The true Saab saga

It has become quiet in the Stallbacka in Trollhättan. The old Saab factory lies dreary and deserted and bumbles away. It has been a long time since the last Saab left the factory. Do you actually know why Trollhättan is called "Trollhättan"? No? Well, I'll tell you. It has to do with Saab and a myth that is true.

Saab Troll Snurg
Saab Troll Snurg

In the past, Trollhättan was simply called "Hättan". It's only been called Trollhättan since the legendary turbo engines were built in the Saab factory. "What do turbo motors have to do with trolls?" - you will definitely ask now. Well, I can tell you that, but it's a big secret and hardly anyone believes it's true. I have to go back a little to tell it.

You probably know all the troll figures that can be bought in souvenir shops in Sweden or Norway. The little guys, barely ten centimeters high with knotty noses, red cheeks, big eyes, tousled hair and tail. And you think they are made of plastic or some other plastic. But that's wrong, because they are real trolls. Real trolls that froze because people looked them in the eye. When that happens, a troll will be fated to end up as a souvenir. And rest assured, no troll will have fun ...

Well, back to Trollhättan. Or Hättan, as it was called at that time. It turned out that Per Gilbrand, an engineer in the Saab factory, was standing and fishing near the waterfalls on the banks of the Göta Älv. He always did when he had a tricky problem to solve. And he had a tricky problem to solve. Because Saab was doing badly. A new idea had to be found, but the money was missing everywhere. A jerk on his fishing rod tore Per Gillbrand from his brooding. "At least the fish bite well," he thought, and he began to gently roll up the fishing line because he wanted to avoid losing his catch, for the world. Not that too ...

And Per Gillbrand was amazed when he saw what was wriggling on his fishing rod. It was not a fish, it was a troll! And that troll was called Snurg. Per Gillbrand knew about the fate of trolls, when a person looks into their eyes, the grandfather had often told this tale. Of course, Per Gillbrand had not believed his grandfather. From early childhood he was interested in physics and mathematics, machines and all sorts of technical equipment. There was no room for mythical creatures like trolls. And today he was an engineer! But instinctively Per Gillbrand avoided eye contact with the troll, because his mind was sharp and he immediately came up with an idea how he could fix the misery at Saab and keep the small, fine car forge alive - at least for another 35 years, as we know today ,

I already see your questioning eyes, you still have no idea how that is related to the cars and the trolls. Well, to understand that, you need to know that a troll fulfills a wish for a person so present in mind to prevent him from ending up as a souvenir. At a high price for the troll and his whole clan, because he has to work with his entourage henceforth day in, day out to fulfill this wish. Snurg, the troll, knew instantly that he had caught himself in the trap of someone who knew the secret, since Per Gillbrand looked so clearly only at Snurg's feet when the troll finally stood dripping wet on the ground in front of him. What did Snurg have to do there in Göta Älv, do you want to know?

He lived like so many trolls in the area in caves behind the waterfalls whose entrances are only accessible by diving.

At once Snurg offered his services to Per Gillbrand. "Can you do something so that we build cars again like the world has not seen and experienced, and it goes up with Saab again?" Asked this Snurg. "Yeah," the troll replied, "I'm sure I'll be able to do something." And so it happened that the same evening Snurg and his entire clan arrived at the end of the late shift, when the factory was still and deserted Gillbrand sneaked into the workshops. "We've built such a new part, a turbocharger, but it still does not want to work," Per Gillbrand admitted to the troll. "I'm sure I can do something," he replied again.

I do not want to bore you too much with details, but the work of the trolls in the nocturnal factory worked. From then on, Saab built turbocharged engines with unrestrained power delivery. No one knew why it suddenly succeeded, on which the engineers had worked so long unsuccessfully. Every evening, after the end of the late shift, the trolls crept into the deserted factory halls and whispered their power to the turbo engines produced during the day.

If you've ever driven a turbo, you'll remember the whistling sound you hear when you step on the gas pedal. This is the whisper of the trolls, which you activate when accelerating and which hisses in the turbocharger and thus develops the power of the engine.

Per Gillbrand showed his gratitude to Snurg and his clan in making stickers with the slogan "Made in Trollhättan by Trolls". And the most dedicated of Saab enthusiasts stuck the stickers to their cars, knowing they had more than Swedish engineering. The city fathers and mothers Hättans were infected by the myth, at Saab trolls had their hands on the game, and changed the name of the city in Trollhättan, in gratitude for the many jobs and nice tax revenue, with the suddenly successful cars "made by Trolls "enriched the city.

You would like to know why Saab ultimately went bankrupt. Yes, it's a sad story. Times changed. Per Gillbrand retired at some point, even if he delayed the time as long as possible. After all, it was still possible to bring the great engine with the Low Pressure Turbo onto the market. But at some point he had to say goodbye to the stable backa. New owners from abroad took over Saab and introduced a third shift. Now people also worked in the factory at night and the trolls were therefore not able to get there. The mishap took its course ...

Today, Snurg often stands at the stablebacka and gazes longingly over the abandoned factory premises. He is bored, because even if trolls never work for people voluntarily, his work in the nocturnal factory had grown dear to him. After all, since then he has to fear again that a person will look him in the eye and he will become a souvenir, because since he no longer serves a human, the protection against this ban is lifted.

