We haven’t had a Saab O The Week entry for a while. Time for that to change.

I love old Saabs and I envy those who have them. More than that, I envy their dedication to keeping them in extraordinary condition because I know that as much as I’d like to, I’d never be a worthy custodian of such a car. I know they would deteriorate if under my care, much as I might try.

So it was a pleasure to see these pictures arrive in my inbox earlier this month and come to know that there’s yet another worthy custodian out there.

This is Kurt K’s 1969 Saab 96 V4. A classic of the early Saab era and one special car, with only 38,000 miles on the odometer.

Here’s a little of Kurt’s story:

I am a longtime Saab owner going back to 1980 when I purchased my first Saab – a ’76 99 GL 4 door (with 90,000 miles) in Topaz Yellow when I was a Senior in High School here in New Jersey. I loved the interesting history of Saab and how rare they were; oncoming Saab owners used to flash their lights at me. My parents were ecstatic because they thought it was safe and great in winter. I traded my moped and got full value for it from Reinertsen Motors in Denville, New Jersey. Back then, it was a 1 car showroom.

I am still driving Saabs – my most recent purchase is a ’07 9-5 Combi 60th Anniversary Edition (Jet Black) which I also bought from Reinertsen Motors – which continues to be a wonderful stand alone dealer but now has a large showroom with multiple service bays. Len Schrader, one of the principals, races both a 96V4 and 99. Kjell Skavnes, the fellow who sold me my 99 contines as a dealer principal as well. Over the years, I’ve owned many other 99s, classic 900s and a ’79 V4 imported as a grey market car.

Thanks to Kurt for sharing his story, and for taking great care of this classic V4 Saab.

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