The guys at the Hemmings group of magazines are long-time Saab fans so it’s no big surprise that I’ve got to know a couple of them over the years.
When I wrote about acquiring my Alfa Romeo GTV6 recently, I got an email from Mark McCourt asking if I’d mind if they did a little article on it in one of their coming editions?
Would I mind? 🙂
It was with great pleasure that I checked our PO Box today and found my copy of Hemmings Sport and Exotic Car for June 2012. And on page (sweet) 16…..
Nice.
It’s great to see those pictures in print and nice to share some of the good experience of buying the Alfa. I’ll have to do some film and an update soon.
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Here’s the cover. Saab fans might want to note that this issue also includes a buyers guide for the Saab 93, 95 and 96.
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Hemmings is a great magazine. If you’re into older cars with character then it’s a must read (esp for people in the US). I’ve had the opportunity to read through a number of editions from time to time as Saab stories have popped up in there. It’s well worth a look. Check it out at your local news stands or get a subscription from the Hemmings website.
I like the Jeep Wrangler. In fact, when I first visited my wife’s family in Canada back in 2004, I wanted to move to Vancouver and buy a Jeep. They were everywhere. They’re a cool looking vehicle, styled to look as tough and capable as they’re reputed to be. When Chrysler was poised for closure in the height of the global financial crisis, it was the Jeep brand that was regarded as the jewel in the Chrysler crown.
I was surprised a few weeks ago, whilst walking around a shopping mall in Melbourne, to see a Jeep clothing store. Not a Jeep section in a bigger clothing store. A whole shop dedicated to Jeep apparel. It had the same Jeep branding we know from the automotive company, just printed on jeans, T-shirts and other bits and pieces. Yes, I was surprised.
I don’t notice Australian Rules Football club sponsors that often, but I do know that there are a few car companies supporting clubs in the AFL. Ford have been a long-term sponsor of the Geelong Football Club (they have a plant there). Hyundai are a sponsor of my favourite club – Carlton. Skoda sponsors the leagues newest club in Greater Western Sydney and of course, Toyota are the major sponsors for the whole competition as well as one of the two clubs based in Adelaide.
And then there’s the TV campaign they’ve been running here in Australia – I bought a Jeep. It’s died down a bit now, but a few weeks ago it was absolutely everywhere.
So why are Jeep doubling down in Australia this year?
Well, believe it or not, they’re actually building on success that they’ve already had here. Jeep has a reputation for capability and they’re reasonably well priced here. People are noticing, too, with Jeep sales up 108% in March 2012 (year on year). Jeep are not amongst the top 10 companies here, but with SUV sales growing at a steady rate, perhaps they see some potential for that to happen in the future.
BUT…… looking at reports about Jeep and their sales figures here has made me wonder: just how popular are Jeep around the world?
The USA is Jeep’s #1 market. In March 2012 they sold just over 45,000 vehicles, which was a gain of 36% year on year. That’s pretty good.
I don’t know Jeep’s exact Australian sales figures in March, but I do know they weren’t one of the Top 10 companies. Kia, at position #10, had sales of just 2,738 vehicles for the month.
And here’s why that Australian sales figure is rather important when it comes to this discussion – according to Go Auto, one of the most respected industry journals here in Oz, this great southern land of ours is Jeep’s #2 global market.
As the second-largest Jeep market in the world, Australia has considerably more clout within Fiat and Chrysler than might be expected.
So the US is #1 with 45,000 sales in March and Australia is #2 with less than 2,700?
I don’t fear for the future of Jeep at all. It was the jewel in Chrysler’s crown and now it’s one of the jewels in Fiat’s crown.
But how solid is your base when little old Australia is your #2 market in the world? When your sales drop off from 45,000 in your #1 market to less than 2,700 in your #2 market????
Heck, even tiny Saab had three markets of complimentary size atop their sales tree. Of course, Saab didn’t sell in a year what Jeep sell in a month inside the US, but still…..
It makes me wonder just how significant Jeep is in the world, and how lucky they are to have a collection of brands around them to provide some external support. The Wrangler is their bread and butter and in terms of appeal, their models fall away pretty quickly after that (for me, at least).
I hope they can lift the range as the world is a better place with brands like Jeep in it.
In today’s snippets entry – How do you know what tyres are good at what things? Sniff Petrol does Anders Breivik. Don’t eat the mother-cake! And how small an accident does it take to write off a Saab Turbo X?
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Pierre, over at the CRS Blog, has just fitted some new tyres to his 1992 Saab 900, choosing to go for comfort instead of his usual search for all-out grip. The improved ride has given him a renewed appreciation for his classic Swede.
