There was a press release about it and I also shot some video of the first cars coming off the line just after 10am Friday morning. The article on this subject that you might find a bit more entertaining is my Notes on the re-start of production, which includes a few behind-the-scenes observations from the day.

I can further confirm that today, Monday, we were back making cars again, with 145 built when I walked past the production line just after lunchtime (we built just 100 or so last Friday on the first day back).

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Franca Devonport from The Telegrgaph, in England, has an excellent article covering the value of the Mille Miglia, which Saab competed in a few weeks ago for the second consecutive year.

The article examines the value to companies who take part in the event, the way it can link a company’s past to its present and how companies can use the event to make a prolonged statement about themselves and their vehicles.

“The Saab is a strong character,” says Peter Bäckström, manager of the Saab Museum, and Fägerhag’s co-driver. “It simply cannot be mainstream and Saab drivers simply cannot be categorised, apart from as individuals. Participating in events like the Mille Miglia encapsulates what Saab is all about.”

Well, that’s one drawcard, along with the Italian food

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We’ve been covering the Saab Convertible’s 25th Anniversary here on Inside Saab (more to come soon) and if you do the math, that will tell you that the first Saab Convertibles were sold to the public as 1985 vehicles.

How then, does one get a 1981 Saab Convertible?

The short story is over at Saablog-in.

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Those of you in England might want to mark down the dates for MotorExpo in your calendar.

The 2011 event at Canary Wharf will once again include Saab as an exhibitor.

Motorexpo is open daily between 10.00am and 6.00pm from Monday 6 to Saturday 11 June, and between 11.00am and 5.00pm on Sunday 12 June. Entry is free.

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This story is not online (yet), but Jerry Seinfeld is coming to Sweden to do a few shows. In a publicity article in Goteborg’s Posten, Jerry lists three of his favourite things about Sweden:

1. Lasse Hallstrom – “I love him. I loved ‘My Life as a Dog’. ‘Gilbert Grape’ was also good. It was he who did it? “
2. Erik Carlsson – “That is a ‘60s reference. He was rally driver for Saab. He drove a Saab 96, no wait, it was actually a Saab 92″.
3. Saab – “I love Saab. In my TV show, I drove a Saab.”

With reference to #2, it was both (as well as a few others), though he’s more known for the 96. It seems like Jerry’s Saab knowledge might run more than show-deep. But then he is a car guy, reported to own a fleet of Porsches.

Black Saab Rules!

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The Saab Car Museum in Trollhättan will host a special photo exhibition on the 2011 Mille Miglia from Saturday, May 28 until Monday, June 6.

The exhibition will feature the two vehicles (still with Italian mud caked in the tire tread!) driven by Mats Fägerhag and Hans Hugenholtz, along with a slideshow of images taken during the rally. The images were shot by renowned British photographer Charlie Magee.

The exhibition will be open to the public during normal business hours, Monday to Sunday 11:00-16:00, and entrance will be included with purchase of museum day pass.

Get a preview of some of the photos here.

History: Mille Miglia and Saab

Once described as the world’s greatest road race, the Mille Miglia was created in 1927 as a marathon speed test of man and machine on closed public roads from Brescia to Rome and back. The original route was almost exactly 1,600 kilometers, hence the race’s iconic name – ‘Mille Miglia’ is Italian for 1,000 miles.

The race was open to production cars and quickly established its place on the international motor sport calendar, rivaling prestigious events such as the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix.

The first race, with an entry of 77 cars, was won at a modest average speed of just over 77 km/h and it took the winner almost 20 hours to complete the course.

Fast forward to 1955 and there were more than 500 starters in 26 classes. The race was won by Stirling Moss in a Mercedes SLR coupé at an all-time record speed of 157.65 km/h, almost 100 mph. Moss took little more than 10 hours to reach the finishing line, with team-mate Juan Manuel Fangio over half an hour behind in second place.

The 24th and final Mille Miglia road race was held in 1957 for a field restricted to 350 entries. A Saab was entered for the first and only time, winning its class. Crewed by Charlie Lohmander and Harald Kronegård, the 45 hp, three-cylinder Saab 93 completed the course at an average speed of 96 km/h, taking the sub-750 cc category honours. It was a privately-entered car with factory support and had finished the Acropolis Rally in Greece only a few days earlier.

