Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Autumn
I remember my grandfather once saying "the springs and autumns get shorter all the time, strange". Indeed. The last several days with 22+ °C are here not even 3 weeks ago. Now it's snowing. The snow melts, but the autumn will be again very short.
The convertible season is over.
The convertible season is over.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Saab Meeting Bayerischer Wald 2012 part 2
After seeing more materials from the Saab Meeting from the Saab Meeting in Bavarian Forest 2012 some ideas and thoughts are coming to my mind.
There are enthusiasts with energy to invent and organise Saab conventions without help or at least with "sticker" of a large official fanclub or a large website. An attendance on a large event like IntSaab or SU Oktoberfest is an awesome experience but these more local events with very personal atmosphere are making the immense important "network" between the heavyweight pillars of the community. This network is essential to hold the fanbase together. The recent Saab Session Slovakia is next of these events and there are dozens of others for sure.
The fanbase of Saab is imho an underestimated phenomenon. Therefore steps and plans of NEVS are sometimes really hard to understand. Yes, money, investments, business plans, forecasts, landing costs, margins, future considerations etc etc. It's easy to omit the "installed base".
Three days long Saab convention, consisting of joint drives, visiting interesting places learned and shared by the locals and knowing each other at the evenings. Very stylish (girls) Saabs, picturesque ambient and new ideas how to upgrade the baby in the garage. This was Saab Meeting in Bavarian Forest 2012. The oldest Saab was the Saab 92b from 1955, the youngest from 2008. 53 years difference. In between a beautiful Sonnett II, classic 900's and a presentation of 9-5 NG in Furth in Wald.
There are plans for organising the event next year. It should be October 2013. And if the circumstances allows it, Saabism will be there.
A selection of the photos :
There are more pictures from the 2012 meeting.
There are enthusiasts with energy to invent and organise Saab conventions without help or at least with "sticker" of a large official fanclub or a large website. An attendance on a large event like IntSaab or SU Oktoberfest is an awesome experience but these more local events with very personal atmosphere are making the immense important "network" between the heavyweight pillars of the community. This network is essential to hold the fanbase together. The recent Saab Session Slovakia is next of these events and there are dozens of others for sure.
The fanbase of Saab is imho an underestimated phenomenon. Therefore steps and plans of NEVS are sometimes really hard to understand. Yes, money, investments, business plans, forecasts, landing costs, margins, future considerations etc etc. It's easy to omit the "installed base".
Three days long Saab convention, consisting of joint drives, visiting interesting places learned and shared by the locals and knowing each other at the evenings. Very stylish (girls) Saabs, picturesque ambient and new ideas how to upgrade the baby in the garage. This was Saab Meeting in Bavarian Forest 2012. The oldest Saab was the Saab 92b from 1955, the youngest from 2008. 53 years difference. In between a beautiful Sonnett II, classic 900's and a presentation of 9-5 NG in Furth in Wald.
There are plans for organising the event next year. It should be October 2013. And if the circumstances allows it, Saabism will be there.
A selection of the photos :
There are more pictures from the 2012 meeting.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Titine
A nice flickr set of a Saab 95 V4 M 1969 is placed on Flick and the author is the mighty Jean-Francois alias Golfhunter.
Location : Grenoble, France. Check out the whole Flickr set.
Posted with permission of the author. Source : Flickr
Location : Grenoble, France. Check out the whole Flickr set.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Upgrade !
My Saab recently arrived to the 100.000 km mark on the odometer. Since there were no serious faults, he deserves a reward. So an upgrade from Maptun is coming. Because the software is from Hirsch and it works great, no chip this time.
But the chassis gets in some situations torque steering. Answers from forums how to improve this are saying two things : harder bushes from Powerflex and a strut brace. I am afraid a bit of the bushes and it wasn't very recommended by the trusted service technician. But the strut brace shouldn't bring any potential damage with itself.
Yes, it could be bought from a garage master in the next service. But I wanted a branded one, so Maptun was the choice. It looks very professional.
Another thing which comed was equally if not more important. A Maptun steering wheel ! It's massive and feels fantastic in the hand, a very comfortable kind of softness. I love it even not mounted yet, this will be a major thing.
