Then there’s reviews like this one. Written by an average guy like Joe Lobo in Sydney, who’s shelled out thousands of his own hard-earned and gave up a magnificent Saab 9-3 Aero as part of the deal.

This guy is fussy. He has some of the cleanest cars I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that he has his family hermetically sealed for hours prior to letting them into the car. And his cars go hard. They aren’t show ponies.

So when Joe wrote this to our little Saab email circle here in Oz, I figured it was something that should be shared here. The words are from Joe, the photos were taken by Richo (and you can see more of Richo’s work here).

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…..The area that has impressed me the most is the ride and suspension dynamics despite the 19’ wheels. This car makes my 9-5 feel like a muscle car and too hard on the steering wheel!!! I would have sworn that this comment would have never come from me but credit where credit is due. In this instance the whole of the 2008 range’s ride clearly makes these cars a totally new experience as compared to my 9-5 and my former 2001 9-3 Aero.

It’s a totally different ball game as the behavior on the road is very predictable, solid and with a lot more adherence to the road. At times it feels like it’s on rails whilst in some instances you do feel the AWD rather than the XWD. This is by far what impressed me most as I had some fears/reservations on how well the car would handle our roads and if the ride would be too bumpy. They have done a superb job in this area.

In the power department, this car is a monster. When you ask for it, with all this traction, it delivers mighty fast. Coming out of the dealer and accustomed to my 9-3, I drove on to the Princess Hwy and was doing near 110km/h in a 70k zone without even feeling it. Lucky that no one was around. It is true that at times in 1st and 2nd the revs need to increase to get the punch, however it’s a Saab after all!!!

You get it in the right conditions (up a hill, preferably), hit the gas and this thing is diabolical. My favorite test drive is going up the hill to Channel 9 studios off Whilloubgy Road (in Sydney). I’ve only done it once and once is just about enough, doing nearly 110k on a 50k road. I purposely do not go on that road as the temptation may be too costly.

At this point a BSR or Nordic ECU enhancement is not a priority as the car is only 1400km old. After it’s broken in and loosens up it will go faster. This is a point of debate as all the owners of this masterpiece have only got 5000km or so. I believe that as the car has so much stability and adherence on the surface you get the full 205 kw delivered at its maximum, so we need to wait a bit and establish if the ECUs are a must.

The other mystery that we’ve all been hearing is the petrol consumption. Unless you are driving it flat to the boards, this car hardly uses any petrol as the torque is massive. They may as well remove 1st gear as the torque kicks in so early that you hardly change down to 2nd in slow traffic. In some instances heading to work, it’s like having an auto as I go from 70-80 down to 40km/h through the school zones in 4th and it keeps going. I have made very close comparisons with the 9-3 and the expense per week is the same at worst. The efficiency is magnificent !!!

Inside too is another aspect that also continues to amaze me. Despite all the gripes and criticism, the interior is superb. There are a few little areas where a bit more carbon fiber should have been present, but all in all the ergonomics are magnificent. I do not get the feeling of inferiority as many mention and seeing as it’s a Saab, the seats are the best. Your sitting position is beautiful and you are in control. I no longer sit in my 9-5 admiring the interior as I used to as the X has it all, except for the A/C seats.

I got the full blown navigation system and fully integrated premium sound unit as made exclusively by Kenwood. It’s magnificent and the sound is superior. I have a friend with a 530i and my cousin in Colorado has an A4 Quattro, both with their premium Bose sound. Well, mine is better and is complete as theirs does not have the navigation unit. God knows how much extra that will be !!!

Should I mention the exterior looks??? No need to regurgitate the obvious as it’s mean, classy and unique. What a car, what a design, what an end result from Saab. Anyone that criticizes this car out of ignorance needs to get his/her lights punched in as there is nothing left out.

OK, the boot has got only 2 anchor points instead of 4, the key entry is on the left door, the window controls are no longer in the centre console. I couldn’t care less and it doesn’t bother me at all. It’s perfect!!! It took me a few days to get used to how mean it looks sitting in my garage next to the 9-5 as it certainly stands up!!!

Before the X, I wouldn’t have gone for a black car out of choice. Now, after only one month I have to say there is no other color that fits the character of this car so well. The wheels are magnificent.

If business conditions improve and allow me to accommodate some enhancements, the Hirsch carbon fiber dash fascia is perhaps the only alteration that I would add. Other than that there is nothing else to add/alter/modify.

