SOTW Wallpaper – February 2006

I’m pleased to be release the February 2006 edition of Trollhattan’s Saab O The Week calendar/wallpaper.

This stunner of a shot was taken by Miguel in Portugal.  The car is still in his family, having done over 200,000 kms.  It’s got some 18" AZEV rims fitted as well as Porsche GT3 brakes.

 

The wallpaper is available in the following sizes: 

1024 x 768

800 x 600

Saab O The Week wallpapers are created using photos taken by real Saab owners.  It’s usually their own car, though it could be someone else’s.  As long as it’s a great photo featuring a Saab, then it’s a chance to feature.  If you’ve got a great photo of your Saab, feel free to email it to me (swade99-at-dodo.com.au).

January’s SOTW wallpaper is available here

Google Video: Saab Trionic

This post harks back a little to the last post, about Saab doing great things because they needed to be done that way rather than doing them because everyone else does them.

I just had a quick flick through Google Video and found this cool promo for Saab Trionic technology back in 1992. 

First, they compare the exhaust emissions from a 9000 with trionic to an old 1950 92 2 stroke.  Naturally there’s a difference.  The 9000 has about 0.01% CO content whilst the 2 stroke has about 1.5%.  Hydrocarbon measurements in parts-per-million are similarly distinct, with the 9000 having 10ppm and the 2 stroke about 2000ppm.

Then it gets interesting….they pipe the emissions from the 2-stroke exhaust pipe directly into the intake manifold of the 9000, which spikes briefly and then returns to the normal emissions level after Trionic kicks in.  Great stuff.  And Saab invented this technology themselves, folks.

You can watch the full video (about 2.5 minutes worth) here at Google Video: Saab Trionic Promo.

There’s some other cool Saab stuff there too, if you do a search under "Saab".

The Saab Difference

I may be biased (as a matter of fact, I know I am), but my 1999 model Saab 9-3 Viggen is the best Saab I’ve ever driven.  I’m also honest enough to say that a recent 9-5 Aero might challenge for that title if I got a chance to drive one for a little while.  By all accounts, they’re an excellent car with performance and comfort a-plenty.

On the weekend, a few of us had a chance meeting with a UK Saab enthusiast who laid claim to over 2,000,000 miles driven in Saabs over the years.  He’d owned older Saabs back to the 99, several 900′s and currently owns a 9-5.  He was lamenting the ‘demise’ of Saab under GM ownership but loves his 9-5, saying it’s possibly the last of the ‘real’ Saabs.  Like my 1999 Viggen, his 9-5 (year unknown) will quite likely have some GM-stamped parts under the hood. 

Let me briefly lay claim again – these cars, the 9-5 and Viggen, are possibly two of the best Saabs ever built in terms of performance, quality and comfort – and they’ve got GM parts in them.

Now, I’m not questioning his love for Saab one little bit.  The man was genuine.  I’m just questioning how you write off a future era based on one of the players in that era when the player has made a positive contribution to the continued existence and improvement of the brand.  I know that cost cutting in recent years has made the cars more generic, but I’m trying to see that as a growing pain that was necessary to bring some stability in the present and thereby facilitate some growth and a return to character for the future.  I’m as disappointed as anyone that a 9x-based vehicle hasn’t come to pass, but I’m also a trained finance professional.  Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Despite what you read here on occasions, I’m trying to stay pretty upbeat about the future of Saab.  Like many of you, I reckon the potential’s there for some great things over the next few years and am drooling at the possibility of Saab’s first genuine SUV entrant and maybe even a Sonett renaissance at Geneva in just over a month from now.

As buzzed as I get from the possibility of great Saabs in the future (and I do think the best is yet to come), it’s always good to have a look back and see where they’ve come from.  I hope they guys at GM and Saab watch stuff like the following video occasionally, to remember Saab’s heritage and philosophy in it’s proper context, not in a way that suits their current marketing strategy.  I have a feeling that a lot of the people that really matter when it comes to design and engineering need no reminder whatsoever.  It’s most likely to be the suits that cut the cheques that need to see some old school Saab to get their minds straight.