Two boxes came via UPS, very professional packaged and another remarkable thing was - they are both very light, together 6 kg. That's nothing.
The communication with Maptun was very professional, quick and everything was gone very smoothly. After a not very good experience with some other seller this was a refreshing thing. Thank you Fredrik.
I can't wait to have it mounted. Soon.
But the chassis gets in some situations torque steering. Answers from forums how to improve this are saying two things : harder bushes from Powerflex and a strut brace. I am afraid a bit of the bushes and it wasn't very recommended by the trusted service technician. But the strut brace shouldn't bring any potential damage with itself.
Yes, it could be bought from a garage master in the next service. But I wanted a branded one, so Maptun was the choice. It looks very professional.
Another thing which comed was equally if not more important. A Maptun steering wheel ! It's massive and feels fantastic in the hand, a very comfortable kind of softness. I love it even not mounted yet, this will be a major thing.
Two boxes came via UPS, very professional packaged and another remarkable thing was - they are both very light, together 6 kg. That's nothing.
The communication with Maptun was very professional, quick and everything was gone very smoothly. After a not very good experience with some other seller this was a refreshing thing. Thank you Fredrik.
I can't wait to have it mounted. Soon.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saab Meeting Bayerischer Wald 2012
There are several Saab fan meetings happening in the autumn. One of them, the SAAB meeting in the Bavarian Forest Germany 2012 was on 05.-07. October 2012. The Bavarian Forest is a cca 100 km long mountain chain on the border between Germany and the Czech Republic.
The exact place was around the german town Viechtach and the cca 100 fans in 55 Saabs from the years 1955 - 2010 had a great Sunday drive. German, austrian and swiss Saabs came, some of them took a pretty large distance of about 700 km. Yes, the german autobahns are fast, but not everywhere.
A longer report with pictures will come in the near future.
There is a very nice video capturing the warm atmosphere below. Smiling faces, cool Saabs. On a personal note, some things are kind of special for me. Firstly I was very close to the place of the convention recently, while coming from the IntSaab and continued through the Bavarian Forest to the other side to Czech Republic. It is a beautiful countryside and a start of my longest topless drive ever.
Secondly the black classic 900 convertible in the video. Oh man. Thirdly the Hirsch 19" rims on the yellow convertible in the video. And lastly, I think I've seen in the video the blue convertible with sand top from Alexandros, which was ready to give an interview about the practical side of it.
Enjoy the video :
The exact place was around the german town Viechtach and the cca 100 fans in 55 Saabs from the years 1955 - 2010 had a great Sunday drive. German, austrian and swiss Saabs came, some of them took a pretty large distance of about 700 km. Yes, the german autobahns are fast, but not everywhere.
A longer report with pictures will come in the near future.
There is a very nice video capturing the warm atmosphere below. Smiling faces, cool Saabs. On a personal note, some things are kind of special for me. Firstly I was very close to the place of the convention recently, while coming from the IntSaab and continued through the Bavarian Forest to the other side to Czech Republic. It is a beautiful countryside and a start of my longest topless drive ever.
Secondly the black classic 900 convertible in the video. Oh man. Thirdly the Hirsch 19" rims on the yellow convertible in the video. And lastly, I think I've seen in the video the blue convertible with sand top from Alexandros, which was ready to give an interview about the practical side of it.
Enjoy the video :
The World Map of Saab
Entry number 60 arrived. A bit more Saabs, because on some pictures are more than one. There are several very interesting Saabs in suprising conditions like the norwegian Saab 99 woith just 23.000 km or the Saab 96 V4 with just 56.000 km.
Also there are some locations like Tokyo, Minsk or Belfast, where you don't come every day at all. Two of them are actually between the borders of countries, inside the Eurotunnel and on a small ferry between Austria and Slovakia.
And yes, some of the photos are really nice captures and it doesn't matter wether they are taken by a pro Leica or an iPhone. Each of them has it's own spirit. To name a few examples, the one from Paris, the swiss convertible or the SportCombi from Leicester.
I'd like to thank to all of you sending pictures and encourage everyone who would like to have a picture on the map to send it. They're great captures of moments showing, that the Saab family is alive and kicking. According to some sources, there are one million Saabs on the streets. Thank you.
