Blue ... (velvet)

via Saab Turbo Club of Sweden

A great stop motion video from Balkan

Tour de Balkan from fffilm on Vimeo.

900

via Save Saab Museum facebook

Music for cabriolets : Daft Punk - Motherboard

Daft Punk's recent album Random Access Memories is one of the most discussed albums of this year so far. The reviews and feedbacks are ranging from "junk produced in a luxurious way" to "genius".

But instead of reading album reviews it's much better to listen to them and make your own opinion. At least because on each album of every artist are better and worse songs.

The album is contains too disparate styles. You can find there shallow commercial summer funky junk combined with a couple of serious tracks. As if the authors would want to earn money from mainstream but smuggled there a 3-4 tracks which "make sense".

This is one of them. It worked perfect in the car and in fact became a personal anthem for the Saab Festival in Trollhattan. I had simply to replay it again and again. Going from the museum through the city to the factory ? - Motherboard !. It just worked awesome for the convertible.

Notable musician on this particular track is a drummer legend Omar Hakim [ David Bowie, Miles Davis, Bryan Ferry, Marcus Miller, Weather Report, Sting, Madonna, John Scofield and many more] playing a wonderful beat with world class skill.

The Saab 9-5 SportCombi 2012 directory

They are not many. Seven were on the Saab festival 2013 in Trollhattan. All legal on the streets. Another one (red) is known to be in the Czech Republic at Mr. Suchomel's dealership and service.

Another two have unknown location. And another two (prototypes) were at SaabsUnited Oktoberfest 2011. One of it was an american version. But more and more are known. Alltogether at this moment 15 pieces known.

This all says 9-5sc2012.com page which is basically a nicely designed Saab 9-5 SportCombi 2012 directory. There is also a facebook page creating a community around the rare model.

So if you own one or know about an owner, you know where to go ...

A 900 again

A 1600 x 900 px resolution comes after a click on the picture. The Saab folder on your hard drive will like it.

via pinterest

På Taket Saab 96 is safe

The floods are gone, the harbour is accessible. So the guys managed to bring the Saabull Pa Taket Saab 96 out of its current place to another one.

It was more or less safe from water, because the doors of the place were isolated with a builders foam, something like this. So nothing serious happened.

via : Saabull Pa Taket facebook page

The stretched 9-3

Another stretched Saab ? After the special long Saab 99 and the Saab 9000 stretched limousine, another appeared. This time it's a 9-3 for the sad times in our lives, a funeral one. The source says, it's the only one existing 9-3 in this form. Hm.

src : Saab Car Museum facebook page

Dame Edna on bio steroids: how is she ?

After several small stones attacks on my bonnet I've decided to let my convertible in the service to repaint it. It's not easy to find a skilled service for this, but I've found one. And I had the luck to get a 2007 9-5 SportCombi 2.0t BioPower for the time. The Dame Edna wasn't for free but not expensive. This was my first BioPower car and I could do about 500 km on it (will do another 220).

So how is she ?

I'm not a fan of this 9-5 exterior look, mainly of the front part. But I love the dashboard. It's robust, the relaxing saabish green lights on the dashboard indicators are there. Used from my 9-3 I knew where most of the things are from the first moment. It looks clean and untouched, you would never say, this 9-5 has 236.000 km driven. I love the "3D" look of the rpm, kmh and fuel indicators, this is something I'd like to have in the 9-3. It's hard to photograph, at least for my skills, so at least an overall view :

After getting the car, I was driving behind someone, leading me to the nearest E85 fuel station, about 50 km away. The driver wasn't lazy at all and was pretty dynamic, so I had to catch up quickly - fast overtakes and fast drives in curves with a car I didn't knew at all. And I was very positively surprised. Not a single "edge situation", it was fast and stable. At country roads between towns, at speeds 80-120kmh. Nice !

Some things I was missing. Firstly, as I am 191 cm tall, the seats could be a bit lower. This is something which the taller driver have to use to. And secondly, on the cruise controll I was missing "cruise minus". You can increase the speed, but not decrease. On the highway this is useful. Was that it ? Yes. Nothing else.

The Saab has 150 bhp and 240 Nm on petrol and 180 bhp and 280 Nm on the biofuel / E85. The 20% performance increasy is to feel. It follows the gas pedal very prompt and cheerful. That was a nice surprise for a pretty heavy looking combi. But not a surprise for Saab in general. Official numbers are saying 8.5 seconds for 0-120kmh and it easily could be.

It has an automatic transmission, the short delays against manual transmission are there, but no drama. I am a fan of manual transmission, so in case of choice, the decision would be clear. But after this I understood everybody who tunes this car, because to have this chassis on 250+ hp should be really fun.

The fuel consumption on the highway was 10.4 l/100 km on the highway (23.3 mpg) of E85, which would indicate about 8 litres on normal petrol (29.4 mpg), which is ok. After coming to the city and driving it around in a normal traffic another 200 km, the fuel meter shows 12.2 l/100 km (19.3 mpg), which indicates about 9.4 l/100 km (25 mpg) on petrol. For a year 2007 and 230.000 km two-liter an absolutely acceptable number. I could live with that.

