Like me, you might have seen the occasional photo of a red Saab convertible with a red Saab trailer floating around the internet. I can’t remember if I saw them in a forum, or on Flickr, but when I first saw the photos that John C sent to me, I had a sense of the familiar.

What I knew nothing of, however, was the story behind the trailer – which is the story that John’s passed on for sharing here at TS.

I just love original projects like this. Enjoy.

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Saab and a half……Or Clifford and Harvey (halfy) as my daughter prefers.

My daughter named our 1991 T16S convertible Clifford as he’s red, has a name tag (the Clifford alarm plate) after the children’s cartoon character Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Harvey, well, let me explain about Harvey.

Last year we went on holiday to Albas in the Lot region of France, and after many an evening enjoying the good food and very good wine, we bemoaned the fact we had flown, which severely limited the amount of wine we could take home.

After one particularly long day enjoying the fruits of the region and several hours evaluating the possibility of resurrecting our guests’ VW Karmann Ghia Conv from the boathouse, our guests knowing we had a passion for Classic 900’s suggested we drive down the following year and bring a trailer to allow us to take home as much wine as we liked. After a few more glasses, the plan became more contrived and it was sort of agreed that a Saab trailer would be created to be towed behind our T16S Conv.

Unlike other silly late night discussions, this one carried forward to the next morning, and got more meat on the bones. My wife Julie thought it was just like me, but as the 900 we were planning on driving down in the following year was hers, she contributed that as long as it was the same colour, had the same body kit and alloys, then why not? Let’s do it!

After a few months of planning I began looking for a suitable donor vehicle that was cheap and eventually I found a 2-door 8 valve Turbo that was good and solid for £150 and collected him from S.Wales. Jon Saab in Poole kindly helped strip him down to a carcass, and distributed the engine, gearbox and other usable items to the needy cars of the region while I found help to get the oxy scalpel to work.

Andy, John and the guys at New Milton Motors initially thought we were bonkers but agreed to fabricate the chassis, cut the donor vehicle in half and mount it on the frame. I have to admit it was a very strange sensation drawing cut lines on pillars and the floor pans like some mad surgeon, but the deal was done, torches were lit and the 900 became half a Saab. The roof became the front panel, a heavy duty hitch was bolted on and phase one was complete and ready for a road test. The very strange looking appendage towed like a dream, but did create some amusement to the pedestrians we passed.

Next the trailer went to Kustom Kolors, the previous year they had done a good job in stripping down and re-spraying Clifford and were intrigued by the challenge of making a slightly rusty half a Saab look like a fully fledged trailer. It was decided we would line the trailer space with aluminum checker plate with the individual plates being seam welded, cap various holes created during the creation, fit an S kit post-spraying and work out how to fit a tonneau cover at a later date. A few months and a lot of part searching later Harvey was rolled out of the workshop and smiles the size of the Grand Canyon appeared on the faces of all who had been involved in creating it.

The last 2 parts of the jigsaw still remained, tonneau cover and alloys. The trailer went to a friend of Kustom Kolors called Gary (a vehicle upholsterer and roof manufacturer) who worked out the best way to match in the mohair and fit a cover that wouldn’t blow off while eating up the French motorway miles to Albas. This just left the alloys, Clifford has curly alloys but the trailer was born from a 1985 2-door leaving me with a slight problem to a problem, the axle stubs are different sizes which would mean acquiring a replacement axle for the trailer and fitting it in the 2 weeks left before holidays, so with great disappointment new wheel trims were fitted and that was that, to be honest it didn’t make that much difference, and did leave me with something to do next year.

Clifford was serviced, a new gearbox (many thanks 2stroke) and clutch was fitted in preparation for the journey and off we went. I can honestly say having been to several classic car rallies and shows that the combo definitely attracted more attention than envisaged. Clifford and Harvey were photographed endlessly on the motorway, at the services with many an interested party engaging in discussion about how long it took, how much it cost but all in all everyone was very positive and complimentary on the Saab and a half.

We arrived in Albas at Justin and Robin’s, a Saab friendly holiday destination where the initial idea was born, and the story of Harvey is complete. Needless to say many a vineyard visit later we returned home fully laden, very relaxed with great memories.