Italian Piero Taruffi was the 1957 winner for Ferrari but, just 40 kms from the finish, team-mate Alfonso de Portago crashed after a tire blow-out, killing himself, his navigator and 10 spectators. Three days later all motor racing on public roads was banned by the Italian government on safety grounds.

The Mille Miglia in its current form was first revived in 1984 and is now an annual ‘regularity’ contest held on open roads, with points awarded or deducted for punctual arrival at a series of time controls.

Held over three days, it follows the original route as far as possible and is open only the vehicles of the type that competed between 1927 and 1957. The international entry is restricted to 375 cars and is heavily over-subscribed each year. In historic motor sport circles, the Mille Miglia has now established a level of prestige that is comparable to the event in its competition heyday.

For the 2011 edition, Saab brought three 93s to the Brescia starting line. The #331 car was driven by Mats Fägerhag, Saab Automobile’s Vice President Vehicle Product Development, with Peter Bäckström, Manager of the Saab Car Museum, sitting alongside. The #332 car was driven by Hans Hugenholtz, Chairman of Saab Automobile owner Spyker Cars N.V., and his wife Laurence. A third #333 car was entered and driven by long-time Belgian Saab importer Jacques Beherman, assisted by Umberto Stefani, External Affairs Director for Saab Belgium.

For the 2011 edition, Saab brought three 93s to the Brescia starting line. The #331 car was driven by Mats Fägerhag, Saab Automobile’s Vice President Vehicle Product Development, with Peter Bäckström, Manager of the Saab Car Museum, sitting alongside. The #332 car was driven by Hans Hugenholtz, Chairman of Saab Automobile owner Spyker Cars N.V., and his wife Laurence. A third #333 car was entered and driven by long-time Belgian Saab importer Jacques Beherman, assisted by Umberto Stefani, External Affairs Director for Saab Belgium.

In preparing the Saab 93s for the event, the cars were kept as close as possible to the specification of the cars that competed in the old days. “We restored them to original condition, as near as possible, with the same materials and components that were used at that time,” says Peter Bäckström. “We’ve had to refurbish some of the interior trim and that was an interesting project for our colleagues in the prototype workshop at the factory. They were working with materials and build techniques that are no longer used, but they enjoyed the challenge.”

Click to see a feature on the restoration of the #331 Saab 93.

Keeping the cars in original condition also meant not improving them beyond their original trim. “For instance, with the technical knowledge we have these days, it would be quite easy to get some more power from the two-stroke engines, but that is not what we wanted to do,” says Bäckström. “In standard trim they produced about 33 hp and for competition use this was raised to about 50 hp. And that is what we had on the Mille Miglia.”

As in previous events, the 2011 Mille Miglia produced a long cavalcade of priceless and exotic cars. And while the Saab 93s may not have been as glamorous or prestigious as some, they did attract a lot of interest and curiosity because of their uniqueness: with front-wheel drive, great aerodynamics and built-in crash safety, they were ahead of their time. Passing through small Tuscany towns or past packed roadsides, the 93s proved to be a true crowd pleaser as the characteristic, one-in-a-million sound of the two-stroke engines filled the air.

Hans Hugenholtz really enjoyed the unique atmosphere of the Mille Miglia. “Along the route, we visited many Italian towns for Time Controls, and each time we were escorted into the town square or some other important place, like the new Ferrari Museum being constructed in Modena,” says Hugenholtz. “The typical sound of the Saab two-stroke racing into town at high revs made spectators turn their heads; every time we could hear the public yell out “Saab” and several Saab Clubs had banners along the road wishing us a good rally.” He adds that arriving in Rome on Friday night was a highlight as well: “We had thousands of enthousiasts cheering us on, and we spent a long time signing banners, photographs and posing with the cars for the Saab fans.”

During the three days of competition, the Saabs hardly experienced any trouble. The #332 car had a slight problem with the rear brakes early on in the event which was solved quickly, but apart from that the 93s proved to be highly reliable.

