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December 21, 2009
Hemmings Find of the Day – 1974 Saab Sonett
By Dan Strohl
Hemmings
The whole automotive blogosphere seems to be holding its breath today, not sure whether to continue mourning for the death of Saab or to believe that Spyker’s 11th-hour offer is genuine. So we’re gonna exploit the situation by digging through the Hemmings.com classifieds to find the so-neatest Saab there, a 1974 Sonett with SCCA racing history. The seller’s description of the car, cribbed from his site, has more detail. Continue reading at Hemmings
December 18, 2009
GM Kills Saab
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
Way to go guys, you killed another legendary brand. Press release after the jump.
December 10, 2009
Saab sale news: Chinese may buy some assets, others interested in whole company
By Brian Lohnes
BangShift.com
Saab has been a hot potato for GM as of late. The company started a deal to sell the brand to a Swedish sports car manufacturer but it fell apart in the late innings, then there was discussion with the Swedish government that ultimately went nowhere, and now there is talk the Chinese may be buying some of the assets. GM Interim CEO Ed Whitacre has said that he’s open to trying to sell the division until the end of the year. After that it would simply be shut down.
The Chinese company BAIC is not interested in buying everything involved with Saab but is interested in tooling and technology. Apparently the plan is to produce an older generation of Saabs to be sold domestically in China. This news comes from an ABC news story.
There have been other interested parties looking to buy the entire operation from soup to nuts. There have been no specifics about who those people are and what they have been offered.
There are still 3,000 people in Sweden that work for Saab. We hope that they can keep their jobs despite the impending shake up.
November 15, 2009
Cool Saab 96
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
You don’t expect to see many modded Saab 96s, but Tony’s car is awesome. Check out his ride page for more pics and details!
October 27, 2009
Saab 99 Quattro
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
Saab 99 + C900 turbo motor + Audi 80 Quattro = 700 hp and a 9.8 second quarter? Yow. Build pics at savarturbo.se
Via VWVortex
August 7, 2009
Six Degrees of Automotive Separation: Saab and Hudson
By Dan Strohl
Hemmings
In looking over the responses to our previous Hemmings Six Degrees of Automotive Separation Challenges, we seem to get more responses when we try to link domestic and foreign companies. So we’re going to put that theory to the test this week by asking you to link two companies with proud racing histories and innovative technologies. Yes, it’s Saab, builders of turbocharged rallying flyers, versus Hudson, builders of step-down NASCAR legends. Though never in direct competition, they share at least one common thread. Can you identify it? Continue reading at Hemmings.
June 12, 2009
The Swedes are Going to Own Saab Again!
By Brian Lohnes
BangShift.com
This week’s Friday Excuse to Go Home Early and Drink is a cause for celebration because it appears that Swedish boutique sports car manufacturer Koenigsegg is going to purchase the Saab brand from GM. Why is this a time to celebrate? Because it means that weird Saabs are just a couple years from coming back.
The worst thing that happened to Saab when GM took it’s 100% stake in the company back in 2000 is that it lost all of it’s quirky identity, instead becoming a place where rebadged and mildly restyled Subarus and Chevrolets were being passed off as “real” Saabs.
Being that nearly 30% of the brand’s sales come here in the New England area, we see more of these cars that just about anyone else. The old Saabs are quirky, strange cars that have a cult following as ferverent as any. Even into the beginning of the 21st century, lots of them still populated college campuses.
With the Swedish company back in charge, it’s only a matter of time until the free thinking starts a-new and Saabs become Saabs again. We don’t think the two and three cylinder two-stroke motors are going to come back, but Koenigsegg’s super cars aren’t exactly cookie cutters so this has all the ingredients to be good.
The Chevy/Subaru period will be viewed as a brief blip in the company’s history.No one is really sure how the hell Koenigsegg plans on pulling this off seeing that they have 50 employees, but hey, it’ll be fun to watch!
Here’s a Wall Street Journal story on the sale.
For some backup, here is a Reuters story with more details.
March 31, 2009
Would You Buy a Saab Convertible From a Pick-n-Pull?
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
Is it a faux pas to photograph a convertible with the windows rolled up? Is that yellow stuff all over the interior pollen? And where is the shift knob? 1991 Saab Turbo convertible on Craigslist
January 12, 2009
Instrument Panel in SAAB 9-X Air
Atomicalex
This is cool, even by concept car standards. Check out this video of the in-cluster navi concept for the SAAB 9-X Air. It’s pretty wicked.
January 11, 2009
SAAB 9-X Air Concept
Atomicalex
Like the 9-X BioPower last year, the SAAB 9-X Air is a milky, transparent, and ethereal approach to the subject of transportation. The four-seat convertible is awash in backlit translucent surfaces that make the future seem less distant, or at least as close as a Swedish snowstorm. Although like the BioPower, the Air is strictly a concept (hello, masonite seats!), it’s executed in the same design language that should take over the product line. Should because what trickles down to production lately is not nearly as elegant or exciting as this.