A question that I’ve always had but never researched: How does one know which tyres are better suited to one or the other – grip or comfort?
Personally, my knowledge is restricted to what the man in the store tells me. That’s a flawed situation, of course, because the man in the store quite likely makes a better margin on one tyre compared to another.
I might have to tap Pierre for the answer, or simply get off my arse and do some research myself.
Perhaps this is where Jeremy Clarkson gets some of his more controversial lines from? Sniff is, after all, written by Richard Porter, who’s name you’ll see in the credits for Top Gear every week. He’s the script editor.
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Porter is also one third of the team that supplies the Gareth Jones on Speed podcast every few weeks. It’s well worth a listen, especially if you’re into Formula 1. And there just happens to be a new episode out today.
A quick, personal update on Targa Tasmania – I just found out yesterday that the guy who now owns my Saab 9-3 Viggen is competing this year. He’s not driving the Viggen, however. Wayne has a fleet of vehicles and he’s driving a Porsche 911 in Targa this year.
Will try and catch up with him when the race finishes in Hobart tomorrow.
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And speaking of my Viggen…….
When I bought it back in 2005, it had been repaired after a small front-end accident. The accident really was a minor one – I saw the photos – but the relative rarity of Saab parts caused the insurance company to put it in the too-hard basket and they declared the vehicle to be a write off (which it obviously wasn’t as it’s still running beautifully to this day, even after I had a major accident in it).
I received some photos during the week of a Saab 9-3 Turbo X that appears to have been in an even smaller accident than the one that first wrote off my Viggen. The owner is a guy in the US, a reader from the TS and SU days whose car featured on those pages some time back.
His website seems to be hanging as I write this so I can’t get on there to extract some images right now. From what I remember from a few days ago, it looks like he’ll need a new front bumper, grille and headlamps.
I was going to cover this accident as an exercise in seeing how long it would take for Saab Parts to supply the necessary bits to his repairer. As it turns out, that won’t be necessary. As with my Viggen, the insurance company has deemed the repairs significant enough to classify the Turbo X as a write-off.
I’m amazed. Here in Australia, the Turbo X is still a $40,000 vehicle. That such a fine car can be considered a write-off after such a small bingle is a real head-scratcher for me.
I’ll update with photos when his website is back online and yo’ll be able to see for yourself. And if anyone’s interested in buying the ‘wreck’ from the insurance company, I can put you in touch with owner.
Targa Tasmania is the state’s premier motor racing event. It’s 5 days or so of tarmac racing, giving entrants the chance to see the state at high speed on closed public roads.
Here are a few videos of the fun that’s been had so far. The white Lamborghini in the videos, driven by Jason White, is currently leading the modern category.
I love buying (and driving) cars and there seems to be no end to the list of cars I’d like to own at some stage in my life. Accordingly, here’s a list of the cars that keep my mind ticking over, cars that get my motor running and keep me motivated, planning and scheming.
I’ve called this my 2012 list because it seems like a few cars drop off my radar every year, only to be replaced with new shiny objects that pique my interest for one reason or another. None of them present a particularly urgent case but they’re all things I’d like to own at some stage.
Some loose criteria that I considered….
I am not a wealthy man so none of these cars should be crazy expensive. All should present a reasonable proposition for purchase at some time over the next 25 years or so. This is a bucket list, remember.
Most of the cars on this list will be ‘second cars’ rather than daily drivers.
The cars shown in the photos (click to enlarge) are all available for sale right now, at the prices mentioned. In no particular order:
Subaru Brumby
The car I’m most likely going to buy next, to be used as both a daily driver and weekend load lugger. The Brumby (or Brat as it was known in US) is known for its longevity and versatility. Good examples don’t cost much, are still sought after and hold their value pretty well.
I’m more likely to get one like the example at the rear, but the one at the front is selling for $5.5K right now.
Some people think that I used to carry on too much about the poor and often unjustified press coverage that Saab received and how it would effect the public’s confidence in what Saab were trying to do. And those complaints were often during what were comparatively good times, just after the sale from GM.
…..at the merest hint of trouble the naysayers are on the case, speculating wildly about a calamitous end, pouring ill-considered fuel onto the fire. Now don’t get me wrong: as journalists it’s our job to dig out the facts and not to shy away from bad news; but what these stories are doing is effectively hastening any slide. If Lotus IS clinging on by its metaphorical fingertips, the current media frenzy is stamping on its fingers.
