Jörgen Trued – SAABSUNITED

Video filmed from a Sony Z Ultra with a iPhone 6. Video by SVT

Right now the 2nd round of the STCC series is on Mantorp Park Raceway. Björn Wirdheim had been in 3rd the whole heat. In the last corner comes the attack on the Seat. The race tonight can be seen on SVT Play live on the web. Not shure if you guys outside sweden can see this.

Saabsunited has a proud heritage in rally and racing and will follow the series this season. At least one race will be covered by me. Yes I will wear my Saabsunited Historic Rally Team jacket. GOOD luck 🍀 Björn and the other Saab drivers.

SaabsUnited as a base for all Saab enthusiasts worldwide

May 24, 2016May 24, 2016 by Trued

Two of Swedens newest and happiest 9-3 CV owners who just drive off in their premier drive after the purchase at the MapTun Meet some weeks ago

It is no surprise for anyone in the SAAB Automotive world that after the window of the production in Trollhättan and the end of sale of new SAABs the whole SAAB world has taken quite a hard blow. But it is at hard times like this the need for all good forces to join and build something that is better compared to the present situation. I have through history (yes it sounds like I am a dinosaur with my age of 50) argued for a unification of first the various Swedish SAAB Clubs to make one good and strong that was by the way second by Jan-Åke Jonsson ex. CEO at SAAB Automobile. Then came TrollhättanSAAB that evolved into SAABSUNITED (SU). SU had some glamorous years when we where at the forefront with the latest news from the at that time alive production. The economic game with Victor Muller, Vladimir Antonov and the Swedish Government. And a successful Historic Rally Team to keep us both in the present but also in the glorious past of SAAB engineering and traditions. For Tim and me and some of the other contributors to SU this was a good platform to promote the cars and the brand we all so dearly loved.

So what is the future like? Well the cars that has been made are out there and are cherished by their owners.

But what can we collectively on a global level do to make it possible for everyone to enjoy their cars from the olive-green 92 with 2 cylinders to the B I G NG 9-5?

Why not form a REAL International SAAB organization with SU as the base. The name is good and then just add something like “Where all the Worlds SAAB entusiasts gather”

Besides the great social activities around the globe and the happiness surrounding the brand there is one area that desperately needs to be worked upon.

The parts, spare-parts and re-manufacturing. Another area that need to dealt with its the emission of the old engines and its technology. SAAB organisations like SU and others desperately needs to be proactive and get started on finding retrofit catalytic converters and means to collect the oily fumes form the cute 2 strokers. Politicians and governments around the globe are coming down on old dirty cars and we have some of the dirtiest most inefficient combustion engines around in some models.

So hoar do we go about safeguarding the past challenge? My idea is to set up a BIG server with every nut & bolt imaginable on SAAB cars. All the listings of parts for every model should be found here. Making the system easy for people who has spare parts laying around the garage to label them and possible have them sold to a fellow SAABer who is out in the system looking for that part number. I know there is so much stuff with SAAB owners around the globe that the need for spare parts for daily drivers and restorers can be supported for a long time. So let us make good use of the Internet and the great possibilities it gives us. For example I have a set of brand new 18″ 9-3 TurboX wheels. But where can I find the part number easily and where can I post it in a easy task way so that that potential buyer somewhere on the globe can see that they are for sale.

I propose that a parts platform as described had a 10% kickback on all transactions to SU and the potential NEW International SAAB Club. That money could ultimately be used to procure and produce sought after parts that are really gone and near impossible to find. Just like the silver plastic that sits under the rubber belt on the 99 76-78 models. Agreements can be negotiated with DHL or UPS for a collective best deal for the shipment. Who knows we just might have a CEO for a carrier here on SU who could help out. Same goes with someone with the expertise in setting up a program for the searchable parts function described above.

It is time for SAAB people to really Unite again.

UPDATE! Will not happen due to lack of interest!

April 3, 2016April 16, 2016 by Trued

Convertibles at a SAAB festival some years ago with my Silver 9-3

It has come to the knowledge of SU that the SaabInt16 meeting in Vadstena has made a lot of Swedish SAAB entusiasts upset. The reasons why is primarily that the Swedish SAAB Clubs members are not invited to participate in the event. Club members can get limited access by working for the event organization and get a T-shirt basically. The cost for the meeting is set to 150 EUROS a sum that no previous SAAB meeting has reached up to. One wonders what could cost so much. I have spoken to some Swedish SAAB enthusiasts and collectors and they do not feel invited and are not going to participate at all. This obvious exclusion of Swedish SAAB people is worrying. One guy called me and said the only reason now to be a member is the get the special old-timer insurance through MHRF. I feel sorry for the prospective international visitors who will come to sweden and will not get to meet with so many swedes as they have used to do at previous SAAB meetings in our country.

