We had a poll recently, on Twitter and Facebook. It posed the Saab Catharina against the Saab 9x concept car. The voters wish was for detailed photos of Catharina. Here she is…..
The story of Catharina is pretty well known, but for those who don’t know…..
In the early 1960s, Saab’s legendary designer, Sixten Sason, penned his ideas for a personal project vehicle – a two seat sports coupe. Swedish company, ASJ, took an interest in the project and manufactured this fibreglass bodied vehicle based on Sason’s design and using the engine, gearbox and floorpan of the Saab 96. It was made in Katrineholm and accordingly, it was christened Catharina.
Saab also wanted a sports coupe after their fledgling plans for the Saab 94 faltered in the 1950s. They considered Sason’s design, along with another design from a company called Malmö Flygindustri (MFI). MFI’s design won the day and the Saab Sonett II was born.
Catharina now resides at the Saab Museum in Trollhattan, which is where I photographed it earlier this week.
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Click any of the photos to enlarge…..
Sason’s design included a removable Targa top, which was pretty uncommon at the time. The top clips out easily and it is stored in the trunk of the car, which has special little carpeted brackets in place just for this purpose.
You’ve all most likely seen this image before. It’s one of the better known images of the Saab 900 Turbo.
The photo was taken for Saab’s 50th Anniversary marketing campaign, back in 1997. A calendar was made featuring this image and a number of others like it. Remember the Saab 99 EMS in motion, or the Saab 92? All of those shots were taken around the same time and all were used in the calendar.
Today I had the pleasure of meeting Nicklas A at the Saab Museum here in Trollhattan. Whilst the majority of vehicles used in the calendar were owned by Saab itself, Nicklas has the rare privilege of being one of the few private owners whose vehicle was used in the photoshoot – his 1980 Saab 900 Turbo in black. The same car as in the image, above.
The car was purchased new by Nicklas’ father back in February 1980, from a dealer in Gothenburg. Nicklas was just five years old at the time and his kindergarten teachers were worried that he was telling lies at school when he told the other kids his Dad was buying a Saab Turbo (this was quite a boast for a 5yo in 1980 as the Saab was the hottest car in Sweden (and elsewhere)). Dad picked him up from school in the new car the day it was delivered and Nicklas’ integrity was restored 🙂
Mr A kept the car for 10 years and returned to his dealer in 1990 to trade it in on a Saab 9000. The trade-in figure offered to him was too low for his liking, and with a teenage Nicklas now only a few years away from getting his license, the car was stored until Nicklas took possession in 1993.
Nicklas used the car as his daily driver for the next four years and it was during this time that Saab came calling. Back in 1990, Nicklas’ father had bought his Saab 9000 from ANA, the big Saab dealership near Trollhattan. The salesman he dealt with back in 1990, a true Saabnut named Claes Robertsson, remembered the black 900 (from 16 years earlier!) when he heard that Saab were looking for a suitable car for the photoshoot. Claes put the company and the customer in contact, and before you can say “Spirit of Saab” there was a man with a camera knocking on Nicklas’ door. The photographer took the car and gave Nicklas a Saab 9000 Aero to play with for the day (which must have been a massive treat when it was brand new!). The result of that exchange is the calendar shot, above.
In 1997, Nicklas moved into central Gothenburg. The car was beginning to age and parking it securely was a more difficult proposition in the city. A decision was taken to move it to a friend’s property in southern Sweden, where it could be stored and eventually, renovated.
That renovation didn’t start for some time, though. Life moved on. Nicklas met a girl, got steady employment, had some kids, did the “growing up” thing that many of us do. Around 2007, though, he got the 900 itch once again and the restoration of the car began in earnest.
There was a little bit of rust to repair before the body was repainted. There was a fair bit of dedication involved in this, too. This early 900 hood, for example, features twin vents (most 900 owners would be used to seeing vents on one side only). The condition of the hood should have seen it condemned to the scrapheap but it was restored in order to preserve the ‘two-vent’ originality of the car.
The job was finally finished in 2010 and Nicklas has been enjoying his weekend warrior ever since. The turbo was replaced a few years ago, but everything else is original and aside from routine maintenance, nothing more substantial than a head gasket has needed to be done over the years.
I had the distinct pleasure of driving the car back to the Saab Museum after we’d taken it out for a few photos. This early 900 Turbo is very much like a Saab 99 Turbo. The engine is the same, but it’s mated to a 5-speed gearbox instead of the 99’s 4-speed. The interior of the car is the same as in the 99 Turbo except, of course, for the 900 dashboard. Seats, door trim, gearshift, steering wheel – all from the 99T. The bonus with the 900 is the addition of power steering, which makes it much more pleasurable to drive at slower speeds than the 99.
