SAAB Weekend: The Saab-Griffin and Saab legacy

A breakdown of the Saab drama appears to be in the offing in Sweden, several sources report. But today is Sunday and I save the economic part for Monday. Rather talk about our Saab hobby… rather about our Saab 9000 project, the Saab griffin and the Saab color “Lightning Blue”. And a little interim report on Saab photo contest. Many Saab drivers are now coming back from vacation, and the mailbox is full of great pictures for our “Summer Sun Saab” photo competition. The entries exceed all expectations and the jury will have a very, very difficult time. The latest Saab pictures will be posted on the blog later this week.

The Saab-Griffin

A topic of recent days has been the use of the legendary griffin for the possible new owners. After the bird came out as a historical heraldic animal, it will not be difficult to place this griffin in a modified form on a new product. Even with the color combination, it won't be too far in terms of protection. The Krönleins brewery from Halmstad sells its “Skane Guld” in traditional colors. So just put the bird back in the more traditional form and everything is possible. Thanks to Michael for the photo!

Saab color “Lightning Blue”

Let's stick to Sweden and traditions. Playsam has been a supplier of Saab Automobile AB for many years, and not only key rings and roadsters, but also various Xtreamliners have been produced for our cult brand. Many of these products are no longer reproduced - the prototype of the original Saab is no longer available - since the client has disappeared.

From time to time, however, Playsam Saab products emerge that were previously unknown to us. In a very traditional Saab color, called Lightning Blue, particularly sporty types were painted at Saab. The Saab 9-3 Viggen was the first model to use this color, while the 9-5 and 9-3 Aero models were optionally available for color.

What I didn't know before: In addition to the Xtreamliner in Lightning Blue, Playsam had also produced a Streamliner in the same special color for Saab. This guy was never delivered, probably due to the tragic events in Trollhättan. The 300 Streamliners produced, there will be no more, have now been offered to collectors, and we have secured some for our readers.

The Streamliner will soon be available in our Saab fan shop. The shop will move in the course of the month and then experience its relaunch with considerably more Saab fan articles and a convenient ordering system.

Saab 9000 project

The joint Saab 9000 project with friend Joachim continues slowly. After I took over the refurbishment of the leather interior, first the front seats were restored. It was not a problem except for a small crack and a nasty fire hole, and the rear seats, I thought in my naivety, would be even easier. What I did not realize was that one of the previous owners was a model maker. Adhesive residues on the precious leather, paint, and a kind of dripping acid made the restoration difficult. Not to mention a few cracks.

With a lot of feeling, even more time and with the help of the leather center the hurdles have been overcome. Patched holes, filled with liquid leather, adjusted with fine sandpaper, tinted, sealed ... just the full program! The leather now looks good and has a nice patina. What did I learn from it?

Working up leather is also possible in worn-out interiors on a budget. On our Saab 9000 you could see that estimated 5 years without any care and understandable parking habits need not necessarily be the end. Thus, the 9000 was apparently parked with the passenger side to the south. Because the leather of this site was hard and very dry. With a lot of patience, sensitivity and tips of experienced professionals but almost everything is possible. The costs of material are manageable. The leather color and the liquid leather mixed the leather center according to specification individually, and if we expect all used materials together, then the operation interior is under 100,00 €.

So do not be afraid of restorations on Saab types with high mileage. And if nothing works, there are nice people who happen to have good interiors available or, as a last resort, the saddler around the corner.

The Saab 9000 is far from finished. In winter, a few body works are done. Nice that we have a hall for our Saabs from November.

Text: tom@saabblog.net

Photos: saabblog.net, Saab Automobile AB (1)