The 9000 or there and back

The Hessian home has us again. The 9000 has finished the holiday in Sweden and its own little long run after 3.460 kilometers. The rest of the days in Sweden had it again.

On Tuesday, the second visit of the SAAB Museum was on the program, but with time regulation of my wife, otherwise I would probably have to take out at the end of the day. It's just a great idea from the museum to recruit former SAAB staff members as contemporary witnesses. These old hands have so much to tell that one day is not enough to get new details or further information. These old gentlemen spray the SAAB spirit literally, genuinely and unfiltered. A great experience.

A sense of why Trollhättan is known as the cradle of Swedish industry can be found in a hike around the locks and hydroelectric power stations. In addition, one encounters again and again the proximity to heavy industry, which has long produced turbines, steam engines and of course locomotives. A real eye-catcher is the Hojum power plant, which dates back to the early days and was put into operation by 1912.

Seamlessly afterwards is the trough bridge in Håverud, which was the personal highlight along the Dalsland Canal, which we left on Wednesday. Who has a weakness for industrial culture, which is a detour to this lake landscape highly recommended.

The 9000 and the author had great fun on the narrow roller coaster route from Håverud to Högsbyn, it was a great pleasure to fly on alternating asphalt and gravel routes through empty and lonely mixed forest areas. Driving here under competitive conditions with someone who really knows how to drive a car and knows the route would be a hell of a lot.

The departure from Trollhättan is on, we are booked on the ferry from Gothenburg to Kiel on Thursday evening. Two museums are on the plan before it goes on the ferry. The Aeromuseum and the VOLVO Museum. Unfortunately, we decide in favor of the VOLVO Museum and leave out the Aeromuseum, because we had planned too much time for the VOLVO Museum. But it does not live up to expectations. A big special exhibition is about VOLVO's involvement in sailing and golf. But we wanted to see VOLVOs and indeed cars.

But VOLVO is more than just a car and there was the exhibition, subjectively felt, but quite clear. The rest were trucks and services that VOLVO now offers around mobility and logistics. In order to save one's honor, however, it must be written that the VOLVO Museum as such is definitely worth a visit. Just because the heart beats for SAAB, there was nothing to complain about from our side about the exhibition and the exhibits.

Unfortunately, the rest of the time was not enough to go to the Aeromuseum and reserve a time reserve for checking in the ferry. The Stena Line Terminal in Gothenburg is on the run, as well as the many construction sites and the high density of traffic in and around Gothenburg around already a first taste of the approaching German conditions.

Subjectively, we didn't like the ferry passage, it was too narrow and too hectic. We also found the additional costs incurred on board to be significantly excessive, so that we will prefer the land passage on a future trip. The evening on-board entertainment with karaoke and disco ball still had a certain charm.

The details of the return journey from Kiel to the Idsteiner Land are not refreshing, it was a constant change from construction sites and traffic jams. The 9000 and we would love to head straight back to Sweden for cozy cruise-friendly roads and speeds.

And so the circle closes.

The special paint job Hunneberg was removed yesterday and the rest of the 9000 was put back into everyday mode. Obviously the windshield seal is leaking because a small puddle of water has formed on the lower edge of the window frame after the high-pressure cleaning. In addition, the (almost new) clutch master decided to resume the area marking. The doormat in the left footwell already begins to dissolve.

I think it is a good thing to end up with a few words of thanks.

Thank you, dear reader, for following us on our personal journey. Personal stories and opinions are always subjective. We do not take that from us. So much the better that you have taken the time for ours.

Thanks to Tom and Mark. We had some great hours with you in Trollhättan and on the ferry passage. Thank you for the opportunity to tell our journey. Thank you for keeping the SAAB spirit alive.

Thanks to Olle Granlund and Peter Bäckström. The meeting with them was an unforgettable experience and a unique (birthday) gift.

Many thanks to our home and animal caretaker Carina. Without you we could not have made the trip.

Finally, my thanks go to my wife. For the many hours this year, I rather screwed on the SAAB and wiped, instead of helping in the house and in the garden. Thank you for letting me live my own SAAB dream.

I still owe a resolution. In the first post I wrote about the encounter with the (unknown) car no. 4 in the Museum of Talladega. He falls slightly behind, as he has never been shown with his three silver brothers, or mentioned in the relevant reports. However, there is a detailed report on the Long Run, written in person by project leader Olle Granlund, which can be found on the website of the former SAAB employee at the Trollhättan plant (Veteran Föreningen Trollhättan).

Car no. 4 was a test vehicle that traveled one year before the long run around the 20.000 kilometers in Talladega to gain practical experience and further parameters for further decision making. He was handed over to 1987 as part of a NASCAR event by Olle Granlund at the Talladega Museum.

Greetings from autumn Hessen,

Thorsten