Sabb

topsy turvy at Saab 60th Anniversary, Trollhatten, Sweden

Loyal Saab enthusiasts, (and there are many) are clinking glasses of aquavit and exhaling this evening with news of the GM sale of Saab to Spyker. I’m sure Trollhatten is celebrating into the wee hours. Trollhatten is a middle class factory town — and the home of Saab.

Until a last minute deal was sealed, GM was prepared to wind down Saab, sending a brutal blow to the Swedish and American work force and to a storied contingent of car culture. While the American media has focused on the domestic turmoil, Saab is a company of fervent enthusiasts with distinct persona influenced by the greenery of Sweden and celebration of its foundation. When the company celebrated it 60th anniversary in 2007, I saw the madness first hand as thousands of Saab enthusiasts converged in Saab country — Trollhatten, Sweden. It was the wildest car show imaginable. (And I say that as a veteran of SEMA, DUB Magazine shows, and many hot rod shows.)

Back then, it seemed Saab would survive forever, a unique entity unto it’s own, well suited to weather the cold of it’s native climate. But now looking back, even at the time, the reunion was bittersweet. GM owned Saab, but one would never know it from the way the Swedes took pride in the Saab heritage, and all but overlooked GM’s executive role in the staunch identity of the cars.

Even the GM people who ended up working for Saab maintain a special affinity for the distinction of Saab — clean, no-nonsense cars with well-tuned sophistication. In truth, Saab never fit in within the GM pedigree, and it’s nerdy-cool personality was at times swallowed by the GM empire, where it felt like an oddball.

In the recent days, as it seemed that Saab was done for, I felt a thickness at the back of my throat, remembering what I had seen of Saab and how I grew to love the cars and their origins. A flash of Eric Carlsson came to mind, the ageless rally car driver aka Mr. Saab, who I met at 9-3 event in San Diego, and who was surrounded by paparazzi and adoring fans in Trollhatten that year.

At that same San Diego event, I drove down a stretch of airstrip with former Saab president Bob
Sinclair in vintage 1960s models. How many former presidents come out of retirement to support their former brand? He drove with the wild abandon of a 25-year old, recounting dozens of Saab stories. I later interviewed him at length in a piece. Mr. Sinclair died last year and I regret that I didn’t get to write more about him, though he took the time to tell me his story in detail about bringing Saab to the American public, and the strides Saab dealers made in the US.

And then there was the beloved and late Saab pr man Jan-Willem Vester, who would start press releases with these sort of lines,”It is not in Swedish nature to pound oneself on the chest – but truth be told, the Saab Turbo X packs quite a bit of significance in one vehicle.” Vester was a proper Dutchman, who was loyal to Saab through and through. I’d like to think he’d be pleased to see the Dutch at the helm of the sturdy Saab ship.

For the moment some aspect of Saab feels safe, I feel better about ruminating about what a solid core I believe that Saab has, and the vehicles that reflect that persona. I think Spyker could restore Saab. I hope to be at the 70th anniversary of Saab in Trollhatten, with a stopover in Amsterdam.

More on Saab’s save:

WSJ
Big Money on Slate

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