But whenever he sees one of these fine cars drive past with the "Made in Trollhättan by Trolls" sticker, his heart warms ...


Thanks to Laurenz for his (fictional) Saab Story! Do you also have something to tell about Saab?

The story of an unforgettable holiday trip, a restoration or another event in life with the cult brand from Trollhättan?

Then please pay attention! Over the next few days we will be laying our legendary and exclusive ones Saab boarding files Reopen and start 2019 a new reader campaign!
24 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline feedback
View all comments
Gerald
Gerald
5 years earlier

Beautiful story !!! Thank you!

Ebasli
Ebasli
5 years earlier
Reply to  Gerald

Quite wonderful! Thanks a lot! 🙂 Where can I get such a really funny trolly sticker for my troll turbo? 🙂

Herbert Hürsch
Herbert Hürsch
5 years earlier
Reply to  Ebasli

There is almost everywhere.
Either online at Skandix and many other senders or even the trusted service partner will be happy to put a sticker in the service booklet at the next inspection, if one expresses an appropriate request when the SAAB is issued.
The latter orders parts every day anyway and if you don't want to order anything other than “just” a troll, the familiar might even be the cheaper way to get to the funny, troll mythical creature ...

Herbert Hürsch
Herbert Hürsch
5 years earlier
Reply to  Ebasli

PS

There are probably at least two versions of the sticker. As in the cover picture (white background) for the outside or transparent and then probably mirror-inverted for the inside placement on a disc. That should be considered.

Ebasli
Ebasli
5 years earlier

Thanks for the helpful hints! The next time I visit the Freundlichen in Kiel, I'll politely ask for funny trolly turbo-troll stickers. After all, new fog light surrounds, new rims and a larger brake system should be produced for the summer. The turbo trolls will like that too - and I'll never look you in the eye, I promise! 🙂

Cetak
Cetak
5 years earlier

Nice story, thank you

Laurenz
Laurenz
5 years earlier

Thanks for the many great comments on my little saga ... 🙂
Greetings from Laurenz

Heiko
Heiko
5 years earlier

World class. I will read that to my children as a good nighttime story.

Herbert Hürsch
Herbert Hürsch
5 years earlier
Reply to  Heiko

Good idea. Thank you!

I will do that tonight too. You will love this story and probably want to hear more than once.
Why didn't I come up with it myself and already yesterday? I am a little disappointed in myself now ...

Herbert Hürsch
Herbert Hürsch
5 years earlier
Reply to  Heiko

PS

A great opportunity to remind my guys in advance of the history of the operation of an internal combustion engine in mind and also to explain the turbo principle.

There was a time when engines were very thirsty and couldn't breathe. That was the dinosaur curiosity. So-called naturally aspirated engines that once ruled the streets of the world. They got plenty of gasoline and as much as they wanted. Some drank way too much but did not breathe deeply enough, could barely breathe and the fire in their engines was weak. The dinosaur curiosity are now (almost) extinct. SAAB also once built Dinosaugier. But do you actually know "why Trollhättan is called Trollhättan"? No?" Etc ...

Thanks again to Laurenz.

Michael
Michael
5 years earlier

What a cool story now I just need a sticker

Ken-Daniel S.
Ken-Daniel S.
5 years earlier

Great story, in our Saas stick the Made in Trollhättan sticker back left

kochje
5 years earlier

Laurenz, wonderfully told !!!!
we often say LOL: “laugh out loud”.

Terry Hawkins
5 years earlier
Reply to  kochje

Or LOL = Lots of Love ... ..

Michael Guretzki
Michael Guretzki
5 years earlier

Finally I know where the whistle is coming from, call the "developers" and say thank you! I hope that my 2.0T convertible will delight me for a long time.

Tom
Tom
5 years earlier

Cool ... from now on I no longer hear a turbo whistle ... but always a troll whisper.

I'm sure that I'm driving Saab even more attentively ... probably with a "stupid" * grin on my face.

* stupid only from the view of not Saabfahrern

Mountain Saab
Mountain Saab
5 years earlier

… ..I have tears in my eyes !!!!

Aero 9-3
Aero 9-3
5 years earlier

Great story! Thanks for the imaginative mind cinema. Finally the name finding of Trollhättan is coherent online ...
Still t (r) olle ride in the SAAB!

Herbert Hürsch
Herbert Hürsch
5 years earlier

Great written! Or troll written?

What is fiction and what is reality? I actually have to reorient myself for a moment ...

Like after a short but abysmal sleep, because you devoured a captivating book in a single night and came too close to the ringing of the alarm clock. This was just a short story. But just a great written. Thanks a lot for this!

Hans S.
Hans S.
5 years earlier

Excellent! Great story!
And if it is not true, at least it is well-invented
See you in June at the Trolls.

wene
wene
5 years earlier

Schöööön !!

Florian B.
Florian B.
5 years earlier

Many Thanks! Great written

dersaabler
5 years earlier

Nice, and sad, even got a little goose bumps ...

hansmichael ortlepp
hansmichael ortlepp
5 years earlier

It's really "troll"!