Also there are some locations like Tokyo, Minsk or Belfast, where you don't come every day at all. Two of them are actually between the borders of countries, inside the Eurotunnel and on a small ferry between Austria and Slovakia.
And yes, some of the photos are really nice captures and it doesn't matter wether they are taken by a pro Leica or an iPhone. Each of them has it's own spirit. To name a few examples, the one from Paris, the swiss convertible or the SportCombi from Leicester.
I'd like to thank to all of you sending pictures and encourage everyone who would like to have a picture on the map to send it. They're great captures of moments showing, that the Saab family is alive and kicking. According to some sources, there are one million Saabs on the streets. Thank you.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
100.000 km
My 9-3 convertible is out of it's teen age kilometers. Symbolically on the way to the Saab Session Slovakia through the weekend I've reached the 100.000 km.
From these I did 61.000 km, the rest was driven by the previous owner.
The summary of services needed through the 100.000 kilometers is really quick : besides the regularly changed parts and fluids only 2 things had to be changed : xenon bulbs and the battery. This is a very good result. Only one other car in my experience achieved that.
The Saab 9-3 Convertible Aero has brought a lot of fun as well as several magical moments. Without it I would never discover manz parts parts in close and also distant locations.
Me and my girlfriend were on it around a fairly large part of Europe. Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Sweden. Longest drive non-stop ~1260 km to Amsterdam, longest drive overall ~1450 km to Trollhattan with a break on the ferry (Rostock - Trelleborg). Longest drive without roof ~440 km (Passau - Bratislava, through southern Czech Republic).
It is in top condition at the moment. Hopely it stays so, I am doing for it what I can.
I've ordered two things from Maptun as a gift to this "anniversary". More to that later.
From these I did 61.000 km, the rest was driven by the previous owner.
The summary of services needed through the 100.000 kilometers is really quick : besides the regularly changed parts and fluids only 2 things had to be changed : xenon bulbs and the battery. This is a very good result. Only one other car in my experience achieved that.
The Saab 9-3 Convertible Aero has brought a lot of fun as well as several magical moments. Without it I would never discover manz parts parts in close and also distant locations.
Me and my girlfriend were on it around a fairly large part of Europe. Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Sweden. Longest drive non-stop ~1260 km to Amsterdam, longest drive overall ~1450 km to Trollhattan with a break on the ferry (Rostock - Trelleborg). Longest drive without roof ~440 km (Passau - Bratislava, through southern Czech Republic).
It is in top condition at the moment. Hopely it stays so, I am doing for it what I can.
I've ordered two things from Maptun as a gift to this "anniversary". More to that later.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Saab Session Slovakia part 1
The realistic estimation of Saabs arriving to the first Saab Session Slovakia was about 30. A good number for a small country, even if the idea was to invite Saabs from close distance neighbours as well. Of course nobody knew what will happen.
An unexpected 57 Saabs came. Including our Pa Taket amphibian model. A huge success, it is more than the We are many we are Saab event last winter. Besides slovakian Saab freaks there were Saabs from Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Switzerland.
The convention was in the hills of Mala Fatra. Slovakia. The program contained a forest railway ride, an outdoor-museum visit, a joint drive in the countryside, a photosession and of course networking. Although the weather didn't played with us in the night before, so many Saabs were not as clean as usual, the atmosphere was very relaxed. But for the drive the sun appeared and all five convertibles were driving top down.
There were some beautiful Saabs never seen in Slovakia before. Saab Sonnett V4 from 1969 once driven by Simo Lampinen. A Saab 92A from 1950. Several Saabs 96. The majority of the model ranges were there. Classic 900's and 99's. Five brand new Saab 95 new generation, the last ones. Really nobody expected this.
Enjoy the part one of the pictures. Click for higher resolution :
More to come soon ...
An unexpected 57 Saabs came. Including our Pa Taket amphibian model. A huge success, it is more than the We are many we are Saab event last winter. Besides slovakian Saab freaks there were Saabs from Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Switzerland.
The convention was in the hills of Mala Fatra. Slovakia. The program contained a forest railway ride, an outdoor-museum visit, a joint drive in the countryside, a photosession and of course networking. Although the weather didn't played with us in the night before, so many Saabs were not as clean as usual, the atmosphere was very relaxed. But for the drive the sun appeared and all five convertibles were driving top down.
