let’s just say it’s something you have to experience to understand. You have to enjoy driving — a lot — and enjoy feeling in complete communication with the vehicle you are piloting. it’s not about sheer acceleration, or numbers on a skidpad, it’s about how the car makes you feel.
read more about it on Hemmings website
John Sear shared a link to the group: SAAB Owners North America. His article sums up an important part of the…
Saab Spirit
Times are tough. The country is divided in social and political turmoil, numerous causes require our attention and our money. Our beloved carmaker has gone and hopes of its return have been crushed many times. I write this as the entire Texas Gulf Coast is underwater from record flooding due to Hurricane Harvey. I have been glued to the news and to Facebook. Every photo and news clip takes the breath out of me again. Having lived in Houston for over a year, this story hits home. I had the pleasure of meeting many local and regional Saab owners during my time in Houston, and I genuinely worried about each and every one of them during the course of the last few days.
What about this goofy little car company causes such a strong bond?
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the cars. When people ask me “What’s a Saab?” I just point one out and say “it’s just an odd little car”. Saabs are made from nuts, bolts, pistons, and sheet metal, just like every other car. Take the Saabs out of a photo of happy Saab owners, and you’ll still have the smiles. It’s the people.
Saab always set out to do things differently, and it showed. From the first 92 to the NG9-5, one could always tell that the engineers in Sweden put a special little something in every car they designed. Whatever this special little something was attracted special people looking for a little something. These people were different, thoughtful, intelligent people. These people were kind, personable, and helpful. They embodied what became known as the Saab Spirit.
Many people have owned Saabs longer than I have. Many people have owned more Saabs than I have. While I am very involved in the community, many people have been more involved than I am or ever will be. Regardless, I have seen this Saab spirit at work many a time, through many different Saab owners, and it’s what keeps me coming back.
This will be my sixth year hosting an event in central Oklahoma called The Talimena National Scenic Byway Cruise for the Saab Club of Oklahoma. It began as a punt… I had no idea what I was doing, but with the help of a few others, went for it. Fast forward to year #2, September of 2013. We had a good showing of dedicated Saab Owners, most of which I knew from social media and had maybe met once or twice in real life. These “strangers” quickly became some of my closest friends after showing extreme compassion upon my learning midway through the event that I had lost my best friend back home to a car accident. Not the cars… the people. Saab Spirit.
Fast forward. Along with a dedicated team of admins, I run arguably the most successful Saab Owners page on Facebook, Saab Owners North America. This is a community where Saab Owners can come for information or just general camaraderie. Not too long ago, we learned of the sudden passing of one of our members’ mothers due to a car accident. The entire community of 7,000+ members rallied around this member like he was their own neighbor. A genuinely good community all taking that split second to show the caring nature of the group. Saab Spirit.
Since Saab was finally put to rest and hasn’t officially built a car in multiple years, I hear from a lot of people “What’s next?” or “What now?” to which i originally didn’t have an answer. However, having witnessed MANY times the great entity that the car brand leaves behind, my thoughts are that the future of the Saab Owner are just as bright as it’s always been. My advice to those going forth is simple: Keep those cars on the road. Keep driving and enjoying your Saab(s) in whichever way you find most satisfying. Most of all though, get out there and meet the community. Introduce yourself to a stranger at a local Saab meet. Travel across the country to a Saab Owner’s Convention… because being a Saab Owner isn’t about what keys are in your hand, it’s about the people, and the Saab Spirit.