Most of my photos from last weekend at the Saab Club North America SOC in Aurora, Ohio are up on Flickr.
A handful of favorites to pique your interest:
Photos from the North American SOC Aurora, Ohio
2010
Saab Support Convoy Nashville, Tennessee – DONE!
Well, only a small, hardy group made the meet today on a raw, cold day here in Nashville, but we did it!
Our plan: Rendezvous at at the Nashville location of our local independent service group, Eurofix, and drive to Centennial Park in downtown Nashville for a photo at one of our most recognizable local landmarks, the full-scale replica of the Parthenon of ancient Greece.
Robert, Mark, Kathleen, Daniel, Ramona, Walter and I got to know each other a bit while the sky spit little bits of snow mixed with rain. Robert and Mark were driving Robert’s C900 and 9-5, respectively; Mark left his 9-3 convertible at home due to the conditions. Kathleen, Ramona and Walter the Golden Retriever were looking smart in Kathleen’s 9-5. Daniel, one of the Saab techs at Eurofix, signed on as the ringer with his modded 900 SPG, and we were off.
I was planning to drive the “new” 1991 900 turbo convertible, but a freak failure of my garage door mechanism precluded me from getting the car out today, and it was just as well. With the day being as nasty as it was, the 9-5 was the right call.
Here’s the group at the Parthenon. I’m looking forward to a more leisurely meeting in warmer times. Click through for more photos.
Vive la Saab!!
Simon Padian comments on the new 9-5
Simon Padian is the design chief for Saab, and he’s obviously a great communicator of his designs and the elements that he feels are important in all of the components.
This video is his take on how the Saab 9-5 breaks down design wise. It’s nothing that any of us couldn’t come up with ourselves, but it is reassuring to hear that he’s purposely retained some of the “typically Saab” concepts — wrap-around windshield, hockey-stick line, curving C-pillar, clamshell hood, wrap-around headlamps. Naturally, the car is a success looking for some sales and he makes mention of that in this clip.
Again, nothing revolutionary here in this specific video, but it’s nice to hear from the man himself. Enjoy!
Car & Driver New Car 2010 Edition
All told, I’ve been a Car & Driver subscriber for probably twleve years of my life, including the last two. I’ve enjoyed some of the magazine, especially the irreverent humor, for the most recent span, but I’ve felt that the automotive opinions are as biased toward the Germans as any other press outlet is these days.
Honestly, I don’t expect a great big entry for Saab in the “new cars” (September 2009) edition, because there aren’t any to speak of, really. With the new 9-5 delayed well past the autumn 2009 debut of the 2010 models, there really isn’t much news to report. However, there is plenty of company news to report — new ownership, the 9-5 in the pipeline, concept cars and the new 9-3x.
I’ll give C&D a pass on the ownership news front given that the press time for the “September 2009” edition is in June (perhaps even late May?), but certainly if Suzuki merits mention for the (somewhat uncertain) Kizashi, certainly the new 9-5 should merit some attention?
At least there is enough Saab news to fill more than about one-tenth of a page.
See the scans after the jump to see what I’m talking about.