An intersting alternative for swedish and foreign SAAB enthusiasts would be to gather in Trollhättan on the extended weekend of june 5-6. This is an interesting weekend since the 6th is the Swedish National Day. But not only that but also the BIG national automotive celebration day. Virtually every car club in sweden is engaged in some activities this day.

The Saab Club is no exception. This year they will join forces with the Volvo Club in a really nice activity. It all starts at 09:00 with a gathering at the SAAB car museum in Trollhättan. Around 11:00 the drive / rally starts with the finish at the Volvo Museum in Gothenburg /Göteborg a 1-2 hour drive depending on what activities are on the road. The cost for this event is 200 SEK. I visualize that foreign Saab enthusiast without a car can ride “shotgun” with fellow Swedish Saabpeople who would gladly share some space in their cars and split the fuel bill. When the meeting is over in Gothenburg I would guess a lot of Saabers will head back to Trollhättan. This day would certainly be a memorable day for an Saab enthusiasts. Saabs and Volvos in a shared event on the National day with flags parades etc. Besides that it is usually good weather and the nights are bright and short.

If this sounds like a good idea I bet we could arrange a meeting at the Saab Car Museum on the day before Sunday the 5th. Just a nice gathering with cars and possibly a trunk/swap meet.

This is an idea that could be done without a BIG organization and lots of money. It is just about on the day 2 months to the day. So what do You think?

Volvo Museum in Gothenburg

SAAB Car Museum in Trollhättan and my ex.TX

Picture take at the Midnattssolsrallyt 2008 – Volvos and my Olive 96 MC Rally

Planned SU project vehicle: 9000 AERO

February 23, 2016February 23, 2016 by Trued

Yes I have had a 9000S once, a silver metallic 1987. Originally sold in the US to a swedish correspondent working Washington DC. That was a fine car with all the bells and whistles of the TURBO version but no turbo. A 130 bhp super efficient engine with 6.5l/100km gas milage. The 9000 was when it came out as the first of 4 siblings (Fiat Chroma, AlfaRomeo 164 and Lancia Thema) in 1984 one of the best cars on the road. Never had SAAB Automobile made such a jump in technology. All previous cars dated back two decades. SAAB needed something more and new. The Swedish-Italian development was reaching the pinnacle of car engineering. The SAAB 9000 Turbo was a sales success and the performance and handling was so radical and new compared to earlier versions from the Trollhättan engineers.

The model evolved gradually and in 1993 the AERO model was launched after the previous Talladega limited run model. The Aero was getting super performance with a 225 bhp engine and a top speed of 240 km/h making it sweden´s faster production car ever. The acceleration on 3rd and 4th gear was better than most Italian exotics from Ferrari. The red color of the 9000 Aero was even named IMOLA Red. Was that a hint on what cars this swedish beast could take on? One guy who knows the 9000 Aero as his daily drive is ex. design manager Björn Envall who has a black AERO with some 580000 km on the odo.

Over the years as You might know I have restored and built quite a few 99 Turbos, now it is time to finally do a 9000 AERO. So what we are looking for is a 9000 AERO in a condition that could be made into a truly great car. I does not have to be in mint condition that will be done though the project.

So if anyone here has a car like this or know of a car please let us know. The preferred car would be IMOLA Red, manual transmission, black leather interior. But any specimen would be of interest really as long as it not rotten out and the interior is in a decent shape.

Lets once again Unite and do a project together here on SU similar to what we did when saving the last SAAB 9-3 TTid. With Your support and that of the long list of SU commercial supporters. This project would be doable. The project will be shown here on SU of course and will be peppered with in depth stories from the people who designed and built the 9000 cars. A teaser for all of You: the unique captains leather interior was originally designed in 1977 before the launch of the planned SUPER AERO 900.

Contact jtrued [at] gmail.com

SAAB – DNA

February 21, 2016February 24, 2016 by Trued

Some of us can say we have a Trollhättan DNA, well if You’re like Tim and me are born by parents raised on the banks of the Göta River that night be true. But just half a century of making SAAB cars the city could hardly have changed any of the pairs in the double helix we call the DNA.

The DNA that some people refers to as having anything to do with SAAB has its roots in the chassis dynamics. Form and shape of the cars has nothing to do with DNA since SAAB has never looked inte the rear mirror when making the new car models. Look at the 99 that replaced the 96 in the late 1960. The only thing that resembled the old car was the front wheel drive an the solid rear axle to some extent. So over the years the design has changed in a progressive way and one of my friends Björn Envall was in control of this for almost 30 years.