And driving it really was a blast. The car was rock solid. We had it idling or moving slowly for some time during the photo shoot, in 28-degree weather, and the temperature gauge didn’t move (a phenomenon uncommon to 99T owners like myself). The car is a credit to Nicklas and his father for the way it’s been preserved.
As I tend to do whenever I see a highly desireable car, I enquired as to whether Nicklas was open to receiving offers for it. He graciously declined, but offered to place me third-in-line after his two sons in his will. I won’t hold my breath 🙂 . It seems this 900 Turbo that was purchased brand new by his dad is destined to pass on to the third generation in the family, along with the calendar that made it famous.
I’ll have to take some personal consolation from the fact that I have his contact details for the 75th anniversary calendar in 2022.
Click any of the photos in this story to enlarge.
Notes for the gallery –
(1) the drivers seat has a different pattern, but was chosen this way deliberately by Nicklas’ father (anyone who’s owned a 99T with the ‘lederhosen’ seats will understand why) and the seats have been like this since new.
(2) The rear seat loudspeakers are original equipment. Very 1980.
There was an interesting quote in one of the Swedish newspapers today. This is just a Google translation so you’ll have to forgive me if part of the context is lost, but I believe it should come through OK.
Wickelgren says that [Saab employees’] loyalty is in a class by itself.
– They have some kind of fist in the pocket, we will take the world by surprise, just give us a chance. For many of us who do not find ourselves on the inside it’s a bit hard to understand how one can be inspired by something that obviously could have such problems.
I think he’s expressing some wonder at the resilience of Saab employees who stay with the company……. despite the precarious positions described by the news reports…… despite the problems Saab has had in the last two months making salary payments, etc.
I have a colleague here at Saab. He recently finished his studies and Saab is the one company that he had his sights set on working for. He joined the company in the midst of our current situation. Now he’s here, and he recently wrote on a Saab enthusiast site that he’s working on the new 9-3, and will continue to do so regardless of current events, until his access key doesn’t work anymore (should that ever come to pass). That’s the kind of passion that this company can inspire, and this is not an atypical example.
Auto Express magazine (UK) has just handed out it’s 2011 New Car Awards, and the award for Best Design goes to …… [drumroll] …… the Saab PhoeniX Concept.
The award for Best Design was decided by public poll. The PhoeniX was up against 39 competitors but took a massive 30% of the vote (yes, Saab does indeed have an engaged online community).
Second place in the award went to the Alfa Romeo 4C and the final spot on the podium was occupied by the Jaguar C-X75.
Concept cars are designed to grab headlines, and Saab’s PhoeniX did just that when it was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The stunner is the first car to be penned from scratch by new design director, Jason Castriota, and its styling gives us a glimpse of what’s to come from the famous brand.
Comments from Saab GB:
Commenting on winning the award, Saab GB Managing Director, Charles Toosey, said: “We are delighted that the PhoeniX has been awarded this prestigious accolade. The PhoeniX symbolises a renaissance of the innovative spirit and passion that drove Saab to build its first car, the iconic Ursaab, and we look forward to launching the next generation of Saab models in 2012.”
Charles Toosey, left. AE’s Graham Hope, right.
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Below, Jason Castriota talks about PhoeniX – what it is and what it means for Saab.
Zeewolde, The Netherlands, 3 August 2011 – Swedish Automobile N.V. (Swan) announces today that it issued a subscription notice for 5 million shares under the current EUR 150 million equity facility between Swan and GEM Global Yield Fund Limited. The exact number of shares to be issued and the price thereof will depend on a 10 day pricing period, which commences today.
Saab Automobile AB (Saab Automobile) expects to be able to pay the wages of its white-collar workers still this week. Swan and Saab Automobile continue their discussions with parties to obtain further short-term funding to be able to restart and sustain production.
Today, we’re looking at the 1980’s and onwards. The cars of this generation are those that will likely be more familiar to the modern Saab enthusiast and the vehicles on show were just as beautifully maintained and presented as the older cars.
The Young’uns
Click any photo to enlarge.
Let’s kick things off with the (second) youngest vehicle at the show, Mike’s 2010 Saab 9-5 in Glacier Silver. I saw four new Saab 9-5s on the roads that day, and all of them were this colour. Obviously, all of them were owners with impeccable taste.
There was another Saab 9-5 at the show, a 2011 model, which was brought along by Graeme Lambert of Auto Express magazine. The vehicle is their long-term tester. And yes, it was also in Glacier Silver 🙂
There were plenty of Saab 900 Convertibles on show and it was the perfect day for some topless exhibitionism…..