According to Hugenholtz, the 93s showed their worth in the event. “Our team of three Saabs drove the full 1.600 km rally without any problems and were mixing with, and passing, much faster Porsches, 1.600 cc MG’s and other cars on the beautiful Italian roads. It was the living proof that great handling of a light car can overcome the fact of having a small engine.”

Fägerhag agrees: “I was impressed with what we did with the cars. The 93 was an impressive car back in the day, and it still is. What we lacked in horsepower compared to much stronger cars, we managed to compensate by the 93’s excellent handling.” And, with a wink: “Peter and I finished more than 100 places ahead of two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Häkkinen in his Mercedes 300 SLR. That says it all!”

With 375 competing cars, many fast service vehicles and all sorts of car clubs following the rally, arriving on time at the various controls was a challenge for the drivers. With the route existing of virtually only local two-lane roads and many mountain sections, overtaking was vital to keep the average speed up. “The compact size of the 93 and the excellent acceleration gave us the chance to beat many faster cars on the road,” explains Hugenholtz, “while in the mountain sections, rich with both sweeping and tight corners, we used the Saab’s excellent handling to out-run other competitors.”

In the end, all three cars arrived safely in Brescia with very good scores on the regularity sections. Leading the Saab pack was the #331 car of Mats Fägerhag and Peter Bäckström, which finished 175th overall, closely followed by Hans and Laurence Hugenholtz in 187th place. Jacques Beherman and Umberto Stefani did finish the race, but were removed from the final classification on an administrative technicality.

The Mille Miglia is a unique and fantastic event, says Fägerhag. “There was one thing that particularly struck me. When you are competing in this event, everywhere around you see these fantastic and incredible cars: Porsche, Ferrari, Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz… and Saab. It shows the fantastic history we have as a brand. In Mille Miglia, you don’t see every car brand. You see only the really special ones. And Saab is one of them.”

Click to enlarge the images below….

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Today, though, I’d like to draw your attention to an absolutely brilliant collection of photos from the Mille Miglia, taken by some Saab fans in Italy.

Saabnews.it is an Italian Saab fan site and it’s typical of why Saab enthusiasts are the best automotive enthusiasts in the world. The dedication of the average Saab fan is without peer and the collection of photos from this event by the moderators at Saabnews.it is a prime example.

I’ve posted a few photos below with their permission, but please head on over and view the full collection for yourself. You’ll be AMAZED by the number of shots there:

2011 Mille Miglia at Saabnews.it

Click to enlarge.

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That strategy has worked for the second consecutive year, with all three cars in the 2011 Mille Miglia finishing the event in fine style.

Brescia, Italy: The 2011 Mille Miglia contest ended on a high Saturday night, as all three competing Saab 93s safely returned to the enthusiastic crowds in Brescia. The number 332 car, piloted by Spyker Cars Chairman Hans Hugenholtz and his wife Laurence, was the first Saab car to finish the third and final leg of the 2011 event. Earlier on Saturday, the classic Saabs had departed from the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, after which they made their way back to Brescia over a course that brought them past Viterbo, Siena, Florence and other highlights of the Italian landscape.

Here are some more photos from the final day. Click to enlarge. We’ll get more information and stories from the guys as they come back into Trollhattan and regain their senses after a hectic week’s driving.

Congratulations to all three teams on the successful completion of the event. I can’t wait to see the full set of photos and video.

Coming soon!

Until then, here are some photos from Day 2 of this beautiful event through the Itlian countryside.

Click to enlarge.

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We’re also thankful to the Saabway Club, from Italy, who had members present to shoot a fantastic video of all three Saabs at the beginning of the event….

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The following photos just arrived in my inbox, directly from Italy…..

Peter Backstrom (left) and Mats Fagerhag talk to the crowd. Mats is driving the Saab 93A that Peter helped to prepare for the event.

Mats Fagerhag looking cool in the Italian sunshine….

The Saab 93A being driven by Hans Hugenholz along with a Saab 9-3 Independence Edition Convertible…..

The Mille Miglia entry from Behermans in Belgium, with the Saab Museum entry in the background…..

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Remember to keep checking in with SofieFromSaab on Twitter. She’s posting live occasional updates along with images from the 2011 Mille Miglia.