So, to put it simply, owning the Turbo X as compared to all its predecessors is like having “Mr Smoothie on Steroids”. That’s how it feels!!!

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I should mention that this comes direct from one of Saab’s major markets. Whilst timing may differ for other markets, seeing this is one of Saab’s top 6 markets, it shouldn’t differ too much for most.

There’s good news and there’s bad news. I’ll give my thoughts on which is which afterwards.

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December 2008: We’ll get to see initial info and photos for the new Saab 9-5 sedan

February 2009: Motorshow appearance for 9-5 sedan

September 2009: 9-5 Sedan on the road

February 2010: Launch for the Saab 9-4x

September 2010: Saab 9-5 wagon and 9-3x launch

2011: Saab 9-3, written to me as being a facelift

2012: Saab 9-1 launch

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The good news is that there’s news of all four cars in the proposed Saab model range there. The 9-1 right through to the 9-5 with the 9-4x and 9-3x there as well. Whether the 9-1 is actually definite or not at this point is anyone’s guess, but it looks like it’s definitely in the plans and with a date like that being circulated around Djup Strupe it means a decision might be imminent.

The bad news could be a calendar-year 2010 launch for the Saab 9-4x (a little later than expected), or a late 2010 launch for the Saab 9-3x (what could possibly take so long??), or maybe the 2011 Saab 9-3 being described as a facelift.

However you consider the news, it looks like Saab nuts are going to have to exhibit considerable patience for some time to come.

My tip: buy a cheap fun car to throw around in the meantime.

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The other is IntSaab, which is held every year in a different country. In 2008 at Latvia’s turn, and in 2009 the Dutch will be hosting Saab Clubs from around Europe and Saab nuts from around the world in what’s sure to be an epic event.

Here’s something I didn’t know: Saab Club Nederland were the first Saab Club in the world and now have around 2,000 members. They’ll be hosting next year’s event, which will double as a 50th Anniversary celebration for the club. The tentative schedule has been released over at the IntSaab 2009 website.

The base for the 2009 IntSaab event is going to be Doesburg, which looks like it’s around 150km from Amsterdam. It looks like nice countryside, too. Perfect for a drive in a Saab.

I’ll be lucky to make it Trollhattan next year, let alone to this event. But if you’re in the neighborhood you should mark it on your calendar. I’m sure it’s going to be one great event.

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Thanks to Robin M for the tip!

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How many Saabs can we spot on streetview? Maybe we need to refine it a little and look for rare Saabs. Any suggestions?

Here’s a NG900 I found on Chapel Street, in Melbourne. Took about 5 minutes, though I imagine it’d take a Swede looking around Stockholm about 15 seconds.

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I read Eggs’ post about Fritz Henderson’s comments regarding Saab with interest this morning. Eggs ended up playing it down a little and I understand the perspective he took considering initial thoughts that maybe they were going to put Saab under the hammer.

But as I read through Henderson’s comments at Just Auto, it got me a bit angry. Yes, we all know that Saab has to perform and make a profit, but when are one of those top line GM execs going to come out and acknowledge that they’ve given Saab very little opportunity to do that.

Consider the following, which are just a few of the things Saab do:

* Saab Sweden have cut the costs of operating the Trollhattan plant by about 33%
* Saab have been tapped to provide E85 expertise to the rest of the GM portfolio
* Saab have been tapped to provide turbocharging expertise
* Saab have been tapped to lead the application of XWD to front-wheel-drive models.

Those last three endeavours are going to pay much bigger dividends for GM’s other European and eventully, US brands.

They’ve extracted plenty out of Saab and their commitment to Saab, supposedly made 2.5 years ago, is still a year or so away from bearing any fruit whatsoever. Meanwhile they’ve invested tens of millions of dollars into Cadillac in Europe for an absolute zero return.

If Saab are struggling, the first place the GM board need to look for answers is in a room full of mirrors.

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Saab Germany have just dropped 50 Saab cars, mainly SportCombis and Convertibles, into Avis’ rental fleet.

The cars will feature a mixture of petrol and diesel engines with the jewel being the TTiD.

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Various bits of 9-X Air coverage:

MSN Autos covers their Top 10 concept cars of the Paris show. The 9-X Air is listed there.

Jalopnik cover the best concept dashboards of the Paris show. The 9-X Air is there.