The following video is a Google Video presentation called "The Saab Difference".  It’s from 1990 and it heralds some of Saab’s unique car design and building philosophies.  If they were different from other manufacturers, it was because of a conscious decision that a car had to be made the right way, which can differ from the common way.  It’s the philosophy that underpinned Saab successfully for many years and whilst the technologies have changed and Saab needs to change with them, the philosophy remains the same.

Here’s hoping that powers that be think so too.

My thanks to TuuSaR for dropping the link in comments.

Late Monday Snippets

Just in case you’re thinking nobody reads this….I have around 200 visits so far, in January, from a company called Brandimensions, a company that likes to assess consumer sentiment through conversations happening on websites, forums, blogs etc. I have no idea if Saab is a client of theirs (though they do have a definite leaning towards the automotive industry) and they haven’t returned my mail….yet.

So be warned….Big Saabrother may be watching and may be interested in your sentiments!!!!

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Here’s some sentiment they mightn’t like to hear. Mats has sent me a link to a Swedish article in a publication called NYTeknik. Effectively, it seems to be 10 reasons why GM should sell Saab (although I don’t think the author is looking for GM to benefit from the sale so much as Saab).

My rough translation:

1. Saab’s been losing too much money
2. The 9-2x sucks (his thoughts Pete, not mine)
3. The 9-3 is being too watered down with opel parts due to cost cutting
4. The new 9-5 got killed off just prior to rebirth, partly due to the separation with Fiat.
5. The 9-6 got killed off. It took billions in investment to see that Subaru cars wouldn’t fit in GM’s strategy
6. Let’s just say he doesn’t appear to be too fond of the 9-7x
7. GM’s healthcare burden will mean no development dollars for real, new Saab models. (Workers used to retire at 65 to drink beer and die at 70. Now they retire before 60 and play golf on their generous pension until they’re 88)
8. Not sure about this one.
9. Bob Lutz – gives the expression “a lot of chat and little workshop” a face
10. Toyota, Mr Watanabe will “knolla” up to R Wagoners door and by Saab with loose change.

Not exactly gentle, huh? I’m not too sure how accurate his thoughts are here, but there’s an element of truth there. This year’s going to go a long way to telling the story on GM’s continued investment in Saab. There have been some great things happen in the last 12-18 months and I think a couple of his negatives are actually pretty good e.g. the canning of the 9-6x. Let’s see what 2006 brings, eh?

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Whilst thinking of future Saabs, one should note that a future 9-2′s competition has been tested en masse at Edmunds. Also, Volvo are wondering about how their entry to the segment should be packaged.

My suggestion: in a pine box.

I think it’s fair to say the 9-3x would have competed fairly well against this car….

Volvo C30.jpg

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It’s also interesting to note that the managing editor of Edmunds, Karl Brauer, owns a Saab Sonett Mk III. Way to go, Karl!! Karl’s blog is here.

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The first V6 Aero in Tasmania has landed at our local dealer. I’m booked in for a drive on Saturday morning. Can’t wait!

Caring for your paintwork

As mentionied in the photographic post below, we had a Club day yesterday, with Drew taking us through the do’s and dont’s on proper paint car and maintenance, as well as a little bit of DIY rectification work as well. To cut a long story short, good quality products and proper techniques will allow you to care for your Saab’s paintwork without too much trouble.

Drew is a rock-doctor and hole-digger from 9 to 5. The rest of the time he divides between sourcing bargain parts on Ebay and fixing up his fleet of Saabs to a remarkably high standard. He’s mechanically gifted, but his true talent lies in body repair, painting and finishing. He knows his stuff, so you can take the following to the bank.

Unfortunately I didn’t snap off any pictures during the session. Ben, perhaps you could email me some to add to this post?