I have to draw some special attention to this next one. It was a limited run of convertibles specially made by Saab City, the Saab GB owned dealership in central London. The paint and interior combination was specific to these model and the car was badged as the Diamond Edition. It’s unknown to me how many of these were made or how many still exist, but I sure hope the owner understands and appreciates the rare gem he has there.
And some more modern convertibles……
This one stunned me when I first saw it. Try as I might, I can rarely remember seeing one of these in red (a red Viggen convertible in Minnesota comes to mind, but not much else). I don’t know why there aren’t many of them as this looks sensational.
…..And a beautiful blue Anniversary convertible, or “Cerulean Edition” as it was known in England.
There was only one Saab 9-3 Viggen at the show, in the perfect combination of Lightning Blue paint and 3-door body.
To my discredit, I didn’t get an exterior photo of this Saab 9-5. I can assure you that it was as black as the darkest night, totally spotless, as is the engine bay and interior you can see below.
The ‘Best prepared current production vehicle’ award was one by a Saab 9-3 that was truly magnificent in its presentation. The detail in the engine bay and body kit (carbon fibre) was amazing.
This Saab 9-5 had a very unusual set of almost-Saaby wheels…..
And another very nicely turned out engine bay as well….
Saab 9000s were a little under-represented in terms of numbers (as they often are) but this Aero was a treat….
And this Saab 900 was just plain good fun…… more pics of this one in our final post, coming very soon.
Sometimes ‘the social space’ can be tough to deal with. Consumers have a voice through social media and much of the time, they use it to voice complaints or opinions that companies need to address, either to solve an issue or to correct a misconception. That’s OK, we deal with it.
Occasionally you get a social story that shows the way this new medium can be used for good.
Roger Beasley Saab in Austin, Texas, probably knew none of this when Susan walked into their dealership last weekend to take a look at a car from Saab’s Pre-Owned program. But when they gave her fantastic service and a finance deal that suited her needs (rather than theirs) they won her praise.
I came across Susan’s story from her Twitter feed. She has over 7,000 followers and many of them will have read about it as well. Susan detailed her experience on her personal blog and you can read the whole story there (and I recommend that you do).
for customers – it’s OK to use your voice for the power of good.
for dealers – you never know who’s walking into your showroom. Always provide the best service you can for the good of the customer.
for Roger Beasley Saab – Continue to look after Susan, just as she’s looked after you.
Congratulations to Roger Beasley Saab for earning the shout-out and to Susan on the acquisition of the new-to-her Saab 9-5.
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Most of us will have been to car shows in our local areas. Given that this is a Saab website, I imagine most of you would have been to shows where Saabs figure prominently, perhaps alongside many other makes that originate in your country.
When “your country” is Russia, that makes for an exhibition of vehicles that many of us don’t get to see too often.
Yes, there’s a Saab in there, and plenty of other interesting metal as well.
We’ll have more on this in coming days, but for now, if you’re in Great Britain, keep an eye out for the Nomad Theatre, popping up in a place near you.
Wonder if we can expect any news on the current situation from Saab this week? @Inside_saab Keeping my fingers crossed!!!
I’ll tell you all what I told Tobias in response, because I know there are a lot of eyes on the company at the moment.
Officially speaking, we don’t do speculation. We can’t comment on matters that involve potential investors, or matters that are under discussion and incomplete. I try to bring some commentary and perspective from time to time (which some choose to interpret and dismiss as spin, but which they took as insight back in my SU days).
We will always bring you hard news as soon as it’s appropriate to do so.
Stay tuned. We appreciate your concern and support and despite what some say, our executive team are working their tails off to solve our current issues.
If you want to follow Inside Saab at Twitter, it’s @inside_saab.
Last weekend I had the distinct pleasure of attending the annual meetup of the Saab Owners Club of Great Britain. Th event was held at Haydock Park Racecourse at Merseyside and it was great to see so many beautiful Saabs in one place.
I’ve been the SOCGB national once before, in 2010. There were a few of the same cars as last year, but it was good to see quite a few different cars as well.
The oldies – click the image to enlarge.
Most of us in the enthusiast crowd are appreciators of the older Saab fleet and the English do attention-to-detail as well as anyone else out there in Saabland.
This Saab 95 was so clean – everywhere – that you could have eaten your dinner from any surface you liked (if the owner let you, which he wouldn’t).
Even the springs and hinges are painted and cleaned!
