What happened with the Saab Safir?

Yesterday I have posted something about the Saab Safari (one in the museum and the other one still driving around). But there is/was also a Saab Safir in the museum, a single engine Saab airplane. On the picture below you can see her hanging above the cars. She is not mentioned in the list/pdf with the museum collection. I`m wondering what happened with the Safir. Does she still stay in Trollhättan or is she sold in the mean time?

I the past I hangared my Cessna in a big hangar together with a Saab 91 Safir. After a flight an angry lady shouted at me "did YOU left the Saab outside?!". I answered yes (because I came with my Saab to the airport). I did`nt know then that her plane was a Saab too, and did not move her Saab outside the hangar either. To be honest, I did not like her Saab at that moment. A heavy machine compared to my light Cessna. But the story of the Safir was nice, because this one was built at the Schelde Shipyards (in the Netherlands).

After a couple of years the Saab stopped flying because of expensive maintanance. The Safir was dismantled and I thought, maybe someday I buy the Safir. Just for the collection. Called the owner but she (the Safir) was gone. Too late...

On the picture above you can see the Safir`s interior. Below the view from the cockpit. The Safir is a well built machine, capable for aerobatics (my Cessna is not). But quality had a penalty for the Safir: it`s weight. A heavy plane uses more Avgas and Avgas is very expensive (nearly 3 Euro per liter).

A Saab Safir belongs in the museum imho, a couple of years ago I was in the Mercedes Museum and saw that they have planes in their museum too. If the museum needs a "new" Safir, I`ve found one for sale for € 30.000 in Switzerland. The advertisement can be found here. For me this Safir is too expensive (I do not want to fly her because I have a plane already). But: Saabs are Swedish cars built with aircraft quality...

Click here for the nice picture of the Saab Safir inflight.

Press conference this morning

This morning the receivers held a press conference. As we knew already there are five parties interested to take over Saab as a whole. There are also a lot of parties interested in parts of Saab. Unfortunately there are no bids placed yet. If so, the buyer `ll presented probably once the deal is done.

The administrators have only a factory to sell, no licenses with GM are available. It is upon the buyers themself to deal with GM.

The Youngman delegation arrived yesterday evening in Trollhättan according to TTELA. Hope they`ll act soon.

Click on the "Ursaab" picture of this page to go to the newest post of this blog.

Rare Saab 900 classic estate

Not much news about Saab today unfortunately. The Youngman delegation is in Trollhättan now, but the bid is not placed yet. According to Saabsunited at least 3 others are in the race for Saab. Let`s hope they do not wait any longer. It`s time for the trolls to go back to their work.

There is a rare 900 Classic Estate in the Trollhätan Museum, one of the two cars remaining. The other car, a red one, is in The Netherlands at the moment. The owner has to sell (due to a sabbatical), that`s why he has made a website about his car. From this website I`ve got these nice pictures I wanted to share.

This Saab 900 from 1981 slept in a showroom of a Swedish garage for 20 years before this dutch guy bought it.

The colour of this Saab 900 Estate is Cherry Red. The roof of this 900 has a few small spots (damage of the paint), but that`s it.

The Saab 900 estate has a 99HP engine of 1985 cm3 with a manual transmission. At the moment the car has driven 78.000 km`s(48.500 miles).

Click here for more pictures of this Saab 900 Estate. The complete car collection of the Saab museum is collected together on this pdf by the way. The "Trollhättan" Safari is on page 58.

Nice client today with a Saab 92.

The Saab Museum in Trollhättan is saved, but the good news is not over yet! We`re waiting for the saving of Saab next week (see my post of yesterday).

Sold a Snaidero kitchen today to a client here in the Netherlands. They told me that they `re thinking about driving the Mille Miglia this year in the same week as I have to deliver their new kitchen. Soon the conversation changed from Snaidero kitchens to cars.

One of the cars in the collection of this client is a two stroke Saab 92 (not a 9-2)! They offered me that I can drive this one if I have an occassion for it (eg. Saab meetings). Of course I have Saabs enough to choose from but a 92 is very special. At least more special then my "Spykersaab convertible" (I`m happy with this Saab too off course).

Youngman bid for Saab delayed to next week

My Swedish is not very good :), but as far as I understand it the Youngman bid for Saab `ll come early next week instead of this week. The Youngman bid was expected to come this week, but Rachel Pang had other plans unfortunately.

The entire Young's leadership is coming to Stockholm on Monday to meet with Saab's bankruptcy trustee (according to TTELA)

If it really is about the five billion as previously mentioned, however, is a question - it may relate to a lower bid.

With the delegation is the manager of the Automotive Division Rachel Pang and probably Youngman-founder Pang Qingnian, suggesting that it comes at a crucial stage of Youngman as stakeholders.

Read here the Swedish article.

There was also another Swedish article today about Steven Wade. But feel free to click here if you want to.

Saab museum saved!

As we all can see on the picture below Peter Bäckström from the Saab Museum is a happy man now. But we all are off course because the Museum Saab`s stay in Trollhättan.

Read here the Swedish article (if you`re able to because I`m not) about the Saab Museum, a happy Peter Bäckström and participation of the Saab Veterans. Feel free to post an English translation below for people like me.

I love Saab & the Saab Museum

Hip hip hurray! The Saab museum really survives and stay`s in Trollhättan. What a good news we`ve got yesterday! I`m really very happy that the museum stay`s alive (the dutchies are talking about a meet in Trollhättan so extra boats are needed to transport them to Sweden). Let us all hope that the Saab factory `ll be saved soon too!

Robert Nordqvist made the above picture and Fredrik Nordqvist made it a bit funnier.