Thanks to Ted in comments, I've managed to track down an article at the Financial Times which puts a name to that mystery western US bidder that I mentioned last week.
Three groups have entered bids for Saab, General Motors' insolvent Swedish car brand, and GM will choose a preferred bidder by the end of this week in a spin-off it will largely finance itself.Koenigsegg, the Swedish supercar maker; Renco, a private holding that bought and turned around the maker of Humvee military vehicles, and a third group of investors from the US state of Wyoming have expressed interest in Saab, according to two people briefed on the sale.
GM has invited the three groups to meet for talks this week, ahead of the planned signing of a memorandum of understanding with one or more of them, according to one of the two people, who requested anonymity because details of the sale are confidential. Koenigsegg and Saab declined to comment, and Renco was unavailable for comment on Monday.....
....The third group, private investors who trade as Merbanco, could not be reached for comment on Monday.
Merbanco do not have a website as far as I can tell, but I have some leads and hope they'll be willing to talk a little about their plans for Saab.
So far we have worries in terms of Renco's record and worries in terms of Koenigsegg's scale and finance. If these guys were as liked as sources last week said they were, then now's a good time to say why and sell your message.
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UPDATE: I've tried a few different contacts and have managed to compile some info, but it seems Merbanco have gone to the mattresses. We'll see what pans out overnight (US time)
Remember, they haven't confirmed this to FT.com as yet, so we're all chasing our tails a little on this one.
The geography fits, though, and as a few have noted in comments, there's a fair bit of money in tax-friendly Wyoming.
Swade, time to talk to the Djup Strupes! Mysterious indeed.
It means Merbanco is representing some very private, very wealthy people who may or may not be from Wyoming, but almost surely are American who probably have second (or third or fourth) home near Jackson Hole. Could be Dick Cheney, but probably not, even though he made a lot of money when CEO of Halliburton. Could be friends of Governor Dave Freudenthal - am wracking my brain for who got really rich from Dave's Amherst College class of 1973.
We may never know whose money is behind Merbanco if they are not the final buyer.
i would not be suprised that they are representing
some wealthy people and or investors that don't
want to be named yet.
Wyoming is, of course, next to Colorado - where the US Saab Owners' Convention is being held this August. If it is Merbanco I may have to swing through Wyoming on the drive home and thank them properly.
How about Philip F. Anschutz? Serious oil money, founder of Qwest; lately more in movies like Chronicles of Narnia and sports teams including the Swedish soccer team Hammarby IF, Swedish hockey team Djurgårdens IF, not to mention David Beckham...
I mean, how can any one man own nine million acres as only ONE landholding. Gosh, I hope he drives a Saab...
Oh, and d) be very well connected. Whereas Koenigsegg was outed by Swade and the Swedish press and Renco was outed by Swade alone, this Merbanco group was outed by no other than the Financial Times! A clue?
Thinking about it again, especially given it's location in a prime rich man's hideout, this reeks of someone trying to pull a Tesla or a Fisker. Tesla and Fisker proved that the West-coast high tech and entertainment money is serious about getting into the auto industry, and Saab offers a great platform for that eccentric billionaire (or three) who might be looking to leave their own impacts on the automotive landscape. This sort of "dark horse" entry from such a potentially positive player would also explain why Saab have been so eager to let them in through the back door of the bidding process.
Have a look at those info regarding Christopher Johnston, president of Merbanco.
http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Johnston_Christopher_49616028.aspx
They pretty well paint the picture of this merchant banking company, specialising in mortgage and car financing.
As far as I can tell, they have only 3 full time employees, which seems pretty minimal for someone who want to buy and run profitably SAAB...
Marcel T
Whats for sure is that Saab needs some help and if the highest bidder is a turn&burn outfit then the Saab marque may find itself going from the frying pad to the fire. However, if the winner ( & they will have to be the highest bidder) has a plan to make cars and realise Saabs potential things might be ok.
What i'd be reallyng interested to see ( hint, swade) is an outline of exactly what Saab will look like under a new owner. Turnover, staff, dealer network, balance sheet etc.....
"The bidders are pledging some cash, plus contingent financing to pay GM back if they succeed turning Saab around in what one of the people described as a "very complex and unconventional" acquisition. "
http://www.automotorsport.se/news/18332/saab-de-tre-budgivarna-är-offentliga/
Merbanco - if you're out there, lets see what you can do.