If you live in North America, you know what I'm talking about -- it's simply frigid right now. Here in Nashville, we've had three consecutive nights of low temperatures below ten degrees F (-12 degrees C). If memory serves, we've not had a cold snap this severe here since the middle 1980's, so this is a singular event. Even this week's Orange Bowl football game, held each year in Miami, Florida, had an all-time record low game-time temperature just ten degrees or so above freezing. Naturally, folks in more Northern climes have had it much worse.
Hey, on the flip side, this weather is great for Saabs. I loved driving my first 900 in snowy Colorado where I lived at the time. It never, ever failed me. Ever. What a great car that was in the Western winter.
My hope was that I could bring you a few bits of news from the Ice Racing Capital of America, the Adirondack region of New York. Alas, it seems that the lakes, despite this recent cold snap, are not yet frozen enough to race safely. That's according to the Adirondack Motor Enthusiast Club. They're geared up for racing to begin next week.
As an alternative, I offer a look back at a previous season through the lens of Mr. Jeff Nicol, who I would love to link to, but I can find no website for him. I found these photos on the Adirondack Motor Enthusiast Club forums. Enjoy!
Nice pictures and much appreciated in times like these.
All were going 40 km/h but my 9k could go 80.
I had a feel of confidence at this speed. TCS plus perfectly balanced weight put on a front and rear axle makes my old Saab the best cars for winter conditions.
I love it!
It was drill weekend Jan 2009 when I started looking around the internet to find my wife a "wagon" .... thats when I first saw a Sport Combi....
The rest, is a love story that began from when I first drove it on a test ride... then I found SaabsUnited... and we bought the car.
Its been a great year!
Even if we get to keep SAAB after this drama, Canada's SAAB network went down the drain with Saturn. SCNA needs to start from scratch. Not a dealer listed anywhere that I can find and zero new cars around as far as I can tell. Before the KSegg thing collapsed, I was in touch with the sales and service director of SCNA and he wrote that they did plan to create a new dealer network around former dealers with multiple marques, but we'll see what happens
Even if we get to keep SAAB after this drama, Canada's SAAB network went down the drain with Saturn. SCNA needs to start from scratch. Not a dealer listed anywhere that I can find and zero new cars around as far as I can tell. Before the KSegg thing collapsed, I was in touch with the sales and service director of SCNA and he wrote that they did plan to create a new dealer network around former dealers with multiple marques, but we'll see what happens
Just now is the bridge between Copenhagen Denmark and Malmo Sweden closed because of hard wind. We have aprox -5C here in Scania but together with the wind it is real frosty.
Hopefully we get some more sun tomorrow and I can run the SportCombi through the car wash. Think I used over a gallon of washer fluid this week and picked up a ton of salt and road crap on my car.
Love Cleveland winters, but spring is right around the corner... ;-)
Thanks, what tripped me up was Lake Champlain mentioned and I've always (wrongly) mentally associated it with the Finger Lakes. I know that didn't sound right. My bad. EnG
"Feels like" 36 right now, which is absolutely insane for an afternoon temperature in Miami. And the local weather honey is predicting 32 with "feel likes" of the 20s tonight. I say weather "honey" because during the last five years it seems like all the Miami news stations have replaced their "Don Noes" and "Bob Weavers" with young, sexy latinas. lol
Around where I am, people think I'm nuts driving in the winter with the top down, but I've got the seats and the heat going and 50 deg F (10 deg C) is very comfortable. That's typical winter for us. This stuff is off the charts!
R.S.
Wishful thinking...I hope NOT!
MERBANCO/SPYKER/GENII/ECCLESTONE CONSORTIUM
Sorry CJ =)
http://www.autoblog.nl/archive/2010/01/09/das-lef-hebben-nieuwe-saab-dealer-in-utrecht#post-33325
Well. If you had given us the choice of what we currently have a car dealership were up, then stood Saab say not really top of the list. Not only is the future of the brand for a while rather uncertain, it is now also just really insecure. Yet at the industrial Laagraven in Utrecht this week since a new Saab dealer, next to the old building Kroymans. Definitely worth a round of applause!
Owners Ruud Blokhuis (same earlier this year a new Saab dealer in Apeldoorn founded!) And Jody Cook took the stage at the moment Kroymans went bankrupt and were sold to Saab Koenigsegg. When that went wrong but they, instead of pulling the emergency brake, to wait for what would happen to the brand. Jody Cook says about it:
"It looked all good then. The arrival of Ruud Blokhuis in Apeldoorn also ran well and there really are still quite many Saab drivers in this region. It happened so be it, but yes, then the Koenigsegg not deal with the situation and now is very uncertain. If GM decides to bow out, creates a new situation. Of course we have universal activity in the workplace, but we have also invested in things that are specific to Saab. What will we do if the brand really ceases to exist and no more new models are delivered, I can not now anticipate. It also depends on what the Belgian importer will do. "
Meanwhile, the Utrecht dealer just so open and you come here for this new 9-3X that you have long wanted. The wait is now on the bosses of GM, including the bids of Spyker and genii have been inside and now the fate of the brand to decide. Jody Cook already can not wait: "We are convinced of the brand, but there must be a decision coming soon. Then the new 9.5 are introduced, because we want to go, that's clear. "
We wish the two brave Saabisten every success, albeit with a slightly painful expression on our faces. (via auto compass)
I can't do a translation, but from what I've understood, those are the same guys that opened a dealership in Apeldoorn earlier this year.
Swade reported about them.
http://www.saabsunited.com/2009/04/new-saab-dealership-in-netherlands.html
They say something like they have a universal garage, but they are specialized in SAAB.
