Friday night snippets – racing edition
September 7, 2012 in News, Saabology
…or perhaps “the family and friends edition”?
If your car is not kicking up a cloud of dust behind you then you must be doing something wrong
You are browsing the archive for Saab 96.
by Rune
by RobinM
Tomi, from Finland, writes about his Spa trip
August 18, 2012 in Events, Fan Stuff
Tomi Tikanmäki drove all the way from Finland to take part in the IntSaab2012 event in Spa and in a rally prepared 96.
Here is his story
After the organizer for the International Saab club- meeting inquired if I would bring the original Works 96 to Spa together with Simo Lampinen I was a little bit nervous how I would manage it due to a leakage in the engine gaskets. My more realistic choice was 900 T16 Aero M84. As I wrote before, it was a lot of work; one and half week waking up 4:00 am and making AEU ready for the trip until 10:00pm every single day. I understood that the whole happening is about Saab Rallying/Racing and therefore they really wished for the original pair to be present – Simo and AEU.
by RobinM
Chris’s team to the rescue
June 28, 2012 in Fan Stuff
My good friends at Chris Hamley Saab Specialists in Devon came to the rescue of a sick saab 96 as he and his owner, Mr Bjorkman from Stockholm, toured the area.
While here, the trusty 96 developed a misfire which Chris and his team were able to sort for him. I’m not sure which way he travelled but he is almost 2,500km from home.
Also they fixed the passenger door which hasn’t opened for some time. One very happy 96 owner !!!!
by RobinM
Looking for 96 parts
February 21, 2012 in News
One of my good friends here in Somerset is having his Saab 96 souvenir (1977 in Burgundy) re sprayed at the moment and would like to replace a few of the old items for new ones. If there are any of you out there in SU land that could possibly help it would make Mike very happy.
I’ve listed the wished for items below. If you know anybody that may have any or all the items for sale please could you contact me at robin@weewebs.co.uk and I will pass your details on to Mike.
by RobinM
Blast from the past for Cambridge Saab
November 9, 2011 in News, Uncategorized
Local UK car dealership, Cambridge Saab, recently played host to the national Annual General Meeting of the Saab Owners Club of Great Britain and unearthed a great heritage story in the process.
The meeting, which took place on Saturday 29th October at the Buckingham & Stanley site on High Street in Harston, Cambridge, was attended by upwards of 50 members of the Saab Owners Club from all over the UK.
A great surprise for Dealer Principal, James Howarth, and his team at the event was to meet a member who had bought his first Saab from the dealership (formerly known as Wightman’s Garage) in 1968, just a few months after the site opened for business.
by RobinM
Etienne chasing 96′s
September 18, 2011 in News
Our good friend Etienne from Huy has been on his travels againn looking for Saabs in action.
Last week he did not have to go too far as the 12 hours rally of Huy was in his home town.
by Red J
What is a 420BHP featherweight psychopath??
September 12, 2011 in Neo Brothers
(First of all I want to say that I have written this post because I love what Neo Brothers are doing, and not because they are now sponsors for SaabsUnited, like RBM, Hirsch, Maptun ans many others.)
When some of us see things like this
we say, WOW it looks good, and we go on with the next picture or the next post. But not so for the guys at NeoBros.
They put a request on the classifieds for a 96, and thought about a politically correct amount of power such a car could have.
by Tim
SAAB of the WEEK
June 19, 2011 in Sotw
This weeks Saab of the week does not need any presentation, the photo was shot at a spring meeting of the Saab Club of Latvia a few weeks ago and it is amazing! I know a lot of people have been asking for it. And here it is: High Res, click on the photo! =)
by Swade
Carlsson Saab 96 replica leaves Reims for Monte Carlo historic rally
January 31, 2011 in Saabology
Pete Backstrom from the Saab Museum has sent through a few images from the start of the Monte Carlo historic rally in Reims, France.
The car in the images is the one that’s been painstakingly built by the guys at Oldtimer Markts, a magazine in Germany. The magazines editor, Peter Steinfurth, is driving the vehicle with navigator, Thorsten Löber. Unfortunately, a missed time control has meant their early retirement from the race.
The car still looked fantastic at the start, though. Erik Carlsson himself was there to wave them off.
I’ll have some more imagery about the build of this car in the next couple of days.
My thanks to Peter for the images.
Before the start…..
Erik given the honours, waving them off….
And moving a blaze of speed and fury 
…..
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by Swade
Saab 96 rally video – this will make you smile
October 9, 2010 in Uncategorized
With many thanks to Jose N for the tip……
There are a lot of magazines, etc, carrying the news of the week, about the 50th Anniversary of Erik Carlsson’s first RAC Rally win and the launch of the new Saab 9-3 Carlsson Edition in the British market.
One such publication had a hook-up to this video on their site and it’s an absolute cracker. If this doesn’t put a smile on your face then you’re quite possibly dead.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2yeW6jvOlI
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by Swade
Saab stroker to go for two Bonneville records in 2011
September 23, 2010 in Saabology
You all remember the Bonneville Saab, right?
A quick recap…..
Bertil’s a Swedish expat in the US and after seeing this 96 for sale, decided to buy it to run at Bonneville. He has a history building race engines in the US, and running old 96s back in Sweden.
The car is a 1966 Saab Monte Carlo with a 750cc race engine, triple side-draught Solex carbs putting out around 94hp.
Bertil’s debut trip to Bonneville this year didn’t see him break any records for his class of vehicle. There were some mechanical issues that hindered the car. Aside from that, veterans of the salt flats say it takes between 3 and 7 years for ‘newbies’ to get familiar enough with the environment and conditions to build a car that’s capable.