The reason this matters is all about confidence. Once potential customers catch the whiff of trouble they put their chequebooks away. And once the fire is alight it’s desperately hard to extinguish. Perception IS reality; rumours become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Who’s going to make the second-biggest purchase of their life from a company that might not be around to supply parts and servicing and honour warranties? Ask Saab.
Lotus’ public statement today was a mistake and a disaster, but I hope the circumstances that led to it subside soon (i.e. the media speculation, not the Sniff Petrol joke).
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As a postscript to the postscript, let me also share this. It’s from my article earlier today….
With regard to Lotus, I can’t think of a single motoring journalist worth their salt who sincerely wishes them harm. I can think of a few who enjoy the opportunity to take a sensationalist stab at them in order to further their own publishing efforts. They’re akin to those who would stop and take a photo at a car crash. But anyone seriously into cars would want to see Lotus succeed into the future. Some may not have much faith in current management, but they want Lotus to hang in there and succeed.
Again a comment on the subject from the CAR Magazine article:
Anyone who loves cars should love Lotus, and every motoring journalist I have ever met has had at the very least a soft spot for the brand and a fond memory or two tucked away.
As already mentioned, I hope they can get over this the best way a car company can – by delivering great product.
Just in case you missed the black and gold train wreck in the last 24 hours…..
Lotus are under pressure. The Five Year Plan from the 2010 Paris Motor Show didn’t resonate that well with a public that preferred the idea of one or two brilliant cars over what many saw as a pipe dream of five new upmarket cars in five years.
The Malaysian government recently sold its 43% stake in Lotus’ corporate parent, Proton. Perhaps understandably, there’s now a bit of conjecture out there as to what the new owner’s plans for Lotus will be. Questionable ownership stability/support and unheralded vehicle planning are not happy bed partners, as I’m sure any Saab fan can understand.
Today’s PR train wreck started with a bit of innocent fun on the part of the jesters over at Sniff Petrol. They produced a funny, satirical graphic featuring Lotus CEO Dany Bahar’s face superimposed over the body of “Bagdad Bob”, proclaiming there are no problems at Lotus. See it at that link or with the press release, below.
Anyone who reads Sniff Petrol, or listens to the Gareth Jones on Speed podcast, knows that the crew involved are motoring (and Formula 1) fanatics of the highest order. Those same people also know that Sniff Petrol will mercilessly take the piss at anything without fear or favour. Their efforts are merely jokes but what makes them extra-funny is that they often bear a close resemblance to the truth (just like Ralf Schumacher’s racing career). So Sniff Petrol had a little fun at Lotus’ expense. Big deal. They do it to a different manufacturer every month.
When you read the reaction from Lotus, it seems (at first) as if they were happy to play along. It soon becomes evident, however, that this minor provocation was the straw that broke one particular camel’s back.
Apple is now valued at $600 BILLION. If I’ve got my zeroes figured correctly, that’s US$600,000,000,000 – though whichever way you say it, that’s a lotta clams.
To top that, Instagram was purchased by Facebook for $1 Billion, which as this article from Australia points out, makes this 17 month-old photo-sharing start-up with just over a dozen employees worth more than the New York Times.
Are these values the tip of an iceberg that is about to pop a gigantic tech bubble right in our nerdy faces? Whilst conditions are somewhat different these days and a burst seems less likely, valuations like these are nothing short of extraordinary.
Interestingly, Microsoft topped $600Bil once in its history and for just a few weeks – right before the tech bubble burst back around the turn of the century.
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The performance of the Koenigsegg Agera is absolutely extraordinary. Whilst I don’t want to take anything away from the astonishing Pagani Zonda, I found it amusing that this film begins by talking about the Zonda as an appreciating classic.
I’m not sure the last 1:20 of the video does anything to help with that assertion, to be honest. It does plenty to pump up the Koenigsegg’s value, though.
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Saab’s photo studio is in a wonderful building in Vanersborg and is apparently valued at a mere SEK800,000 – a sum that I find extraordinarily low.
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I’m in two minds as to whether I should post this, but as tough as it is to watch, it is definitely extraordinary. Parkinson’s Disease is such a cruel affliction and I don’t mean to trivialise it in any way by posting this. I know a family with an elderly who is afflicted with Parkinson’s in my neighborhood. I hear they have a reliable in-home care provider from an institution similar to Care For Family (careforfamily.com.au), which is in a way better than family members trying their best. Professionals understand how to manage and care for their patients.
We all know someone famous with the same neurological disease. The degeneration of Muhammad Ali is extraordinary to see. He is, and always will be, The Champ.
