Grattis på födelsedagen- Happy Birthday Erik

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On behalf of the whole worldwide Saab community I would like to wish our great ambassador Erik Carlsson a very happy 85th birthday.

Single handedly Erik put Saab on the worldwide map and has ensured our brand has remained steeped in great history.

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Happy Birthday Erik, we all hope you have had a wonderful day.

 

 

 

 

22 thoughts on “Grattis på födelsedagen- Happy Birthday Erik”

  3. To me, the most significant rally driver ever! Happy birthday!
    Racking up a lot of well-deserved birthday wishes on the SAAB Facebook page also.

  10. Happy Birthday/Grattis på födelsedagen, Mr. Carlsson !

    I met you at Saab Owners Convention in Washington State, 2004. I didn’t have the courage to approach you to say hi. It’s hard to stand in front of a world-renowned legend.

    May you have many many more !

  11. Happy birthday for yesterday Eric, it was such a pleasure to meet you and have you join us on the SOC ‘Saabs on the marches’ event last year.
    Many happy returns!

    • I had heard of “Mr. Saab” before—but not being a rally fan, I really didn’t know much about him. I did some research too—-including a Wiki article. Erik Carlsson’s determination in this episode reminds me of stories I’ve heard about the great Dan Gurney: “During one rally in the UK, he needed a spare part and happened to find a brand new Saab 96 on a parking lot. He and the mechanic quickly started disassembling the car when the rather upset owner discovered them. The co-driver managed to defuse the situation by explaining that Erik was a factory driver for Saab and the owner would be given a new car. In the end Erik could keep driving and they remained friends and still exchange Christmas cards. At the time, rally regulations often stipulated penalties for damage to the car at the finish. Towards the end of the rally, Erik’s car had acquired dents to both the front fender and one door, so to avoid the penalty points they stopped and switched the door and bumper with the support car. Then it looked a bit suspicious to have a clean door and fender while the rest of the car was covered in mud and dust. As they had no water they used the spare gasoline to wash off the car. Reporters covering the event were impressed that they had had the time to wash the car before arriving at the rally finish. After the finishing festivities, Erik Carlsson looked out the window from his hotel room and saw the support car parked outside: clean, but with a dirty door and fender, still with the starting number visible in the dust.” Is this great, or what? Happy Birthday Mr. Carlsson and many more.

  17. Congratulations Mr. Carlsson, and thank you for demonstrating that contrary to common opinion, driving a car in a manner that on occasion causes it to end up on its roof is good for ones longevity.

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