There are car owners, and then there are car enthusiasts.
Saab are one of those brands that has a disproportionate share of the latter. A unique brand that has a unique following. One such Saab enthusiast is Karl-Gustav Svensson, whose story was recently detailed in Saab’s own internal news service, 7 Days.
Following is a translation of that story into English from the original Swedish, with thanks to ctm.
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A Faithful Car Owner Through Thick and Thin
It’s hard to find a more faithful Saab owner than Karl-Gustav Svensson from Eksjö in southern Sweden. Right now, he is looking forward to his 41st new Saab, an Ice Blue BioPower 9-3 SportCombi. To drive a Swedish car is a point of honor for him and he has been an owner of every model since the 1950s.
Despite his 88 years of age, he doesn’t hesitate to go for the new BioPower. We meet at the dealership of Holmgrens Bil in Vetlanda, and KG enthusiastically points at a light blue car in the showroom.
“At last a light blue car, which I never had. I tried most of the colors with predominance on red,” he says. For the occasion he is wearing the Saab tie he got for his eightieth birthday, when he was invited to guided tour of the Trollhättan plant and a visit to the Saab Museum.
Kenneth Kvist, salesman at Holmgrens Bil, is delighted with his customer, to whom he has sold 23 cars since he started his career as a salesman in 1978.
“Of course, lots of Saab owners are loyal to the brand, but if all of them were like KG it would be much easier to be a salesman,” he says. “In fact, other customers line up to buy KG’s cars, because he takes such good care of them. His cars are highly regarded in the used market.”
KG listens to the salesman’s compliments with ill-concealed delight. “If I’d known that, I would have negotiated much harder,” he says in a staged whisper. “Once, I actually threatened Kenneth with a switch to Volvo before we had an agreement.”
KG’s interest in cars had already begun in the 1940s, but it wasn’t until the mid 1950s that he could afford to buy his first Saab. It was a grey Saab 92, model year 1955. Since that time, his devotion has shown in many ways.
All the way through his Saab experience he has kept a log for each of his cars, recording mileage, services, and repairs. Several times he managed to get Saab to change incorrect or incomplete information in the owners manual.
And he has taken meticulous care of his cars.
“When going out to dinner, one should wear a white shirt. That means that both the car and the engine have to be so clean that you can fix things without getting your clothes dirty” he says with a serious face. “Maybe it’s some sort of controlled pedantry I carry with me since my military days at the I12 regiment in Eksjö. Although I like to work with the cars, it’s the pleasure of driving that is the most important thing.”
Only his interest in cycling has competed with his passion for Saabs. For some years, he actually did more milage on his bike than he did in his cars. For that reason, he still has a fit body despite having reached what some might call ‘a respectable age’.
“I have always liked Saab’s driving characteristics and design, and they have often been first with technical innovations. It was a thrilling event when the turbo came, and now I’m pleased with the investments in environmentally friendly cars with the new BioPower. I don’t want to damage the environment, so it feels good to drive an ethanol vehicle.”
Only one time did he change cars twice during the same year. It was when the Talladega model arrived. “It was just irresistible. I just had to go back to the dealer and buy it,” he says, and skims through the pages in his scrapbook to a photo of the red Talladega. The car he traded for the Talladega at the time was a Saab 9000 CSE.
During our conversation, Kenneth Kvist goes back in to his office to check up on that red Talladega. It is still owned by the same person who bought it from KG and it is still doing its mileage around Eksjö.
KG never has been disappointed with Saab. Only once did he feel a slight irritation. It was when he had to call a towing truck to the hill country in the eastern province of Småland - two Saturdays in a row.
“The area is known for its hills. The brake discs got overheated and locked up. It was a little embarrassing to see the new car on the tow truck two weeks in a row,” says KG.
Today, he reads all the news and statistics about Saab that he can get his hands on. He is clearly irritated by auto journalists who, according to him, paint a picture of Saab that is too pessimistic.
“It’s a fantastic car, one that has survived 60 years in a tough business. I think it will survive 60 more years, but then someone else will have to step in and contribute to the sales figures,” says KG as he gets in his grey car - one of last year’s models.
The new one is still a few weeks away.
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Images:
KG’s first Saab - a grey Saab 92 from 1955
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Picnic with the Saab 96
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Saab 99 - circa 1972
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Saab 99 - circa 1975