We’ll have full coverage of the event after it’s completion on the weekend.

Saab Up!!!

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Mille Miglia is on right now and there are three Saab 93A’s entered in the event. You can view photos and commentary about the restoration of one of those cars right here at Inside Saab.

We’ll have a full review of the event when it’s over and done, but if you want some real-time updates on what’s happening there, the best place to go is SofieFromSaab’s Twitter page.

Sofie works for Saab in Belgium and she’s there covering the Mille car that’s been prepared and entered in the event by Behermans, the Belgian Saab importer.

From Sofie’s account, here’s Saab’s Technical Director, Mats Fagerhag, taking the Saab 93A prepared by the Saab Museum in Trollhattan (see link above) back to the Mille Miglia museum as part of the event.

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Saab appointed a new President and COO for Saab Cars North America, a guy formerly from Subaru, named Tim Colbeck.

Tim’s first day on the job took him to the Saab 9-4x press drive in Washington DC and while he was there, Autoblog conducted a brief interview with him for an article that now appears on their website.

It makes for some good, insightful reading and I’m very encouraged by Mr Colbeck’s background and knowledge not only of Saab, but of Saab’s market as well.

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A few articles from today’s issue of Saabs United:

• I really enjoyed this opinion piece written by Lars Carlstrom, originally published in Swedish newspaper SvD and translated at SU. Carlstrom is the Swedish representative for Vladimir Antonov, who seeks to invest in Saab Automobile.
• There’s also a six-part interview (around one hour) with Magnus Hansson, Saab’s chief in the Nordic markets.

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I look forward to getting back Trollywood. See you all there soon.

• Mats Fägerhag, Saab Automobile’s Vice President Vehicle Product Development, with Peter Bäckström, Director of the Saab Museum
• Hans Hugenholtz, Chairman of Saab Automobile owner Spyker Cars N.V., and his wife Laurence.
• Jacques Beherman, importer of Saab cars into Belgium, and Umberto Stefani, head of Saab in Belgium.

Here’s a little teaser as to what they’ll be up to starting very, very soon…..

The other two belong to Saab. The first one is the yellow car that was driven by Spyker Cars Chairman, Victor Muller, and his son in last year’s Mille Miglia (at left, below).

This article covers the recent restoration of Saab’s second car; a green car acquired by Saab late in 2010, which will be driven in the 2011 Mille Miglia by Saab’s engineering chief, Mats Fagerhag and co-driven by Saab Museum director, Peter Backstrom.

The car is 1956 Saab 93A. It’s only the ‘A’ model that is eligible for Mille Miglia, where regulations dictate that only models that participated in the original Mille Miglia of yesteryear can participate in the historical event today. There was only one Saab that competed in the original Mille Miglia, a Saab 93A driven by Charlie Lohmander and Harald Kronegard. They won their class in the 1957 Mille, which was the last Mille Miglia held before the race was cancelled as a competitive event (today’s Mille Miglia involves friendly competition and is a historic event only).

Buckle up. This is a long one, with 45 photos of the rebuild process.

The car was acquired by Saab in August 2010 from an owner in Sweden. The same owner lent a car to Saab for last year’s Mille Miglia, which was driven by Managing Director Jan-Ake Jonsson and his son. He had this car around as a restorer but the job was never done, so Saab were able to acquire it and begin the restoration for the 2011 Mille Miglia.

The car was bought complete, but was partially dismantled in the barn when these photos were taken…..

Back in the workshop, the car was fully dismantled. Fenders and doors had to be sourced for the car, even though it came with them on the complete car. They weren’t quite up to the standard desired for refinishing and restoration.

The rust repairs begin, with the car on a jig out the back of the Saab Museum. In the photo are Ture Stam, Rolf Ebefors, Gösta Jakfors. All three are retired Saab guys who worked extensively on the restoration. Ture is a handy mechanic in general terms, but a specialist bodywork guy. Rolf is a former tuner for Saab’s competition department, and Gösta is a former field technician with Saab.

Further along in the body jig, newer fenders are fitted that will be retrofinished with fittings true to the original 93A.

Gösta removing some of the old underseal, which was replaced with new underseal for better noise insulation.