The price difference between E85 and a say 96 Natural petrol is of course a critical factor here. This Saab won a couple of prices for eco-development, driving on ethanol, which is important for the eco minded drivers.

In general a very good feeling. It drives well, it is not too thirsty. I forgot to mention the boot, which is huge, for a family absolutely ok and also a good sound. I will give it back on Friday with a bit sadness in the heart. I used to it and like it. There were several of  positive "Saab kicks" through these couple of days.

Also the sad thing is : we don't have E85 in Slovakia. Fuel lobby has lobbed. This car is borrowed from the Czech Republic, where they're used to it. So no use of the BioPower feature here.

The SAAB Suchomel meeting

Every serious car brand fan, disregard the brand itself, knows, that their cars are a great point for making new friendships and connections. After meeting the drivers of 9-4X and NG 9-5 SC on the way to the Saab Festival and spending some time with them, exactly this happened. It's a natural and good feeling.

I've got an invitation on which I couldn't say no. I simply like them. Saabists by heart, running a good service point. They're thinking in the good balance between emotions and real life, that's why they sell and service also Nissan. Why not.

To walk with the owner of the service through the stock rooms and listening about every single piece of the many spare parts catalogised in the shelfs was a unique experience. To know so much about everything means years of experience and a hobby.

It wasn't a regular Saab gathering. Both guys celebrated their 60 birthday. Many people came. Many Saabs arrived. New and old, from 96 to 9-5 NG. A very positive atmosphere, not oversaabed nor undersaabed, exactly as it should be.

A couple of photos from the Saab Suchomel gathering.

The special birthday cake. Photo © Martin Pavelek

Another very special and personal gift.

People. The service room was converted into an auction space. Bidding for Saab paintings.

For sale. Edit : the blue one is sold, 3 new arriving

A custom 9000 as a service car.

For sale. Many Saabs.

A special one. The 9-5 NG SC.

The 9-4X.

I was thinking about buying this ...

A moment from the hotel. It says "A genuine beer fron the mountains".

The 9-5 SportCombi with a proper engine and everything. An Aero of course.

A Viggen in the front.

Victor Mullers 9-5. The numberplate is a masquerade for Saab meetings.

Generations.

Talks.

Other photosets : Martin, Kerim (fb), Saab8

A ride ...

From the recent ride to Czech republic. Rains were forecasted, but nobody knew when and where. Reality : at that day nowhere. So roof down and bzzzuuummmm ...

Casablanca 1955

via Norwegian Classic Saab Club

SAAB 9000 stretched limousine

Behind a discreet door, which wasn't locked. And I shouldn't open it, but I did.
Look what was behind : 

aaaaaaaaaaaaa :)

The c900 part in the Saab Museum

It's one of my favorite parts in the Saab Museum in Trollhattan. Up there on the floor with the classic Saab 900s.

NEVS Mattias Bergman presentation and slides

The "NEVS - our future" presentation on Saabfestival 2013 brought by Mattias Bergman was one of the highlights for many fans. The curiosity was big, the presentation room was completely full and people were listening to every word.

Thanks to SaabsUnited to allowing me to republish their video from the presentation. It's 42 minutes long and worth to listen to. Below are slides as I could photograph them.


And here the slides. Some of them have highlighted important parts in a red squares. All slides are clickable for higher resolution.

På Taket Saab 96 in danger through floods

You may remember our crazy amphibian På Taket Saab 96 model, which can drive as well as swim on water. This one :

It is stored at a friends place at the industrial harbour of Bratislava. But the river Danube is flooding right now all areas around it. Of course the harbour as well. Everything is closed down there, so we don't know anything about the condition of the På Taket Saab.

Sure it is water resistant and it can swim, but it is located in a storage garage with many other heavy things (seen partially on these photos) which can move and destroy it. Nothing is sure for the moment.

To get a context what is going on here, here's the only one picture from the harbour I could find :

Winter harbour Bratislava, 5.July 2013, photo : sme.sk

And this is how the flood looks right now, appx. 24 - 26 hours before the expected culmination point :

Parking space where we use to meet is now completely under water. Photo : sme.sk

Exactly the opposite river bank as the photo above. It's appx. 1 km to the city center. The barriers are still holding.
Photo : sme.sk

update : 10 cm of water in that part of the harbour, so nothing special. And sealed doors. Pa Taket is safe :) It is expected that the Danube drop its level after this night, so it should also stay ok.

Saabfestival 2013 : photos part 3

Saabing part 3. Mainly from the Saab Museum and ANA. [part 1, part 2]

Waiting for the ferry to Sweden. The strange thing in the lower right corner is me.

Self-portrait with DJA 880 in the mirror of the Independence Edition.

DJA 880 : The last Saab. (before the NEVS era ?).

A detail from the Saab Museum.

Batmaaaaan.

A detail.

... and another one.

A very special t-shirt.

ANA. 9-5 NG steering wheels.

The Maptun tent. The wheels are BBS.

9-5 dashboards. Loads of them.

Other photos from the Saabfestival 2013 : [part 1, part 2]