No breakdowns, 1700 miles later, averaging 30mpg empty and 26.5mpg loaded up, this years holiday was much more fun that simply getting on a plane, with the bonus of having made lots of new friends because of the Harvey the trailer. We thought we would share the experience with you.

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A few more photos follow. As always, the photos are enlargeable with a click.

My thanks to John for passing on this great story.

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Moved back up to the top again as the Turbo-X stuff was mainly for the US, who are now heading off to bed….

I’m very pleased and priveleged to host this article, written for readers of TS by Lance Cole.

My enduring thanks to Lance. Enjoy.

This article has also been cross-posted at The Spirit of Saab

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Old aeroplanes smell, every classic aviation enthusiast knows that. Sit in a Spitfire or a Messerchmitt 109 and the patina of leather, aluminium, bakelite plastic, oil, grease, and canvas, lends a tangible reek, an actual smell.

The same whiff pervades the interiors of Catalina flying boats, Lancasters, Douglas DC 3s and just about any old aeroplane. Even old, first generation jetliners have a smell – think Boeing 707 or Comet or Caravelle or VC10.

When it comes to cars however, the smell thing seems less defined.

Yes, classic 1930s race cars reek, so too do 1960s Alfas, Lancias and Morris Minors. But some cars have no smell at all – not even old ones; when did you last scratch and sniff a 1980s Honda or a plastic lined Ford hatchback – you didn’t because they don’t pong.

All of which begs the questions – why do old Saabs have that unique, special, Saab-only smell – and what is it? And is it something to do with aviation?

To answer the questions, I took my mind way back to days of yore, When Saabs were Saabs and Abba were gold.

My first car was bought in 1981 and was a 1968 early model steel bumpered, Saab 99 two door (well it would be for 1968). It had that lovely cockpit style fascia with a top roll coaming that arced back into the door side panels. The clock was off a 96 and there was chrome detailing on the seatbelt buckles and some very fungal vinyl in the cabin.

Above all, there was the smell: The car had this really strong pong – and it smelt just like my grandad’s Auster light aircraft – a sort of vintage eau d’ armpit mixed with stale canvas, cigar, oak, horsehair, alloy and an air of classic French polished woodwork.

The Saab smelled.

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I figured I’d better write that headline just in case anybody who’s important at Saab forgot. Or maybe it’s for those at GM who aren’t directly playing in the Saab sandbox, but make decisions that effect Saab.

It sounds pretty rudimentary, but sometimes it’s the simple things that get overlooked.

After writing the recent editorial piece at The Truth About Cars and after thinking about Bell Springsteen’s follow up piece a little, there was something he wrote that resonated with me:

I read Trollhattansaab.net in order to explore the main question that Mr. Wade often contemplates on his site. How does a brand that currently sells under 160k vehicles a year attract enough passionate owners that Trollhattansaab.net receives well over 5k unique visitors per day? Why is it that Saab drivers are so passionate about being Saab drivers?

Firstly, being the pedant that I am, I need to clarify those numbers. Saab sell around 130,000 vehicles per year. last year was their best ever at around 134,000. Also, sadly, this site attracts more like 4,000 individuals per day on average. It serves around 6,000 pages to those individuals, but there’s not as many as mentioned.

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Onwards then, to the crux of the matter.

What gives this brand it’s mojo? Why do we Saab drivers love being Saab drivers? And is that in danger?

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Wow. What a day I’ve had here. I don’t want to brag, but……..

Most of the visitors to the festival are able to book into a short factory tour on either Thursday or Friday. This will be an hour-long affair with no cameras allowed and minimal opportunity to ask questions.

Today, I was a guest at Saab, and toured the factory with their Media Relations Manager, Christer Nilsson.

This is Christer, and as you can see from the sign he’s pointing at, there’s no cameras allowed beyond that point. Thankfully, I was allowed a little grace in this area and was able to bring my camera along and capture some of the processes to share here on the site.

Click on most of the following pictures to enlarge.

Ladies, gentlemen, and all in between – your car starts here:

These giant rolls of aluminium come in by train. The biggest ones weigh in at around 25 tons. They’re stored here until required, at which time they’re put through a rather large machine that unwinds them and most importantly, ensures that the metal is completely flattened.
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From Saab Automobile:

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Did you know that…. James Bond, special agent 007, drove a Saab 900 Turbo? Or that Grand Prix driver Sir Stirling Moss once navigated for Saab rally legend Erik Carlsson? And that Saab not only produced aircraft, but also a series of ultra-light caravans?