Ture doing rust repairs on the floor of the car. 60% of the floor section of the car had to be changed due to concerns over structural rust. You can see here where new floor panels were welded in.

This is the car prior to delivery to the paint shop. The car has undergone rust repairs and you can see the primer covering the spots that have been repaired. The car is now on its way to the Saab Technical Development Center, specifically the prototype workshop, where it will be painted.

Ture Stam (center) talks paint with Karl Lindström (left) and Leif Bäckström (right) at the prototype workshop (known around Saab as KMX)

The primer is applied…..

And then the first layers of topcoat…..

The first layer of topcoat is complete and looking absolutely sensational.

The parts are painted as well. Note the rims, which were painted the same color as the rest of the car.

The paintwork was finished just before Christmas 2010. Back in the workshop, the installation of electrical system and gearbox begin. Knut Höglund (left) is a retired transmission specialist. Roger Lönnberg is a retired wiring specialist.

A mockup engine is positioned in the car (the actual engine was still being rebuilt, see below) in order to enable the correct installation of the wiring loom.

The interior is being prepared at KMX. The material is not and exact reproduction as original materials are no longer available. It is, however, a wonderful compromise that looks authentic to the period.

KMX made the new carpet set as well….

Linda Landén did all the hard work sewing the interior together at KMX. The results were outstanding.

Jan Lundqvist at KMX refurbishes the co-driver’s seat, which is an original Saab 93A seat.

A bucket seat was chosen for the drivers’ seat to stop the driver from sliding around as they might have done on the flatter, standard seat. Here Jan Lundkvist, Linda Landén and Ture Stam talk over the refurbishment of the seat, which will be re-trimmed to match the rest of the interior.

Ture begins to assemble the interior of the 93.

Knut Höglund and Ture Stam begin the installation of the gearbox and driveshaft….

…and inside, the first section of the interior installation is complete.

Roger Lönnberg begins wiring the electrical system. There are 10 fuses in each car, instead of the original two. In just about every other respect, however, the car is faithful to the original.

The front suspension and drum brake assembly. The car uses standard springs, with harder brake linings. A company called Vredestein supplied period-accurate tyres for the Saab cars as a sponsorship. 155/15 dimensions.

Ture is like a kid in a candy shop with all the new re-chromed parts arriving for installation….

….and he sets about assembling the front bumper, as well as the steering column.

Rolf Ebefors and Ture Stam dismantle the engine before restoration and tuning.

It’s a dirty job, but……. the engine was sourced by Saab and fully stripped down and rebuilt. This is just prior to porting the block.

Museum Director, Peter Backstrom, did the lions share of the engine restoration work and enjoys the opportunity to get his hands dirty on Saab strokers.

Restored crankshaft with NOS-Saab 93 GT 750 pistons! The pistons were made by a company called OK, from Norway. They’re the best there is.

Reassembling the engine. Competition engines were always painted red, and we have to concede that the red used here is actually from the Volvo paint catalog.

New pistons installed inside the re-bored cylinder block. The re-bore was done by Tommi Carlsson at Trollspeed, a local and legendary tuner in Trollhattan. The central chamber is bored a bit wider to cope with the middle cylinder running a bit hotter. 0.99 on outer bores and .010 on the middle.

The engine now ready to be installed into the car.

The engine is 748 cc and produces around 50hp and a magnificent sound! The original tuning in the 93A produced 33hp. This one could be tuned for more power, however Peter prefers an engine that is assured to see out the event OK and still provide a lot of fun.

Installed in the car….

The interior installation is complete. Note the bucket seat installed, now re-trimmed to match. All original interior fittings – no modern electronics. A Halda Twinmaster will be installed and mechanical stopwatches provided. It’s all authentic.

It’s early April 2011 and the car is now complete and ready for it’s test drive……

…. the test drive revealed an oil leak in the gearbox. Time to sort it out.

6th May – the car is loaded on to a trailer and begins the long journey to Brescia for the 2011 Mille Miglia, being run from May 11th to May 14th!

Our best wishes go with Peter and Mats as they hurl this little Saab around the Italian roads. I know it will be a dream come true for Peter, an historical enthusiast like few others.

Go well!

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