And some spammy phone blog covers something I didn’t give enough attention to while I was away on holidays, the SonyEricsson integrated entertainment stuff:

Making the most of the Bluetooth technology, Sony Ericsson and Saab also work on future development for advanced communications between mobile phones and cars. For its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show, the Saab 9-X Air will be showcased with highly developed connectivity. Some of the car features will be remotely controlled by the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X1, providing a premium mobile user experience through its unique customisable touchscreen panels:

Control ambient lightning
Control front and rear seat settings
Lock the car
Open the rear compartment
Switch on and off the lights (blinkers, main lights…)

All that raises the question…..how much connectivity do you need/want between your phone and your car?

I could see how some of this would be quite handy as long as they had the security issues sorted out.

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Unfortunately, the article is available via supscription only, but the UK’s just-auto.com has posted an interview with the Chief Operation Officer for General Motors, Fritz Henderson. The article’s initial “teaser” paragraph paraphrases Mr. Henderson as saying that “while the brand [Saab] is strategically important to GM, it is no sacred cow and has to perform”.

I don’t think that this attititude is really news; after all, I’m sure that we could dig up some other parallel quotes that show the same “Saab must perform” mantra. However, to my knowledge, this is the first open acknowledgement that Saab is expendable. Don’t get me wrong — there’s huge difference between “Saab’s no sacred cow” and “Saab’s got to go”, but I think that where there are small outward moves there are likely strong under currents within the organization.

I truly wish that I had a subscription to the site to read the whole column in context, but I don’t. If any of you can supply the whole column, please provide to Swade or me and we’ll expand this post.

UPDATE——————

Thanks to the contributions of both Dan9-1 and Örjan in comments, we get the larger story, which is always less sensational than the headlines (note to self: study the context, study the context…). Please have a look at their comments below for the full article, I’ll add these comments:

1. I think that it’s healthy and perhaps necessary for GM to recognize that they can’t keep putting Saab off until tomorrow. Saab has to produce, and they’ve got to produce quickly.

2. Fritz Henderson is on track, of course, when he says:

“Where are our customers going? They are looking at smaller packages and four-cylinder engines, turbocharging. Saab meets those requirements - that’s its DNA.

“We’ll have to see if the next generation of Saab vehicles is successful, but this is a brand that doesn’t cross-sell with other GM brands, the customers are highest income, highest level of education, the vehicles are highly fuel-efficient, turbocharged four-cylinder engines…I think it’s worthwhile for us at GM to try to make it a success.”

3. And then, Fritz dons his “Captain Obvious” hat:

“On the brand issues, the product range was too narrow, we didn’t have sufficient scale and so it’s about broadening the brand and making it more relevant with a bigger product portfolio.”

On the whole, really what you’d sort of expect a CFO to say when questioned by a reporter: we’re doing everything possible to make the company healthy.

So, this wasn’t the bombshell that I thought it to be based upon the headlines. Carry on.

Automotive News are the source for….well…..Automotive News. They’re a highly respected publication and I’ve relied on their content more than once in the past.

But I’ve got to say, this article by Jamie LaReau contains a number of errors, some of which are quite glaring and make me wonder what’s going on there. Has the global financial crisis meant a cut in the editing and fact-checking staff there?

Here’s the article in full:

Saab gets a crossover in 2009; everything else is on hold

Jamie LaReau
Automotive News
October 6, 2008 - 12:01 am ET

Saab might be born from jets, but General Motors is struggling to get the brand’s sales off the ground. One way GM plans to revive sales is through new products, including a crossover and compact hatchback.

Through September, Saab’s U.S. sales were down 32.4 percent from the year-ago period to 17,362 vehicles.

Despite the numbers, GM hopes that Saab someday will be more than a niche player. Here are some of Saab’s plans.

9-X BioHybrid concept: Saab revealed this compact hatchback concept at the Geneva auto show in March. If it goes into production, the 9-X likely would be dubbed the 9-1 and compete with the Audi A3 and Volvo C30.

With the spike in fuel prices this year, GM is considering the car for the United States. But spending priorities have pushed a production version “way down the queue,” said a source familiar with GM’s product plans. GM needs other small cars to fill out its other brands first.

If GM brings it here, the car would go on sale in 2011.

9-3: GM is working on the next-generation 9-3, but it has been pushed back to 2011. The car will be re-engineered and restyled using GM’s front-drive Epsilon 2 vehicle architecture. Initially, the new 9-3 would have come in 2010, but GM held it up because of concerns about federal corporate average fuel economy regulations. The company will engineer and assemble the car in Ruesselsheim, Germany, not Sweden.

