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Ever wondered what you’d do in a Saaby sense if you won the lottery? I’d love to get a big showroom workshop, bring the two best Saab mechanics in Hobart in as partners and build a Tasmanian Saab Museum and workshop. Trollhattan on the other side of the world.

These guys haven’t won the lottery, but they’re opening their Saab workshop just the same. I received notice of it a few days ago from Scott H, who’s the president of the Saab Owner’s Club of Canada. He’s one of the players in this new venture and a truly passionate ambassador for the Saab brand.

The business is called Aktive Motors and after the pic you can read all about it. I hope all you Saabers in the Toronto area (and those reasonably placed nearby) will drop in, check it out and give them your support.

What happens when a hobby becomes more than just a hobby?

You end up with something called Aktive Motors Inc.

Aktive Motors Inc. is the brain child of Christian Skovbjerg, a veteran of over 25 years of experience working on Saabs. Christian was educated in Sweden as an automotive engineer and worked for Saab Scania for many years, including roles such as Service Educator in Trollhättan at the head office for Saab.

Christian was also the first Saab Scania Master technician in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

He has worked in a number of the dealerships in the GTA and even spent some time in Singapore as a General Service Manager for a Saab/Porsche importer.

Obviously, Christian takes his “hobbies” very seriously.

This is where I come in. When Christian mentioned the idea of opening a Saab specialty shop to me, it was like a giant light bulb went on all of a sudden. “What would it be like to work in a place that deals with something that has become my greatest hobby?” Ideas started flowing and we started talking about this seriously. Christian wouldn’t have to do this on his own. I offered to work for him in whatever capacity he felt would fit. That was well over a year ago and on Tuesday July 3, we opened the doors on Aktive Motors Inc.

Don’t get me wrong, this is Christian’s business … he is the big cheese, the head honcho, the owner, but we will be building this business together.

Our mission is simple … to provide Saab owners with a place they feel at home, where they can come in for a coffee and a chat or have their Saab rebuilt from the ground up. We won’t be the cheapest place out there, but we also will not be cutting corners. When you come in for a brake job, you can expect the little things … like ensuring that you have had your brake fluid changed within the past 2 years. As part of our service, we will paint your callipers for you. Need an oil change? You’ll also get a complimentary wash and vacuum. Getting a major service on the car? We’ll take the extra time and detail your car for you.

We plan to have an extensive supply of new and used parts and are working with several suppliers of Saab performance parts. No longer will you have to order stuff from the US, the UK, or elsewhere. You will be able to buy in Canada and not worry about the hassles of customs, duties, or brokerage fees. And if we don’t have a relationship with a supplier, we will be happy to look into developing that. You will either be able to pick up the phone, stop by in person, or eventually, order on-line and have the parts shipped to you. Not only will we be able to supply the parts to a DYI’er, but we will also provide professional installation services for those not interested in getting their hands dirty.

Without any question, our focus will be on providing quality service and support for Saabs that no longer enjoy the benefits of warranty. However, for those who choose not to use the dealers for basic maintenance while your Saab is covered by the factory warranty, you will now have a place to go that will understand and care for your Saab with the highest level of professionalism available. If there is something on your Saab that requires the attention of your dealer, we will give you a full report and suggest that you take your car there.

Our objective is not to be in competition with the dealers, but simply to be an alternative to going to the local garage that knows nothing about Saabs. As a matter of fact, we will likely become one of the biggest customers of the dealers as they will be the main source of Saab parts for us.

There will be times when the best place for your car might be a dealership and the reverse could be just as true in other situations. By working with the dealerships instead of against them, we hope to be able to provide Saab owners with the best of all possible choices.

We will also be getting into selling “previously enjoyed” Saabs in the future. Exactly when that will be is hard to say as we need to focus on building the base business first. One thing you can be assured of is that we will approach those cars the same way as we approach our service … with professionalism and integrity. We take pride in the Saab brand and it will show in everything we do. When you come to see our Saabs, they will be clean and detailed and we will have them in proper working order for your test drive.

Our Saabs will also come with a warranty, something quite unheard of for use vehicles of any kind. And we aren’t talking about 3rd party warranties either … we will warranty the Saabs ourselves. We are still working on the details of this, but customers will be able to buy used Saabs with confidence. We have confidence in them, why shouldn’t our customers?

We are located at 886 Winston Churchill Road, just south of the QEW and Royal Windsor Drive. Our hours of operation will be Monday to Friday 8:00AM to 6:00PM with extended hours until 8:00PM on Tuesday and Thursday, plus Saturdays from 8:00AM to 12:00PM. Our phone number is 905-842-0017. Our web site will be located at www.AktiveMotors.ca once we have it up and running.

Until we meet again, Happy Saabing!

Scott