Video games – SAABSUNITED

Saab 99T rally graphics in Forza3

July 1, 2016December 17, 2010 by Swade

It didn’t take long 🙂

Lewis is an Xbox, Forza and Saab fan, so naturally he was quick to download the new special pack that includes the Saab 99 Turbo.

He’s also been applying some custom rally livery in the classic Saab fashion…..

Looks just like the Saabs United Historic Rally Team (and a few somewhat more famous blokes from years ago, too 🙂 )

I’m not an online gamer, so I don’t know exactly how these things work, but apparently you can get hold of Lewis’ work at his Forza storefront (you can look it up under lwslade).

Nice work!

——

You can also see video of the Saab 99T in Forza.

More Saab 99Turbo from Forza 3

December 16, 2010 by Swade

Thanks again to Jorgen from the Saab United Historic Rally Team for a bit more ForzaVision featuring the Saab 99 Turbo they’ve just added.

View the car in racing action here.

And here’s some new video…..

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3StnJEw6Fs

—

The Incas look fantastic! From the Forza garage…..

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOImYuhaEP8

—

Saab 99 Turbo on Forza3

July 1, 2016December 16, 2010 by Swade

Big thanks to Jorgen from the Saabs United Historic Rally Team for this one.

He’s downloaded the latest expansion pack for Forza3, which includes the Saab 99Turbo that you voted for in a poll run by Jalopnik!

Here’s some video of his first few runs….

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5t1XPtRJVo

—

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It1BCco9FhQ

—

That’s the coolest thing I think I’ve ever seen 🙂

Get the low-down on the community choice classics pack.

Sunday Night Snippets

December 12, 2010 by Swade

Remember the vote over at Jalopnik earlier this year, to get the Saab 99Turbo as a potential entry into an update pack for Forza3?

Well, the time has nearly come, and Forza3 players can get the update pack, including the 99Turbo as well as the Delorean DMC12 and a bunch of others.

The update pack will be available from Tuesday, December 14. Details over at Jalopnik (where there’s no 99T photo – boo!)

——

Saab have dropped their breakeven point from 130,000 cars when GM owned it to around 105,000 cars.

So reports the Detroit Free Press.

Saab are aiming at a breakeven of 85,000 cars when things get fully sorted.

——

Some numbers from Till, from Jan-Nov in the German market:

Volvo XC60
6723 sold, 6584 diesel, 3218 AWD

Q5
21017 sold, 17996 diesel

X3
9385 sold, 8865 diesel

As you can see, and as has been argued exhaustively by many, the majority of potential Saab 9-4x competitors are sold with diesel engines. That’s for sure.

But there’s still room there for some ex-US 9-4x sales with no added cost to Saab’s budget.

——

Saab Cars North America are sponsoring a New Years Eve event in Royal Oak, the spot in Detroit in which they’re located.

Thanks Jeff!

——

Two Saab 9-5s have apparently caught fire in similar locations, and in similar circumstances….

Looks like it might be a dealer vehicle. I’m sure they’re investigating.

——

A little bit of housekeeping, if I may.

I’d like to repeat something I wrote in comments earlier today.

……please cut the “If Saab don’t do [the thing I think is important] then the company is doomed” statements. Saab are doing a million things right at the moment. The thing you think they’re doing wrong might make you wince, but please don’t condemn them for eternity for it – your pessimism can be contagious, whether it’s well founded or unfounded.

Let me add something else to that.

The thing you think they’re doing wrong? There’s probably a pretty good reason for it. Saab don’t talk about obstacles they face. They talk about their products and your item of concern – in the big-picture real-world – shouldn’t overshadow what are a great set of product offerings (and getting better).

This is Saabs United, an enthusiast website. It’s not SaabArmchairQuarterbacks.com or SaabMustSatisfyMEorDie.com.

Lift your eyes a little. Saab are doing everything they can.

—

GM Rally – lots of Saabs in a game you’ve probably not heard of

November 1, 2009 by Swade

Teemu has just emailed me with a link to a PC game that I’d certainly not heard of, and I’m guessing not many of you have either.
It’s called GM rally. The website Teemu found says the release date was 30 October 2009, but given that it’s got a Saab 9-2x as one of the driveable cars, I would tend to think it’s a bit older than that. Another site gives a January 2009 release date.
If you believe the screenshots they’ve used on the website, Saab seem to be the feature manufacturer in this game.
If only it were real. The Saabs certainly look good.