9-5: Saab is working on a redesigned 9-5 sedan that GM could show at next year’s Geneva auto show. For 2010, the 9-5 will switch to the re-engineered Epsilon 2 architecture.

9-4X: Saab plans to debut a medium-sized, five-seat crossover in 2009 or 2010, depending on what fuel economy rules are in place.

GM showed a concept of the 9-4X at the Detroit auto show in January. It would be developed on the re-engineered Theta Premium architecture, essentially developed using elements of the Theta and Epsilon 2 architectures. That architecture also will be shared with the Cadillac SRX crossover.

GM has not said which of its North American assembly plants would build the vehicle. But assembly in the United States will help GM overcome the weak dollar, helping the 9-4X compete with the BMW X3 crossover.

9-7X: The SUV shares a platform with the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy, both of which are being phased out. U.S. sales of the 9-7X have been lackluster, and the vehicle is likely to be phased out next year. The 9-7X is built at GM’s Moraine, Ohio, plant, scheduled to close in 2010.

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The points of concern:

* If the 9-X were to be made by 2011, I’d be a very happy man. Going from undecided to having a production version in just over two years would be a record for most companies. For Saab it’d be a bonafide miracle.

* The next generation Saab 9-3 has been confirmed for production on the next-generation Delta architecture. This has been widely reported in the automotive press. My story about it is here.

* The Saab 9-4x has been very widely reported as headed for production in Mexico.

* And the real kicker - The 9-7x plant in Moraine, Ohio, is not being shut down in 2010. News came through just last week that it’s scheduled for closure in December 2008. Here’s the story, from Automotive News!

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By the way, I’ve received some new Saab future model timeline information from Djup Strupe, which I’ll be posting in the next day or so.

There’s good news and there’s bad news in there and it’s all quite different to the dates posted here.

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In the meantime, Saab global have set up a site listing Saab enthusiast websites. As you can see from the screenshot I’ve taken, below, Australia is rather inconveniently placed on a long angle down in the bottom right corner.

You can only just see Tassie down there and I’m quite glad I don’t live in New Zealand. It’s almost invisible!!

As a result of Tasmania’s inconvenient placement, those wise heads at Saab have decided to place me somewhere in Russia!!! And they’ve given me a new logo, to boot!

I’m very pleased to see Saab getting more and more internet savvy. I’ve been asking for it for a long time. And of course, I’m eternally grateful to Saab for being so kind in placing my humble little Saab portal on their global list. But please observe the following:

This is the current TS logo:

And Tasmania is here:

As I said, I really do appreciate being on the map in the first place, but Russia’s a little too cold for me. And there’s no footy.

Please move me back home……

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Thanks Dave R for the tip!

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I’m sad to report that back in April of this year, there was a fire at Mark’s house. In the garage. It didn’t originate in the Saab, but the Saab was destroyed as a result. You can read the full tragic story here.

Mark had a good experience with his home insurer, but is having a terrible time with the company that insured the Saab. They want to pay a somewhat worthless market value that doesn’t reflect in any way the amount of money that’s been invested in this operational electric vehicle. Mark’s now in what might turn out to be a messy legal dispute.

My advice from all this: First and foremost, make sure you have an agreed value on your vehicle’s insurance policy, especially if it’s unusual or likely to be worth more than what an insurance company might typically value it at.

Secondly, if you do get involved in an insurance dispute, have documents for everything. Dot your i’s and cross your t’s. The main reason I succeeded in my dispute last year was a pretty watertight case on my side and some very sloppy work on the part of my insurer.

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A quick thought…..

As cupholders are so very important, especially in the US, why not sell the cars with Saab-branded and insulated drink containers that are designed to fit securely in those all-important cupholders?

When a customer comes to take delivery of his/her car, there’s the drink containers already insitu. Make them portable so that they can go inside at the home/office. Make them attractive to look at make them fit snugly and securely in Saab’s standard cupholders.

Don’t tell me that it wouldn’t make a great first impression. I reckon it’d be one of the first talking points when the new owner is asked about the car by a neighbor or colleague.

NB: Saab expressions do have a couple of flasks and mugs for sale, but none appear to be matched to the cupholders, nor to the interior colors of the cars Saab sell.