The SAAB – DNA is a complex mix of advanced applied and theoretical physics combined with the drivers feel and ability to respond to various forces and frequencies told by the car. When harmony is reached almost as when mastering an instrument. That is where the SAAB – DNA can be found. Some feel it instantaneously some not at all.
– Jörgen Trued, SU Historic Rally Team & S2AB Rally Team Manager & Driver

The DNA is in the perception and feel of the driving dynamic of the cars conveyed to the driver. Probably the best guy in the world in this field is another of my good ex. SAAB friends Magnus Roland. The principles he outlined for the driving dynamics of a SAAB is the DNA. That thinking was used by Magnus when he worked on the Le Mans Corvettes some 15 years ago but before that on the 9000 in particular. A rear axle geometry hat still is top notch and a truly affordable construction. There are manufacturers out there who are interested in this axle. Magnus has worked out some amazing constructions and 3 years ago in with his colleague in the S2AB AB, ex rally world champion Stig Blomqvist a 5 link rear axle for Audi. Or should we say put on an Audi 4S. In testdrives head to head with a standard Audi S4 Stig managed to drive the 5 link faster and with more accuracy and less need for micro adjustments. In collaboration with Benteler in Germany they decided to make a sales push with Audi. But apparently Ferdinand Piech himself stopped it all saying that it was not invented in house. The SAAB 9000 was developed with Stig´s driving style as an inspirational source. And The 9000 turned out to be a great performance car.

From what I have heard is that the NEVS corporation at least CEO Matthias Bergman is interested in the “SAAB-DNA” and the two guys who can inject that into their company is Magnus and Stig. To truly understand the underlaying principles for the fundamentals of chassi dynamics would need a presentation by Magnus himself. He is truly a genius when it comes to get to grips with the twilight-zone of classic mechanical engineering old school and the quantum mechanics and forces for beyond the average scope of a traditional car company. A company making average cars. The car going down the road and into a corner with a driver behind the wheel is a very complex system, truly a system of systems. All frequencies in the tire rubber to the G forces and the the forces in a microscopic level bonding the car to the road are hard to understand for a skilled to average skilled engineer. The driver feels sensations and experience the environment, this interface with the car is where the DNA might be hidden. But to do a truly great car that makes you a better driver requires deep expertise in applied and theoretical physics and psychology (Perception & Decision making). I have had many great discussions with Magnus on the topic of driver performance, he is the wiz of chassis physics and have the Man-Systems-Interaction knowledge.

https://youtu.be/khUDDMCgBr0

Most probably the best Swedish drivers through history both from the city of Örebro. Stig Blomqvist and Ronnie Petterson

https://youtu.be/SPmhit980e4

Be part in recreating SAAB history

September 17, 2015September 17, 2015 by Trued

You might remember a few years ago when there was a SAABSUNITED HISTORIC RALLY TEAM that competed in the Swedish Classic Rally to the Midnight Sun (Midnattssolsrallyt) I have driven 6 times in two different SAAB cars my Montecarlo V4 and the 99 TURBO RALLY CombiCoupe (Wagonback). In success and its opposite the team evolved over the years to involve drivers like Vladimir Antonov and Ola Strömberg. My ultimate goal has always been to get former Rally World Champion Stig Blomquist to take part in my team.

Now there is a possibility to manage to build a complete replica of Stigs car that he won the Swedish Rally (SNOW) in 1979 as the first Turbo powered car ever to win a “WRC” rally. I have spoken to Stig himself today and he is very interested and excited to do a SAAB comeback in both the Classic division of the WRC Rally Sweden and the Rally to the Midnightsun in 2016. That is 37 years after that fantastic victory.

Stig Blomquist is one of the last swedish super drivers of his generation who could pull off a victory in the classic rallies. But to do this I would need dedicated and interested sponsors who can appreciate and see the great value of getting the “Real” Stig out in a very real SAAB again.

To make this project into reality i believe it must take place next year. Stig is just like the rest of us not getting younger and the option to get a good car made does not happen every day. So if You or your business want to be part of recreating SAAB rally history now is the time. An estimate is that close to $300.000 is needed to make this project into a fantastic reality. All sponsor will of course get fantastic media coverage and lots of special benefits during the “ride”. There are a few possible surprises up the sleeve that is worked on as well.

Please contact me at trued1[at]icloud.com or call at +46709589632

New iWatch to control the old SAAB.

June 10, 2015 by Trued

https://youtu.be/195GDMqZFow

Well it finally came. I have more or less had every model of Mac Computers since I first worked on one in my Computers Class with Mr Dyar at Centennial HS in Gresham Oregon. I had the very first iPhone that never was sold in Sweden and I have been thinking of NOT going down the iWatch road. Reasons, well it feels like it is a pretty expensive watch and You still need the iPhone nearby.

Now a guy in the UK has made a nice application that can do things to his SAAB 9-3 AERO convertible. Would be nice to have this on my own CV. But the YouTube clip does not say what hardware he has in the car. Please fill us in on that if You read this. Some brands have similar apps like BMW where one can remotely do stuff.