Whatever your interest, we hope you’ll find this review of Saab’s first 60 years entertaining, informative, and even a little surprising in places – just as you would expect from the Saab brand.

The first Saab car was revealed to the automotive world on 10th June 1947 in a staff canteen at the aircraft company’s Linköping headquarters in Sweden. Such humble beginnings marked the birth of what has become a major international brand, now represented in more than 60 countries all over the world.

In celebration of our upcoming diamond jubilee, we’ve assembled a potpourri of 60 little ‘gems’. It’s intended to express something of the passion and tradition for innovative, independent thinking that continues to inspire the Saab brand and the development of its products today.

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1. Greta Molander, a Swedish-born woman who began rallying in 1929, was the first driver to win a prize for Saab on the Monte Carlo Rally. She took the Ladies Cup in 1952, driving a Saab 92, ten years before Erik Carlsson achieved the first of his two Monte Carlo victories.

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2. Saab once considered going into boatbuilding. In 1944, as war was drawing to a close, Saab the aircraft maker was looking to diversify into other products during peacetime. A number of aluminum-hulled boats, including some with hydrofoils in the bows, were built but, in the end, automobiles were considered to be a better bet.

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3. It was back pain suffered by a senior Saab executive that prompted the development of the heated driver’s seat, an innovation from Saab in 1971. The pain was particularly bad on cold, frosty mornings and a colleague devised a means of heating the driver’s seat to minimize the discomfort. As the result was so effective, and also so popular, the solution was put into production.

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4. A 1:10 scale model of an early Saab 92 prototype was tested in an aircraft wind tunnel in 1946. Such testing was very unusual for a production car manufacturer of the time but very much second nature for an aircraft maker. The final prototype’s 0.32 co-efficient of drag was exceptionally low for a production car of time and would still be competitive today.

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5. Rather like the first T-model Ford, you could have an early Saab 92 in any color you liked – as long as it was bottle green. The paint was readily available in surplus army supplies left over from the war. Saab did not offer a color choice until 1952.
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I’m pleased to be able to present a video record of my day with the Aero-X today.

I went along to the Media Day for the Australian International Motor Show, being held at Darling Harbour in Sydney.

Saab’s display was just the second one of the morning, so whilst the rest of the media trudged around looking at Nissans, Hyundais and other crud, I got familiar with the Aero-X.

Many thanks to Richo, who came along for the day with me. He’s responsible for 95% of the video and all of the photos that I’ll be showing here.

It’s a shame you have to compress video for the web, as it’s so great at full size (but it’s also 38GB at full size). If you click on the Google video link in the bottom right corner, you can watch it at ‘original’ size, which is quite small at 320px, but a bit clearer than this version.

I hope you enjoy having a detailed look at the car. As I say about 20 times during the course of the film, it’s UNBELIEVABLE!

There’ll be more to come……

UPDATED!

I first posted these on site back in June 2005. I’ve always loved these posters and when I first loaded them on the site I included the text for around eight of them. Unfortunately I tired or writing them all out.

Thankfully, Jeff I recently offered to finish the job, and what’s more he’s done it in a single sitting!!

Enjoy these brilliant images, now complete with text thanks to Jeff’s magnificent efforts.

It’s not quite a complete set, but it’s close….

Saab vs WYSIWYG
What you see is what you get. A rather unimaginative way of looking at the world. Take the Saab 9-5 wagon. On the surface, a cargo carrier. But look under the hood. A turbocharged engine that generates enourmous amounts of torque. The car’s versatility is evident: Cargotracks for securing loads, an optional sliding floor to make loading easier. But what about the torsionally rigid body construction that gives the car handling characteristics similar to a sports sedan? Can you see that?

Plenty more after the jump…..
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Ever clicked through the innovations section of Saab Global Website, frustrated as all heck that you can’t get a hard copy of the stuff?

Let Swade do the typing for you.

Over the fold, the (almost) complete list of Saab Innovations, courtesy of Saab and my very tired fingers.

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