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The AutoProphet has the low-down on the latest car-buying scam.

Essential reading for those who might be considering purchasing online (Ebay, Craigslist, etc)

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Some of the Saab models in Paris looking a little demure and dreamy, unaware that they were being snapped.

From Flickr.

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And also from Flickr, a beautiful shot of a Saab 9-5 with a little HDR photo finishing for enhancement. What a great car.

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I’ve never posted images of my first Saab on this website. I don’t have a scanner and I owned this car well before digital was available. It was a Saab 99E from 1972, with a gleaming red paint job and a bordello-style red interior.

I only had it a short time when my ex-wife wrote it off by backing out of a car port with the door open. The door bent right back on itself, doing damage similar to the shot at left.

We condemned the car to the wrecking yard, knowing that even if we had the money to fix it, which we didn’t, the repair cost would probably far outweigh the $1,000 we’d paid for it. As it turns out, we were right.

This car belongs to Craig D, a Saab guy in Sydney, and he notes in comments to the photo that the damage was quoted at around $4300 to fix, which would have been much too much to justify fixing my little 99 all those years ago.

Still, I wish I had that car again. I swear I’d turn my house into a yard for stray Saabs if we had the room (and if my wife would let me).

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This year, Saab are going to make history there with a sponsorship that defies all expections. But a little bit of background first….

The Spring Racing Carnival is Melbourne’s cultured sporting event. Attendees at Flemington race course are expected to dress up to the nines, sip fine champagne and generally not make an ass of themselves like they’re allowed to do at the football or the cricket. Of course, after a full day of sipping champagne whilst wearing a very tight dress and high heels, the ladies tend to look a little second hand as they struggle to make their way home, but that’s another story.

An event that regards itself as the Sport of Kings and the highlight of society’s sporting calendar needs hospitality to match, and in past years the business world has provided it. The Melbourne Cup Carnival is the highlight of the Spring Racing Carnival. It lasts for four days in early November and for those four days, the place to be is in The Birdcage. This is the collection of corporate marquees that provide the creme de la creme of hospitality.

Saab’s sponsorship of horseracing in Australia is a significant one. As mentioned, the biggest horserace in Australia is The Melbourne Cup, and the final race in which horses can qualify for that race is sponsored by Saab - the Saab Quality stakes. Naturally, there’s a LOT of attention focused on this race and those of you with Google News alerts about Saab will see the Saab Quality race mentioned a lot in the next month.

Not only do they sponsor the Saab Quality, there’s the aforementioned Birdcage. After a few years on the sidelines, Saab re-entered the Birdcage in 2006. That year, their corporate tent celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Saab convertible and with that in mind, they changed the decor for each of the four days, to reflect the four seasons and the year-round versatility of the convertible.

Last year, the Saab marquee featured a convertible-on-ice, similar to the display at Sweden’s own Ice Hotel. Inside, they handed out warm jackets so that patrons could enjoy the Ice Bar they’d set up inside.

With the economic doom and gloom that’s surrounding everybody at the moment, the corporate presence at the Birdcage was set to diminish this year. Australia’s second richest family full of punters and polo players, the Packers, have always had a corporate presence at the Birdcage, but they’ll be missing in 2008. Moet and Chandon, the champagne producers, will also be missing, as will L’Oreal, who have settled on just sponsoring a powder room for the ladies.

Emirates airlines, who host what’s regarded as the premiere corporate marquee in the birdcage, will scale down their presence - and their budget. Last year they spent $1.2 million on the four day event, but they’ve trimmed their budget this year by over $300,000.

In the face of all this, Saab have decided to increase their presence in the Birdcage.

Saab are taking over the prized front-row position previously occupied by Moet and Chandon, and in 2008 they will build the first ever three-level marquee at the Birdcage. At an event where success is largely defined by one’s level of excess, it’ll definitely be one of the sought-after spots in the enclosure.

I’m not aware as to the theme for this year’s display but I’m sure Saab Oz will have some news out about it soon. Last year I actually had a pass to visit Saab’s marquee in the Birdcage (entry to the Birdcage are is by corporate invitation only) but didn’t use it due to illness and being wary of the 100,000-plus crowd that packs into Flemington during the Carnival.

If I’m in Melbourne at the start of November this year, I’ll definitely try to check it out.

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All photos by the author. Click to enlarge.