This is about as old-timer as it got last weekend – a Saab 92B. Like nearly every car at the show, it was pristine.
This early Saab 96 stroker caught a lot of attention with its bright red paint in the sunshine.
And I had to do a double-take at the interior. You’d think a guy who grew in Australia would be accustomed to right-hand-drive but I’m so used to seeing 96s in Sweden now that I had to look twice and figure it all out in my own head.
An image that harks back to a day when car companies sold cars with a range of real colors…..
….of course, if people bought cars in great numbers that were painted in something other than silver/black today then companies would produce more colors, but neither party seems willing to do so.
That first car in the row is a Saab 96 Souvenir edition, a limited model of just 150 units, sold in the UK in the late 1970s.
Some more fantastic Saab old-timers…… I love the minilite wheels on a Saab 96.
And this bright blue V4 was an eye-catcher not only for it’s paint….
An early Saab Sport……
And a 96 that’s done the rounds….. I guess it’s one of the blessings of being in a big club with proximity to the continent. Great people to see and great events in the warmer months.
This year’s Top Saab 99, a beautiful 1984 model, which I got to drive home!
This one had some very nice twin pipes at the back and sounded fantastic!
And finally – I got Sonett fever once again. Every time I’m close to these babies I just lose it. I spent a lot of time on the green one, chatting with the owner, etc. Absolutely beautiful and officially on my automotive bucket list.
I want to be in this picture one day…… it looks so “must drive”
One of only 258 ever made……. and gorgeous!
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I’ll have more from the Saab Owners Club GB annual event coming soon…..
Greetings from England, where I’ve been fortunate enough to attend the Saab Owners Club of Great Britain annual meet. I’ll have a bunch of photos from the event in the next few days. Today, I’d like to point you towards an article that appeared in the Swedish press over the weekend.
I still love this place and I still believe in this company. It’s exactly the same as when GM were considering shutting us down: there’s simply too much good stuff – brand, product, plant and people – for this [company] to be left to wither.
Brand, product, plant, people. To me, that’s what it all comes down to.
There are very few automotive analysts or writers willing to assess those elements of Saab’s operations in any detail. They have a tendency to skim over a few of them with a summary, essentially saying “brand=damaged and product=not enough” without looking at the whole company in any depth. The focus is purely on financials, which do have to be sorted out, no doubt. But a look beyond that would be welcome.
Discovered via SaabsUnited, I’d like to point you towards an article in Dagens Nyheter, a Swedish newspaper. In this debate article, the writer does manage to take this deeper look at Saab and expand on those four essential elements in some detail, finally saying in a Swedish newspaper some of the things that many of us who believe in Saab have been trying to promote for some time – Saab has some superb potential.
Click through and translate the full article online. If you’re familiar with the workings of this company, then I think you’ll find yourself nodding your head quite a lot.
A summary of the virtues discussed in the article:
Reach – Saab’s new deal with Pang Da has the potential – if each Pang Dab dealer sold just one car per week – to provide around half Saab’s required volume.
Technology and talent – Saab’s engineers have recently developed extraordinary tech that gives the 9-3 TTiD Griffin a full 180hp whilst keeping under the 120g/km emissions threshold. I’d like to add to that some of the technology under development and due to be seen soon: things like e-XWD and iQon. Saab also has a world-class design team led by Jason Castriota.
Partnerships – our engine partnership with BMW and vehicle development partnership with Youngman and Pang Da.
Range – Our range is bigger than it’s ever been and it’s only getting better. The cars themselves are constantly improving and the 9-5 and especially the 9-4x are getting fantastic reviews in key markets.
Brand – Our brand has taken some damage in the last few months/year, but remains very identifiable and strong. The author cites the Saab support convoys (world-wide gatherings 18 months ago when GM threatened to close Saab) as evidence of this.
There’s a lot more to the article, too. A glance is cast towards other niche carmakers that seem to survive pretty well, and a look towards other markets that have supported their car industries with assistive policies or actions (see below about a ‘bailout’).
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Both as an employee and as an enthusiast, it’s very encouraging to see an editorial such as this in the Swedish press. There is a strong fear in this market that Saab will turn out to be another instance like the shipyard corporate bailouts of the 1970s. Many people seem to be very negative towards Saab because of this fear but it’s encouraging to see someone looking at the potential within this company.
And having mentioned the shipping industry bailouts, I’m obliged to also mention that unlike the shipyards of the 70’s, Saab is not asking, nor have we ever asked, for a government bailout.
Brand, product, plant, people.
Given conditions that would allow the right investors to come on board and help this company stabilise and grow, we could make the most of all these elements of our company.