Anyway, here are Drew’s tips, slightly embellished for posterity. They cover washing your car, polishing for regular maintenance, polishing for defect repair and machine-polishing for defect repair:

Paintwork Maintenance & Rectification
A Few Handy Tips

Washing
- never use an automatic carwash – they severely abrade paintwork. The brushes frequently get clogged up with junk and consequently are whipping the junk accross your paint at high speed. A recipe for paintwork disaster. Jetwashes are OK.

- never let bird excrement dry on the paint surface, as it will cause etching of the paint film. Clean it off with water as soon as you see it, then hunt the bird down and kill it (OK, I added that bit).

- use a good quality detergent wash – eg. ‘wash & wax’

- do not use household detergents – they remove wax and accelerate oxidation

- use a good quality soft sponge – eg. Oates Sudshine. Replace it frequently as they can clog up with grit etc.

- do not use a nylon brush, as they have a tendency to scratch (the car wash principal)

- change washing water frequently to avoid concentration of contaminants

- rinse sponge frequently to avoid concentration of contaminants

- do not wash your vehicle in direct sunlight – ensure the paint is cool before washing.

- start washing from the top down – ie. cleanest to dirtiest.

- don’t wash wheels with the same sponge due to presence of metallic particles, etc

- do not allow soap or water to evaporate on your paint, as residue may cause etching of the paint film.

- wash and rinse small sections

- rinse with hose from top down

- final rinse from top down with slow water stream to reduce water beading – makes drying much faster. A hint here, take the spray nozzle off the end of your hose. Just have the full hose opening letting through a fat, gentle stream of water. The water will go on thick, but it’ll come off thick too with little beading and less to dry off.

- dry with a good quality chamois – eg. Oates Enka-Fill

- only use chamois to dry exterior paint – not wheels, underbonnet or internal surfaces.
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A little day out

Greetings all. We had a small club day yesterday, focussed on a session at Drew’s place on paint-care and restoration (some text to come on that shortly). After it was done, a few of us went for a spin into town to get some eats. Thus giving me the opportunity to hang the camera out of the window and grab some shots…

Saab 96 born from jets.jpg
Above: Hendirkus’ 1965 model Saab 96 showing its “Born From Jets” vapour trails….click to enlarge
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Saab O The Weekend – Jan 28

Forgive my self indulgence, folks.  It’s not the best image I’ve made, but it’s a start.  I snapped this one on the midlands highway today on my way to Launceston for a gig.  I got a great shot of my 99turbo last year in a similar stance.  This one’s not so good, but it was worth doing.

 

If you’d like your photo featured in the Saab O The Week section, it’s really easy.  Just take a great photo with a Saab theme and sent in to me via email (swade99-at-dodo.com.au).  Remember folks: great photos, not just average photos of a great car. 

Saturday Snippets

Going to be a busy weekend here.  I play in a band and we have a rehearsal and gig on today (you can hear 1 song here). 

Then tomorrow there’s a car club thingy on that’ll be primarily concerned with car detailing, paintwork care etc (and the consumption of BBQ products).  Here’s the trickling of news.  It’s all quiet around here.

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From the It’ll-never-happen-but-I’m-watching-just-in-case department: The Porsche AG annual shareholder meeting, the one where they were going to discuss permitting acquisitions outside Germany, has been held.  I’m waiting to hear the outcome and will post it when it’s made public.

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From the I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-butter department: Several news sources (here’s one syndicated report) are reporting that Moody’s Investors Service are considering lowering GM’s stock rating to below "junk" status.  I’m not sure what rating is below "junk".  Is it "pondscum"?

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In response to my thoughts on what Saab should be achieveing in 2006 – Jason wrote in about Saabs in Asia, or Hong Kong at least, and it seems that they’re basically unknown and almost nonexistant.  Beemer and Benz territory only, apparently.  Thanks for the insight.  I know there’s a presence in Malaysia, but the rest of Asia is, as always in most things, a bit of a mystery.