Saturday morning snippets – Banglebutt edition

October 24, 2009 by Swade

I received a very nice email in my inbox this morning from a guy in Sweden named Carl-Henrik. It was the first time he’d been in touch after reading the site for a while and he sent along some good snippets fodder that I’ll share with you here.
We’re all fans of Saab design and Carl-Henrik had some thoughts on that, which agree with 100%:

I’ve always liked Saab because of the design. It was so “complete”, in the way I mean from the front to the back. You see it so clearly when you pass a Saab. For example BMW never managed to get the rear of the cars to look right. Their front of the M3 might look good, but it doesn’t “work” with the rear. But for me, when I compare the design of the 9-3 with an M3 the 9-3 is so much more “complete” as it works as one unit.

——
Now on Saab design and BMW design……
There is a condition called “Bangle Butt”. This is the totally awful rear end that BMW designer Chris Bangle gave to the BMW 7 series a few years ago.
It was quite rightly panned across the entire automotive universe and has since been revised, but this eyesore still remains on the autobahns of Germany thanks to the purchases made by a number of top level execs who had to have the latest BMW at the time, regardless of whether or not it was uglier than a bashed crab.

You can see the Bangle Butt quite clearly there, as if he said to himself “well, I like the front but can’t think of a single thing that makes sense at the back, so screw it”
Evidence has now emerged that Chris Bangle may have used a Saab 900 for his prototype work on the 7-series. This Saab 900 is currently for sale on Blocket.se and whilst there’s no acknowledgement of Bangle in the description, I have a feeling……

OK, so Chris Bangle never worked on a Saab, but I couldn’t resist……..
Thanks to Robert N for the Blocket link….
——
Carl-Henrik also sent along this image of an interestingly decorated Saab 96 in his hometown.
Anyone seen those wheels before?
Click to enlarge:

——
For the technical junkies out there, here’s Wes Siler’s Jalopnik review of that new Lexus Supercar that made it’s debut at the Tokyo Motor Show during the week.
The details are impressive (impressive enough for me to include a reference to it here, which is something considering my contempt for Lexii) but at the end of the day, it’s still just a Camry to me.
——
Forza3 is out and Jörgen from the Saabs United Historic Rally Team has been taking the Turbo X for a spin.

——
Lots to do today, as we head off to pick up the 99T. Here’s hoping it’s a more successful trip than yesterday.

Thursday Snippets – F1 and around the web edition

July 30, 2009 by Swade

What a morning!
BMW quits Formula 1 (ah, that’s where ctm’s quote came from) and Schumi makes a comeback for Ferrari due to Massa trying to plant a Liverpool kiss on a piece of debris during practice.
This is going to have the guys at Sniff Petrol going bananas, I’m sure.
Some have mentioned a possible tilt at F1 by Koenigsegg, but I don’t think there’s anywhere near enough money in the pot to have a crack at something so expensive at this point, if ever.
It’s probably best for them to concentrate on the fundamentals at the moment. You know, survival, building quality Saabs, etc.
And the big question is – do car companies get real value from their efforts in F1?
——
…..and still on motorsport, kind of…..
The next edition of the Forza Motorsport video game for the Xbox 360 will feature the 2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo X.
It’ll also add Spain’s Catalunya circuit as well as bringing back the Nurburgring. Other cars added for this new edition will be the Alfa Brera, which may or may not lead to an R rating due to automotive pr0n.
——
…..and still on motorsport…..
I’m hoping to have a kinda big announcement to make about a Saab in a motorsport event, and a Saabs United tie-in. Soon.
——
Jalopnik have another edition of “You’re doing it wrong”
Very good.

——
Texting whilst driving?
I can’t believe it’s still legal.
Saab should use their eye-monitoring software to build an extendable punching fist into the dash for anyone who’s picked up by the software as texting whilst driving.
Call it an active safety feature.
——
Sent in by Seth H
A visual history of Saab’s logo development, which I’m quite sure is also the subject of a story somewhere on the web, too.
I guess they can now add the wordmark to this diagram as a mark of the new Koenigsegg era.