better. So we bought it at the fancy car palace Philipssons on Sankt Eriksgatan in Stockholm. And of course it's much nicer than the Morris" Ingrid told a journalist at Vi Bilägare almost twenty years ago.
Ingrid owned and drove her Saab 92B with a 28 horsepower two-stroke engine for as long as she could. She attracted attention and received happy shouts wherever she arrived with her old Saab. "It rolls so easily on its freewheel. The only problem is that the engine gets a little hot in the Stockholm traffic sometimes. But then you just have to stand aside for a while so it can calm down".
Last year, Ingrid Sundin passed away at the age of 98. The family gathered to review the couple's life's work and all the things they had collected over the years. "This car is nice, we understand that there is something special about it. But none of us have the right skills to own it. Ingrid was a very good person, both she and Göte were kind and pleasant. I hope the car ends up in the right hands" says Anders Österlund.
Inga's Saab 92B was being sold by Bilweb Auctions, who have a reputation for finding new owners for vintage and classic cars, "It looks to be in good working condition, I think it is worth at least 100,000 kronor, maybe more considering its history" said Michael Luft from Bilweb.
I hope her memory lives on in the Saab for many more years, and that the new owners take pride and pleasure in its wonderful story do far.