To the present, then……
Bertil’s sent through a few photos from the flats, below. The car looks absolutely magnificent in this setting. The setting there is so huge. Amazing, David vs Goliath stuff.
Bertil’s also mentioned that he’s building two engines for next year’s Bonneville tilt. He’s not only hoping to break the 3-7 year prediction, he’s hoping to do it in two separate classes!
Click.
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I’ll keep you posted with any updates as Bertil passes them along and I can’t wait to see what he can turn out at The Flats next year!
by Swade
More brown Saabs…….
September 17, 2010 in Saabology
My Buzz-buddy dug out some more brown Saabs today to go along with the Java Metallic Saab 9-3 we showed earlier today.
It’s not a color you see that often, on Saabs or pretty much anything else.
And this one might be subject to some legal action if the company concerned finds out but let’s just keep it between you and me, eh?
It’s from Roy S…..
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by Swade
An update from the Bonneville Salt Flats
August 24, 2010 in Saabology
I just received this update from Bertil, the guy who was going for a class record at Speed Week, at Bonneville salt flats last week. I featured Bertil’s car just a few days before he was due to head out to Bonneville.
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Hello friends!
This weekend I returned home from the Bonneville Salt Flats…1500 miles each way! Late last Tuesday, after finally satisfying the tech inspectors (who were all very curious about this unusual car) we were able to make a few runs. We were not able to reach the speed needed to break the record.
Wednesday, I took apart the engine, and determined we had mechanical problems I could not repair at the Flats, so we decided to head home.
This adventure is so totally new and there is a lot to learn! The conditions at the Flats are unlike anything we can replicate in the dyno….the altitude and the lack of humidity for starters!
It made me feel a bit better when several Salt Flats veterans said it is “unheard of” to break a record on the first visit. Nobody does it in less than 3, and 3 to 7 is more the average. So I am starting preparation for next year. Now the goal is to be the first guy to break the record in two attempts!
Thanks for all your interest. I am not discouraged; I have a new game plan, so here we go!
Bertil
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My thanks to Bertil for the update. I think it’s absolutely fantastic when Saabs are involved in this type of stuff. The commitment from guys like this is part of the fabric of what we call the Saab Spirit.
by eggsngrits
Helping the Lane Motor Museum by driving a Saab 96 V4
August 13, 2010 in Troll Stuff
As you may recall from a previous entry, the Lane Motor Museum is a fabulous little automotive treasure right here in my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. The Lane Motor Museum boasts many one-of-a-kind prototypes, several examples of limited-production variants and one of the largest collections of Tatra automobiles anywhere. Naturally, they have a few Saabs.
They have currently under roof a red 1960 Saab 93 rally car, a green-and-white 1967 Saab 96 two-stroke cabriolet prototype, a light blue 1967 Saab 95 and a green 1969 Saab 96 V4. It’s the latter that is of interest to us today, although the thought is to preserve the heritage of all of these cars through the efforts of people like Jeff Lane, the proprietor. You see, the Lane Motor Museum is holding a rally to raise funds on September 25. A rally where the participants can rent one of the 31 available cars to participate. The little green Saab 96 is one of those cars that is available to drive.
The rally runs from the museum on the East side of Nashville, through downtown and on to Ashland City, Tennessee, a town on the banks of the Cumberland River about 25 miles from the museum. There, Lane will have their 1964 Amphicar, truly a rare vehicle, available for rides on Cheatham Lake, a reservoir on the Cumberland River. After lunch and a ride on the river in a car (should be a great show), all will return to the museum via a different route. As one may expect, this is not a competitive rally, just more of a drive with checkpoints. Still, it should be a good time.
Currently, there are three Tatras, a Lotus Elise, a Renault Alpine, a very dignified-looking 1962 BMW 3200, a Porsche 911 and a handful of odd ball modern cars available to drive in the rally. Of course, the Saab 96 is also available. The Citroens, Fiats, even more Tatras and some special-interest modern cars have been rented. The complete display of available rally vehicles may be found here (scroll down).
So, what is the punch line? I’m debating whether or not it’s worth a tax-deductible US$550 to drive the Saab in the rally. I’m still not sure, and I’ve got other obligations. We’ll see. The truth is that US$800 (the current bid level) to drive their pristine 1947 Tatra T-87 may be a better deal. Seriously, when else would I get to drive one of those again? Never?
If you’re interested in participating, let me know. They are allowing two drivers per car, and we can split the costs.
by Swade
Still more information on the Bonneville Saab
August 12, 2010 in Saabology
I’m fascinated by this story. Here are some related posts:
I’ve received an email from Bertil’s wife. We’ll call her Mrs Bertil for now. Bertil himself was rushing around like mad getting ready for the Bonneville assault.
Here’s what Mrs Bertil had to say:
He bought the 1966 Saab from a guy in California back in 2001. He raced this model back in the 60′s in Sweden. It was in pretty bad shape, and sat in his shop gathering dust for about 5 years, as he was too busy with his business, Bertil’s Racing Engines, to give it any attention.
He started working on the chassis sometime in 06. But what really got him going was accompanying and helping a friend to the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2007. He got the idea to make a super-duper Bertil’s engine to break the record for this class.
He sold his shop and machinery in spring of 2009, which moved the project to our garage! (He still has access to the shop when needed.) Last summer he was planning to make an attempt, but in a last minute effort to get the most horsepower, he burned a piston and did not have a replacement. Quite a disappointment.
But this year he is well prepared, with plenty of spare parts. I should clarify that he is not driving the car himself; the aforementioned friend will do it, since Bertil’s back is giving him trouble and he requires surgery soon.
We’ll let you know what happens next week! Pat (that’s Mrs Bertil to us – SW)
I look forward to hearing about it!
Godspeed, little Saab!