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Beyond the advertising hype of ‘born from jets’ as a Saab strapline, the reality is in fact - born from props! Props - egg beaters, propellors, whisks, whatever you want to call them, Saab’s first aircraft had prop power, not jets at all.

Even after the Draken jet fighter and other, later jet fighters, Saab made prop powered craft- including the Scandia airliner and the Saab 340 airliner of the 1980s. Saab’s propellor aircraft are known for their balanced handling, good roll rates, nice aileron feel and have no nasty habits, yet remain sporty rathern than staid.

The Saab Tunnan - (barrel), may have been the quinessential small fighter, but the lovely Safir (sapphire), conceived in 1948, is pure Saab. Indeed, the swept wing of the jet Tunnan was tested on a unique, one-off re-winged Safir- which looked even more modern and then more so when the Saab Lansen fighter wings were also flight tested on the Safir airframe.

The elegant little Safir light aircraft are rare now. A British example - the only flying example in the UK, lives near me in southern England where its owner Alan House, of Sylmar Aviation Services, is well known for restoring and caring for his airworthy Safir. He also has another airframe in store.

Alan flew into the Great Vintage flying weekend show at Kemble airfield recently and he very kindly gave the author a tour around his 1957 Safir for the benefit of everyone here at Trollhattan Saab. His enthusiasm for his Safir was infectious, he is a proud Saab owner of an elegant little plane that flies with pure- bred handling.

“It’s a well built, beautiful aircraft that is a delight to fly.” says Alan.

Of note in design terms, the interior control panel design- two hooped panels with a centre console - the shapes were very leading edge design back in the 1940s and highly individual- not your normal light aircraft interior for the era - in fact very advanced in design and erognomic terms- pure Saab then. Sixten Sason is rumoured to have had a hand in the control panels - and I think it shows.

To me, today’s Saab 9-3 car fascia has clear echoes of these shapes and motifs.

The cabin glasshouse is curved and faired in - even if the designers lacked acceess to smooth moulded canopies and windscreens. The front seats are thick and comfy and there is room in the back for others too.

And which other light aircraft of this vintage features a nice strong metal rollover bar stuck in the middle of the cabin? Typical Saab safety - whatever the weight penalty.

The size of the tail fin and the shape of the wings are all balanced- proving that ‘if it looks right it will fly right’ - to quote an old adage.

Alan told me that en-route to Kemble, in company with an other craft he had to drop some flaps to keep the speed down- as his little Saab is sleek and slippery - even if she is now a grand lady of a certain age.

The 91 or Safir came in three versions as it was developed- early ones had British De Havilland Gypsy Major engines (125 bhp), but later models had American Lycoming powerplants with six cylinder 190bhp or four cylinder 180bhp on offer - as does Alan’s.

The Safir’s were built at Linkoping and later in the Netherlands to a design by Anders J. Andersson. 323 were produced after a first flight in 1945. Andersson had previously worked on the German Bucker 181 Bestmann design and the ‘look’ is evident in the Safir- albeit more modern - in fact very modern; this plane looks more 1960s than 1940s in its timeless Saab design: It has a lovely stance and visual graphic - just like Saab cars then.

Only the interuppted windscreen panels give its age away and just look at the front grille!

The Safir sold world wide- including in Ethiopia and to the Japanese air force as well as in Germany, France and beyond. It came in 3 or 4 seat versions and was midly aerobatic- an excellent trainer as well as being suitable for private use as a rather low-slung sporting carriage don’t you know…

Alan’s Safir served with the Dutch Rijksluchtvaartschool (RLS) in Eelde, near Groningen and has kept most of its Dutch registration - with the ‘PH’ code being replaced by a British ‘G’ reggo. He has flown her to Saab rallies across Europe too.

The maximum speed is a conservatively quoted 165 mph (265 km/h) with a range of 660 miles (1062 km).

As you can see in the accompanying photos, this little Saab is a real part of Saab history and we at Trollhattan Saab are honoured to have been given an exclusive tour by a Saab owner who clearly knows his stuff.

So, ‘born from props’ - and don’t let anyone forget it.

(C) cole 2008

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Lance Cole is a writer living in England and has penned several books on automobiles and aviation. Saab enthusiasts would know him best for the book Saab 99 and 900: The Complete Story, which is an excellent volume and available for sale at the TS Shop. At the bottom of the left sidebar you’ll see a list of authors here at TS. Click Lance’s name to read all of his contributed pieces.

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