Ironically, there’s been a documentary on TV tonight about the Thrilla in Manila, Ali’s final fight against the late Joe Frazier.
It scared me a little when I saw this documentary scheduled on the TV guide. The last Ali documentary I saw on TV was When We Were Kings, back in 2001. The program featured a news ticker to tell viewers that a plane had accidentally crashed into the World Trade Center. Around 10 minutes later, the program finished prematurely and the next 48 hours were consumed with blanket news feeds from the United States. I still have the videotape.
Thanks to Ted for the right info – it’s Parkinsons, not Alzheimers.
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The men of the Carlton Football Club were extraordinary last Thursday night. I beg you – watch this video and take particular notice of highlight #3.
Catching the ball in the air from a kick (called a “mark”) can be one of the most spectacular things you’ll ever see on a sports field, and something like this happens nearly every week in our game. It’s poetry.
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I hope you all had a wonderful Easter long weekend.
Some say the Cayenne itself is a bridge too far for Porsche. I disagree.
But that green on a Cayenne? Silk purse, sow’s ear. And failing.
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I’m sure it’s a remarkable piece of machinery, but you’ve still got to present it tastefully, don’t you? I’m all for more vibrant color palettes on vehicles but a vehicle’s got to have a certain tone, a certain character. I’m just not sure that Kermit Green and a Cayenne go together.
The bit where he takes those low profile tyres ‘off-road’ and on to some loose gravel at the end of the clip is a nice touch. That’s quite possibly the only bit of non-road driving a Cayenne GTS will see anywhere in the world.
I noted with some interest that British journo and Saab fan, Graeme Lambert, has just taken a Saab 9000 Aero as a long-term test vehicle. Nice move! Being a fan of practical classics, I’m looking forward to reading his thoughts.
A few weeks ago, I caught up with a friend of mine in Victoria – a 9000 Aero owner named Nathan. In fact, Nathan was the guy who provided my first ever Saab driving experience in his 1986 Saab 9000 Turbo. That car’s gone now, but his current 9000 Aero is an absolute cracker of a car and while I was visiting, we took it out for a spin (of course!).
I should preface this by saying that despite having spent plenty of time in different Saabs, and countless hours in the Saab 9000 (we’ve had two CS’s over the last 7 years or so), I’ve never spent much time in the Saab 9000 Aero. In fact, the only time I can recall is a short ride through Melbourne’s city streets in a pristine automatic model (thanks, Dan!).
So aside from all the other reasons I enjoyed catching up with Nathan, the chance to spend some quality time in the Saab that former designer chief Bjorn Envall said was Saab’s best ever vehicle was one I was very excited about.
I’m pleased to say it was a fair bit of a revelation, too.
As mentioned, I’m quite accustomed with the Saab 9000. I’ve been driving our CS models for years now and I’ve loved them both. They eat up highway miles rapaciously, they’re comfortable, can swallow a whale and have proved to be very reliable. The CS is not a sporting car, though. Not by a long shot. Whilst it will move reasonably quickly when provoked, it’s more inclined to wallow around a corner rather than turn through it. Judge the weight transfer correctly and it can be a fun car to drive, but it always feels like the big, comfortable, floaty car that is.
As I learned a few weeks ago, the Aero – especially Nathan’s Aero – is a completely different beast.
I don’t know how much you’ll be able to tell from the video, below, but this car is blazingly quick. I imagine the regular Aero is quick, too, but this one is brutal. I spent quite a bit of time being pushed back into the most comfortable seats ever to feature in a motor car.
What amazed me more than the speed, though, was how utterly stable it was through the corners. Floaty, comfy 9000 CS’s – be gone! This Aero was hunkered down; it actually felt like it was crouching and shifting it’s weight like one of those sidecar racers – very deliberate and precise. Nothing we threw at this car could get it out of shape. We had sections of road (not in the video) that were in very poor condition due to roadworks and the car simply continued to inspire confidence the whole time.
Pure Saab? Not with all those Abbott bits bolted on. But they’re bolted on to what is undoubtedly a superb base. The 9000 Aero is an outstanding vehicle and one that I look forward to spending a bit more time in (like this Easter weekend, for example!).
And for those who were wondering about the output of Nathan’s car – it hasn’t been on a dyno for quite a while, but he says it’s currently making upwards of 340hp and well over 500Nm of torque. It really is super-quick and handles like a much smaller car – a testament to some very committed ownership and a company’s expertise.
Pardon the rattly camera casing and the idle chatter. Just enjoy the car…..
