Thanks a million for all of you that responded to Swade’s request for photographs from the Swedish Car Day this past weekend. Please look through the photographs, they are fantastic. Predictably, many of the comments ended up in the spam filter along with the offers for Kardashians doing unseemly things on video and cheap drugs from Canada. I have corrected the comments and your links should now appear. I’ve mentioned it before, but I am still blown away by the sheer number of spam comments this site gets.
SU friends Charles River Saab, and, in particular, service manager Pierre Belperron, put on a great event. The Larz Anderson Auto Museum is such a great place for a gathering like ours. If you live in New England or frequently travel to Boston, make some time to go there on your next trip. You will not be disappointed.
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First, a big shout out to our new friends at In Control crash prevention training. Once again, Mr. Belperron is a true Saab man and makes safety a priority. He took the In Control course sometime ago and was so impressed that he became an instructor. On Saturday, Kevin, Scott, Peter and Pierre led us in a day of integrated classroom and track training at an old Naval air station in South Waymouth, Massachusetts, just 40 minutes or so from the Charles River Saab dealership. Excellent! Huge bonus that Pierre provided three 9-3 sedans (one fitted with XWD) and a 9-3x for the day rather than the Toyota Camrys that In Control typically uses.
All of the instructors have real-life racing experience and training and their aim is to train drivers to get the most out of their cars in emergency situations. The focus is on the physics of automobile handling and how to best use physics and modern car technology to avoid crashes.
I’ve said it many times since driving with them that morning: When I started the class I was much, much worse at using my car than I realized. Now I’ve got new skills to use. Thanks, guys! I know that SU regulars Johnny D, Saab007, and Steve in NJ (who has an excellent Commemorative Edition ’94 900 ‘vert) had a good time.
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As long as we are speaking of new friends, let’s say hello to some now!
Peter, a long-time Saab technician and technical instructor/leader, has re-acquired the Saabo camper from the GM Heritage collection. Well done, sir!!
Say hello to Barbara, a young woman from Ohio that was most probably the newest Saab owner in attendance! She bought her excellent Viggen only last month after attending the year and attended the track day at the Saab Owner’s Convention in Aurora, Ohio . Somewhat on the fence about whether to buy the car or not, her dealer, an SOC sponsor, gave her free tickets to the nearby convention. She liked the cars and the people and took the plunge. Apparently, I misunderstood Barbara’s story. I thought that she was on the fence about buying the car, but Nick in comments indicates that she had the car for a time and was perhaps on the fence about getting involved with Saab events. Either way, welcome!!
Also say hello to Jonesy. Jonesy is from Trinidad, but makes his home in New York City these days. He’s got a great 9-3 ‘vert with a few under-hood cosmetics. Orange is a bold choice, but it looks good on the black car. Welcome, Jonesy!
Still many more photos and stories to share as time allows. Stay tuned!
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