I don’t have any details or stories to share, but it certainly looks like the team at Mille Miglia is having a good time. The cars and the scenery both look breathtaking.
The following photos just arrived in my inbox, directly from Italy…..
Peter Backstrom (left) and Mats Fagerhag talk to the crowd. Mats is driving the Saab 93A that Peter helped to prepare for the event.
Mats Fagerhag looking cool in the Italian sunshine….
The Saab 93A being driven by Hans Hugenholz along with a Saab 9-3 Independence Edition Convertible…..
The Mille Miglia entry from Behermans in Belgium, with the Saab Museum entry in the background…..
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Remember to keep checking in with SofieFromSaab on Twitter. She’s posting live occasional updates along with images from the 2011 Mille Miglia.
We’ll have full coverage of the event after it’s completion on the weekend.
Saab Automobile team commemorates 1957 Mille Miglia class win
Driver line-up includes Saab Automobile’s Vice President of Vehicle Product Development and Spyker Cars’ Chairman of the Board
Trollhättan, Sweden. A trio of historic Saab 93s will take part in this year’s Mille Miglia, starting Thursday 12 May, revisiting the scene of one of Saab’s first successes in international motor sport.
Italian towns and hillsides reverberate once again to the distinctive crackle of a Saab two-stroke engine as the cars follow in the wheel tracks of Charlie Lohmander and Harald Kronegård, who won their class with a Saab 93 in the last 1957 Mille Miglia road race.
Driving the lead car will be Mats Fägerhag, Saab Automobile’s Vice President Vehicle Product Development, with Peter Bäckström, Manager of the Saab Car Museum, sitting alongside.
THere are a number of Saab enthusiast events coming up to start the northern spring/summer Saabing season. Here are some details on a couple that you may want to attend if they’re in your neck of the woods.
Swedish Day UK (late addition)
When: 8th May (tomorrow, as I site here writing this) Where: Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford
It’s a little late to post this one, but it’s turned into a wonderful annual event and if you’re in the UK and at a loose end on Sunday, then I can highly recommend you get along to Sparkford and say hello.
What: SaabsUnited Days is a get together for anyone who loves Saabs, particularly those who are regular readers of the Saabs United website. Saabs United has partnered with ANA, the Saab dealership in Trollhattan, to offer a range of activities and special offers. You’ll get to see the Saab 9-4x and Saab 9-5 SportCombi, as well as whole heap of other stuff. There’s free admission to the Saab Museum on Sunday 15th, too.
I’ll be back in Sweden on the 14th and will be doing my best to catch up with everyone in attendance in Trollhattan on the Saturday night. If all goes well, I should have a little personal surprise in store, too.
When: 20th-22nd May Where: Carlisle Fairgrounds, PA.
What:The Carlisle Import and Kit Nationals are on every year, and every year, the event gets taken over by upwards of 200 Saabs from around the north-eastern United States. It’s typically amongst the single largest gathering of Saabs each year in the one place (and quite often the largest).
Pre-registration is now closed, but that doesn’t mean the event is closed. There will be a number of “Caravans” leaving from different locations to attend Carlisle and Saab fans heading to the event are encouraged to join in and increase the presence. I’ll bring more information about the various caravans as that information comes to hand (I’m waiting on details from one of the caravan convenors. If you know of a caravan that’s leaving, please let me know and I’ll add it to the update on this post).
Carlisle isn’t just a Saab event, of course, and there’s something there to capture everyone’s automotive imagination….
The Bilsport Magazine Custom and Performance Motor Show was on at Elmia, in Jönköping, Sweden on the Easter weekend. This is an annual event that attracts huge crowds, with plenty of exciting metal on display for the visitors to peruse.
Brands like Saab typically have enthusiasts at their core. It’s one of the reasons this website exists. Some enthusiasts show their passion for the brand by keeping a car in absolute factory-fresh condition for years on end. Others take a different view, seeking to customise their car to their tastes – whether they be mild or extreme.
The Bilsport show at Elmia tends to cater for the custom car builder, though there are plenty of well-preserved examples of different marques in the ‘Nostalgia’ halls as well.
Saab were well represented in a number of displays, the single most notable of which was a 5-car display by aftermarket tuning company, Maptun. The company’s owner, Fredrik Bengtsson, even had his own new Saab 9-5 on display with custom carbonfibre trim parts that the company is developing.
A Saab 96 V4 historic rally racer was a particular highlight, having been restored to immaculate condition. This car is a now a regular competitor in the Midnight Sun historic rally held here in Sweden.
The Saab 900, below, was restored by a couple of young, 18 year old Swedes. These guys should be very proud of their work as the car showed brilliantly.
There were many more customised Saabs on show at Elmia, including a hybrid combining the body of a Saab 9-3 SportCombi with the running gear of a Dodge Viper!
Please feel free to check out the slideshow, below, or view the images in a larger size at Flickr: Custom Saabs at Elmia 2011.
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Note: Tuning Saabs is a tricky business. Saab have only one official tuning house who can tune your new Saab whilst still maintaining your new vehicle warranty coverage. This tuner is called Hirsch Performance and they are located in St Gallen, Switzerland. Their products are available in many markets where Saabs are sold. Check with your local dealer.