Thanks for the ice break..... as it's been getting quite intense here of late.
I mst say that old Saabie just LOOOOVES the cold weather!!! Which is why we love driving around Melbourne so much.
Except for today of course. As Markac mentioned we've got 41 degrees on the forecast..... celsius.
That's 106 Farenheit for U.S.aabists
:-)
Thanks for the mental break!
Maybe he's a good 'ol Steelers fan like I am :)
Gotta be brave leaving those nice rims on through the winter. ;-))
Bottoms up!
the girls of Trollhattan is just as hot as a Aero X ;) :)
Dippen UP?
would be disastrous. We’re talking about the death of a company. Last, while hardly least, we must consider the public interest...it involves the
interests of thousands of employees; an untold number of retirees; 3,000 dealers and 11,500 suppliers. If employees lose their paychecks or their healthcare benefits, they will suffer great hardship. And states and municipalities would lose the tax revenues, and the Government would be paying out more in unemployment insurance and other hardship benefits...with the death of the company on the line, the damage to the public interest would be irreparable. It would be incalculable." -- Judge Gerber, US Bankruptcy Judge
Could this have been written about Saab Automobile AB??? No! It was actually written about General Motors in June 2009 about why the company should be made to survive no matter what. So I ask all of you...couldn't the same exact argument now be made for Saab??? Think about it. GM should pay close attention to these arguments when they decide to sell Saab and give it the same opportunity that it received in June, 2009!
But I'm not sure how far a pic can go in the winter, the only thing you can see is maybe a nose and chin! They must me covered in layers and layers of clothes!
This was my last day in Trollhattan for the x-mas holiday..going home to Vasteras tomorrow.
I will let Lundin take some pics of turbochicks and post them here;)
http://www.hemmings.com/hsx/stories/2005/12/01/hmn_feature30.html
http://www.hemmings.com/hsx/stories/2007/03/01/hmn_feature20.html
in a Saab ..one is always safe:)
It was such a good feeling! It smells like a Saab, it feels like a Saab...it's absolutely fantastic..I just enjoyed my car and the ride...thanks to all Saab guys and gals, it's such a beautiful car!!!
At last for me that's all Saab is about, you can't get that feeling in an other car than a Saab...
I forgot about all that crappy GM news of the last days. My Saab gave me again a real good feeling.
The Saab brand, and all the Saab guys and gals,
I stand by them no matters what will happen in the next days...
Stay warm, folks...it's bitter cold out there tonight!
title="12-23-09_1633a by MikeLevFL, on Flickr">
http://www.gtyurkon.com/photos/January09Snow2010/
Current temp at 9:30 pm is 11F (-11.6C).
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_5eLn0jPOKr8/SzWKZeVwqQI/AAAAAAAAAHY/r3asXghHEjs/s144/DSCN2211.JPG
Great stuff TedY!
( the Buick, Chevy, Nissan and Honda drivers know what the back end looks like as well)
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_5eLn0jPOKr8/SzWKZeVwqQI/AAAAAAAAAHY/r3asXghHEjs/s400/DSCN2211.JPG
Here it is: http://lh3.ggpht.com/_5eLn0jPOKr8/SzWKZeVwqQI/AAAAAAAAAHY/r3asXghHEjs/DSCN2211.JPG
i rather like this cold,when else can i use the heated seats?
Currently 15F in Connecticut.
You came to Jackson Hole and didn't call? I'm in the book. I wish you would have looked us up! Cool picture!
Cowboy UP!
Not that there's anything wrong with that...
I prefer a temperature somewhere between that and yours . And so does the Saab. ;-)
Winter days seldom go below 10 degrees C here, but it can freeze at night. Many people don't believe it, but there are quite a few places in Australia that you can go skiing in the winter.
http://www.perisherblue.com.au/winter/
Oh, and that just dammed cold no matter which units you want to use!
Sighhh....I miss living out on the coast.
I hope to have a Saab week in JH like Harley does in Sturgis. With the Parks it would be a hoot!
Cowboy UP!
CJ UP!
Saab UP!
It would be a treat, that's for sure, to see Saabs lined up driving past the Tetons one after the other.
Photos from my trip here.
Those Bar J Boys are the best. Good friends all.
Cowboy UP!
Cowboy UP!
I deleted the comment just to avoid any flame. Thanks for the heads up. EnG
Cowboy UP!
Looks like hipchecker (who commented above) is also in Connecticut. 15F here now too @ 1:09 AM
and if it's not too late to share pictures, here are ours in warmer weather http://www.flickr.com/photos/46430539@N06/
Those wheels are from my old 2001 though. I use them for my winter tires now. Don't know why it got cut off above.
For the summer I use these:
Saab Up!
Griffin Up!
Cowboy Up!
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs228.snc3/21532_1234984607848_1626205851_560590_336511_n.jpg
So what's the trick to post photos on SU ? I'm not from around here, LOL.
Great photos, guys. More, please! Who has a new 9-3?
The news I cam back to after the internet embargo is deeply depressing. Those pictures cheered me up though.
Flygirl down :(
Can't you see the photos above, lol. I'm trying to figure out how to post a pic normally, not just a link. I must be an idiot.
SAVE SAAB!
I'd say your intercooler is perfoming better than mine :-)
Check out this screen shot using my flickr account as an example. You just copy the entire HTML code below the photo and paste it into your comment. Just make sure the photo you're using isn't wider than about 5oo pixels.... like I did the first few times.
Hope this helps :-)
Mike.
Nice car btw!