The Saab Owners Club GB were there with a wonderful display of classic Saab vehicles. I’m reliably told that a lot of the leg work was done by Ellie W, who is like a force of nature when it comes to organising and promoting these types of activities (my first time meeting Ellie was when he sold me a Saab Owners Club T-shirt!).

There’s always a team involved, though, and a number of members presented their vehicles at the show and manned the stand over the course of the weekend.

Congratulations to all involved (and I still loooove that Sonett!)

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My thanks to Dave R for sending in the images.

Presence at the show requires resources that Saab are currently allocating towards the restart of production in Trollhattan. Whilst it would be desireable to be at the show to help further Saab’s global presence, it is not considered an appropriate use of resources at this time.

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And some thoughts to add some context…..

There will be some consternation and hand-wringing over this announcement. Of course, it’s quite regrettable that we can’t be at Frankfurt. It would be great to be there and show our vehicles off to the world’s press and visitors to the show. We do have new vehicles to show there, too, cars that will be significant for us in various markets around the world (more on those here).

Right now, though, an exhibition at Frankfurt is just not doable and out of respect for our various stakeholders, it would have been very irresponsible to allocate resources in this direction at this particular time.

We need to get back to being a car company first, which is what we’re doing. There are a number of motor shows coming up in quick succession after Frankfurt and we can get back on that wagon pretty quickly when circumstances allow it.

If you ever come to Trollhattan in the summertime, try to include a Wednesday night in your stay here. Why?

I’m not sure exactly who organises it, but vintage and veteran vehicle owners from the Trestad area (i.e. three cities – Trollhattan, Vanersborg, Uddevalla) hold an informal car show at the locks in Trollhattan on Wednesday nights. Today was the first day of June, the first day of summer, and a Wednesday, so the lads and ladies had their cars ready to show.

I’ll start this entry with what was the end of the car show for me – the more Continental section of the show, where the Saabs were loosely congregated amongst other European makes. Here’s a fine Saab Sonett II to start with (there were no Sonett III’s at the show, nor any original Sonetts, which have actually been there in the past, both a genuine Saab 94 and a very good copy)

This was the third time I’d seen this 99 today in Trollhattan……

There are heaps more photos after the jump…….

The famous Made by Trolls sticker…

Mixed generations and different makes…. all there for the enjoyment of all.

I saw this Saab Sonett II hit a section of open road as it was leaving and I can tell you, the owner was definitely enjoying himself!

A V4 Saab 95….. the only one I saw today

An early plugin hybrid Saab???

A wonderful little sticker advertising Saab’s ‘new’ dual circuit brake system from the 1960s.

An arty photo of the Saab Sport stroker on display…..

And the engine in the same car….

It would be a little harsh if we didn’t acknowledge some of the other fine Swedish steel on display tonight…..

The beautiful Volvo P1800:

And another….

I’m not familiar enough with my 1970s Volvos to identify this one (an early 144 perhaps?), but I know it looks pretty darn tidy…..

Sweden has a huge section of the population that’s right into Americana from the 1950′s, 60′s and the muscle car era of the 70′s. There were a good number of cars from this period present tonight, including an impressive collection of Ford Mustangs of all ages.

My personal favourite from today’s American display was this Oldsmobile. The attention to detail on this car was astounding…..

And check out the tail……

Further along and up a hill was this nest of Triumphs, including one British-inspired model with a Swedish surprise!

Nestled in amongst those sportsters was this Lotus7 inspired kit car…..

It’s called a “LoCost”, which I assume refers to the comparatively modest entry price compared to the car it’s modelled on. Notice anything familiar? It’s not just these, which I’m sure I’ve seen on a Saab 9000 somewhere before…..

There’s also this…..

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As I said, Wednesday night at the locks in summer is always a treat for car fans. If you’re ever planning a trip here during the warmer months, make sure you include a Wednesday if you can.

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The Bilsport Magazine Custom and Performance Motor Show was on at Elmia, in Jönköping, Sweden on the Easter weekend. This is an annual event that attracts huge crowds, with plenty of exciting metal on display for the visitors to peruse.

Brands like Saab typically have enthusiasts at their core. It’s one of the reasons this website exists. Some enthusiasts show their passion for the brand by keeping a car in absolute factory-fresh condition for years on end. Others take a different view, seeking to customise their car to their tastes – whether they be mild or extreme.

The Bilsport show at Elmia tends to cater for the custom car builder, though there are plenty of well-preserved examples of different marques in the ‘Nostalgia’ halls as well.

Saab were well represented in a number of displays, the single most notable of which was a 5-car display by aftermarket tuning company, Maptun. The company’s owner, Fredrik Bengtsson, even had his own new Saab 9-5 on display with custom carbonfibre trim parts that the company is developing.

A Saab 96 V4 historic rally racer was a particular highlight, having been restored to immaculate condition. This car is a now a regular competitor in the Midnight Sun historic rally held here in Sweden.

The Saab 900, below, was restored by a couple of young, 18 year old Swedes. These guys should be very proud of their work as the car showed brilliantly.

There were many more customised Saabs on show at Elmia, including a hybrid combining the body of a Saab 9-3 SportCombi with the running gear of a Dodge Viper!

Please feel free to check out the slideshow, below, or view the images in a larger size at Flickr: Custom Saabs at Elmia 2011.

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Note: Tuning Saabs is a tricky business. Saab have only one official tuning house who can tune your new Saab whilst still maintaining your new vehicle warranty coverage. This tuner is called Hirsch Performance and they are located in St Gallen, Switzerland. Their products are available in many markets where Saabs are sold. Check with your local dealer.