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I took the car for a quick wash today and thought I’d give the new camera a run. I didn’t have much time, so I just flew around a few buildings here in Hobart.
All of the photos are enlargeable and this first one is also in big format on the Saab desktop wallpaper section of this site.
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This one was taken at the side of the Hobart concert hall. There’s no street parking here, so I had to take it up onto the foot path. Thankfully it was wide enough. If I could take it again I’d get down lower to the ground, but this ain’t too bad for a first crack.
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These are now apartments, but years ago they were wheat silos. They’re now worth megabucks as they’re right on the river and have a commanding view of the waterfront area and are a 5-minute walk to the city center. Just to the left (but out of shot) is Salamanca, where they have a market every Saturday. The tourists just luuuuurve it.
Oh, and that’s my car in front.
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Two minutes from Salamanca you have Battery Point, which is where they thought they’d shoot cannons at invading ships, should anyone want to try and conquer Hobart. It’s now home to a squillion little old colonial houses that look very quaint. This spot is called Arthur’s Circus. The photo doesn’t show it off very well, but it’s a little circular street with a grassy play area in the middle. A very popular spot for local artists to paint.
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Hobart isn’t known for many firsts in Australia, but we did have the first casino in the country. Wrest Point Casino opened in the mid 1970s and is still one of the main landmarks on the shoreline of the Derwent River. Whilst it was once well regarded as far as entertainment venues go, it’s not really a cosmopolitan spot anymore as most of the tables have been replaced with ‘one-armed bandits’.
Still good for a photo or two, though.
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A mate from Sydney and regular commenter here, PT, actually spotted this one before I did. We were taking a casual drive during one of his occasional visits and he saw this place out of the corner of his eye. It’s a fairly new house and apparently it’s owned by the daughter of one of Hobart’s noted businessmen, Bob Clifford, who founded the catamaran company, Incat.
I’d love to be able to get closer for a photo but there’s not many good angles you can get on this place due to the lay of the land. I’d also love to get inside it and take a look around, but that’s another story.
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And finally, I love these badge shots. I’ve done one with every car I’ve owned so thought I’d try it with this one too.
15 responses so far ↓
1 Nikkilaas
// Dec 9, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Hi Swade,
Nice shots nevertheless for a quick run. You have one classic car right there. I have always appreciated the classic “3-door” look. I believe those former wheat silos are visible from outer space, right? http://www.maps.live.com
Question: What is the population of Tasmania?
2 Nikkilaas
// Dec 9, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Hi Again,
On http://www.maps.live.com you can actually see the Saab Factory in TrollHattan at birds eye.
Also check out Hobart and the Factory at Google Earth (the downloadable version) it shows pictures of the Salamanca market etc. at least on my version.
Later, N
3 1985 Gripen
// Dec 9, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Your car is so sweet. The Aero (or SPG or T16S) was such a great looking car.
Just FYI, I was reading a travel magazine, the November 2007 issue of Condé Nast Traveler, and it is their “Reader’s Choice Top 100 Best in the World” issue. Two things of note: Tasmania is 10th in the list of top Pacific islands and the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown hotel in Washington, D.C. where Saab USA was kind enough to put me up during the U.S. 2008 9³ media debut is listed in the top 100 (it’s #94) Mainland United States hotels.
If not for Saab I’d never have had the chance to stay in a top-100 hotel. Never. Thanks, Saab USA!
4 David Wishart
// Dec 9, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Have to add to the positives. Your C900 Aero needs nothing visually. It’s got just the right balance of color and shape. Even the 15″ 3-spokes are completely appropriate.
5 Andy Rupert
// Dec 9, 2007 at 10:52 pm
I like the concert hall pic. It now serves as my desktop background.
Had you thought of adding the vent covers to the rear vents? I always liked those on mine.
6 wilfried
// Dec 10, 2007 at 12:01 am
Very Nice Pics.
Especially in front of the blue panels on the concert hall.
By the way, who’s the architect of the concert hall and who designed the clifford-residence on the hill slope ?
7 eggsngrits
// Dec 10, 2007 at 4:42 am
Swade: Beautiful, as usual. See? You don’t need no stinkin’ Viggen, you’ve got the C900!
I also like the blue panels on the side of the concert hall, great stuff.
8 turbin
// Dec 10, 2007 at 5:30 am
Nice Swade, I’ve got my work cut out for the POO competition, hmmm, 3 weeks of holidays coming up…
9 tri-lo
// Dec 10, 2007 at 5:48 am
Your car doesn’t need much no. However I noticed one thing missing, the air-outlet covers on the sides. Those are MUST on any Aero!
10 Swade
// Dec 10, 2007 at 5:54 am
I’m not sure about the vent covers. I love ‘em, but would they suit without the whaletail and bumper kit? I’m not so sure.
11 Tedjs
// Dec 10, 2007 at 7:51 am
The car looks really good! You just don’t see them in that good of condition here in the Northeast due to the primarily due to the abuse they take from the elements (weather, salt etc.)
Was your driveability problem resolved on the car?
12 swade
// Dec 10, 2007 at 8:01 am
Thanks Ted, yeah it appears to be all OK. Matt the Saabologist came around, banged a few things and it’s been fine ever since. Airflow sensor, I think.
I still have to take it easy, though, as a CV boot is on it’s way out.
13 PT
// Dec 10, 2007 at 8:22 am
The shot outside the concert hall is almost a classic. Certainly worth re-doing with, dare I say it, a little more advice from Stu the camera genius.
WRT your little coupe, the concert-hall shot is a great perpective that really showcases the lovely balance of the C900 shape. Like mine, your car could probably benefit from some slightly bigger wheels ( 16″deep dish aeros? ) & even new shocks & springs but the stock format is pretty classic. The overall balance is what really gets me I must admit – particularly when combined with the usefulness of the car. A 911 is balanced in the same way too but the day-to-day factor means that it always needs to be a 2nd or 3rd car.
That Jetsons house on the hill is just full-on. The engineering bills must have been eye-watering.
14 Jeff
// Dec 10, 2007 at 10:01 am
I still say the 900 needs a whale-tail. And vent covers. But mostly a whale-tail. If I ever have a C900, it will have a whale-tail.
15 Saabill
// Dec 10, 2007 at 3:10 pm
you can have the whaletail from my black 85 Aero, as i don’t think it suits the earlier aero bodykit. So it will be coming off to be replaced with the original spoiler.