There were some beautiful Saabs never seen in Slovakia before. Saab Sonnett V4 from 1969 once driven by Simo Lampinen. A Saab 92A from 1950. Several Saabs 96. The majority of the model ranges were there. Classic 900's and 99's. Five brand new Saab 95 new generation, the last ones. Really nobody expected this.
Enjoy the part one of the pictures. Click for higher resolution :
NEVS and Saab Parts start parts production on Monday
Reported by Saabsunited, in a presentation, Mattias Bergman from NEVS announced, that NEVS and Saab Parts agreed that Saab Parts can use the production tools for parts production, which were bought by NEVS as a part of the Saab deal.
There are more than 1 million Saabs rolling on the streets today. The start of the production is Monday, 15.10.2012.
This step seemed to be logical and making sense, however there is never 100% certainty in this kind of "expected agreements" how they turn out in reality.
For us, the Saab drivers that means better access to spare parts and quicker delivery. Maybe it also means some more jobs in Trollhattan.
This is really good news.
source : Saabsunited
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Saturday, October 6, 2012
The white ride
"We shot this clip just because of having the will to do so for years. The white Saab was perfect fo those kind of pictures." writes the author of this clip.
It's so cool, that there are people doing beautiful things just because they want. This video was not easy to do for sure ...
White ride (Saab 9000, Leipzig, night shot) from Michael Heinz on Vimeo.
source : original clip on Vimeo (higher resolution)
It's so cool, that there are people doing beautiful things just because they want. This video was not easy to do for sure ...
White ride (Saab 9000, Leipzig, night shot) from Michael Heinz on Vimeo.
source : original clip on Vimeo (higher resolution)
Car photography : how to make a better picture of your Saab
While coming across a really cool Saab photo on the internet, did you ever felt a desire to be able to shot such a photo by yourself ? You might think, these pictures are taken by a professional in an atelier with an expensive equipment. Sometimes you are right. However a lot of fan pictures are high quality as well and their authors aren't visual gurus, but just people like you. They just have a bit more knowledge how to use a camera and a little bit more practise.
There is a nice online workshop on car photography. It's a part of a campaign for the new Photoshop (CS6) and Lightroom, but crafted very useful and in this case targeted to all of us who love to photograph our cars.
The video below is a part of the workshop and is giving a few hints on the topic. They are mainly technical nature and requires to have a DSLR camera or at least a camera with manual modes. It's shot in an atelier, but the hints are valid for outdoor shooting as well.
It doesn't make you an expert in 10 minutes, but after trying some techniques in the next photoshooting opportunity will definitely improve your skills. And - practice is the king :)
Enjoy.
src : lynda.com
There is a nice online workshop on car photography. It's a part of a campaign for the new Photoshop (CS6) and Lightroom, but crafted very useful and in this case targeted to all of us who love to photograph our cars.
The video below is a part of the workshop and is giving a few hints on the topic. They are mainly technical nature and requires to have a DSLR camera or at least a camera with manual modes. It's shot in an atelier, but the hints are valid for outdoor shooting as well.
It doesn't make you an expert in 10 minutes, but after trying some techniques in the next photoshooting opportunity will definitely improve your skills. And - practice is the king :)
Enjoy.
src : lynda.com
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Numerology
Sometimes the odometer plays nice number games. I'm coming soon to a "number anniversary", but before, this is a friend's classic 900. I have no clue how he did that, but I trust it's not a fake :)
Monday, October 1, 2012
Registration deadline for Saab Session Slovakia extended
The registration deadline for the Saab Session Slovakia event (12. - 14.10.2012) was extended to 5.10.2012.
The objective is to help all the undecided or busy fans to attend. Due to organisational reasons after 5.10. there will be no more extension possible.
Until now more than 40 Saabs are registered, some of them very rare.
More info :
info / registration in slovak | info / registration in english | participating Saabs | facebook event
The objective is to help all the undecided or busy fans to attend. Due to organisational reasons after 5.10. there will be no more extension possible.
Until now more than 40 Saabs are registered, some of them very rare.
More info :
info / registration in slovak | info / registration in english | participating Saabs | facebook event
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