Saab 9000 CD Rescue and Swedish Auto Archeology (2)
Writing about the value retention of older cars has become a socio-political statement, including saving the 9000 CD. It wasn't always like that, especially not in 2011 when I started writing. However, times have changed. The preservation of old vehicles is also a piece of criticism of the system.
Good cars from the 80s and 90s that are worth preserving were recently scrapped in favor of new cars. Aimless, pointless. If we wanted to improve something for our environment, we would not need other cars, but more durable ones that can be used intelligently.
Welcome to the second part of the Saab 9000 CD rescue!
The decline in youngtimers is enormous and should continue. That's a pity, because we destroy a piece of history with every vehicle. Old cars have a story to tell, and sometimes an ugly duckling turns into a great swan.
A piece of (German) contemporary history
Before the Saab 9000 CD rolls towards the workshop and TÜV, Oli researches the history of the sedan and becomes a car archaeologist. Because the Saab has a special story that only gradually becomes clear, and it reads like this:
In 1993, the embassy counselor imported a Baltic embassy, which at that time was still based in the federal capital Bonn brought a brand new Saab 9000 CD 2.3i to Germany. The Saab is classy because it is almost fully equipped. The only thing missing is the sunroof. It is quite a representative vehicle, with a dark green paint scheme very popular at the time and heavy black leather seats.
The Saab does not stay long in Bonn. It is passed on to the mother of the Counselor in Hamburg. The reasons for the intra-family transaction are probably the very favorable conditions that Trollhättan offers in the business with diplomatic vehicles.
From Bonn to Hamburg
The owner, a lady of advanced age, registered the 9000 CD on 1.10.1993/XNUMX/XNUMX. She will drive the car until her death. who is this lady We don't want to write her name, just this much: She is a member of the academies of sciences in several Scandinavian countries, as well as a professor emeritus at the University of Hamburg.
The representative CD is serviced at Saab Uhlenhorst, it is continuously checked. When his owner died very old, he was deregistered in 2016 and ended up with the dealer, where Oli would save him two years later.
The history is thus clear, as is often the case with a Saab 9000. Many of these Swedish S-classes were driven by the first owner for a long time, making it easier to research their history. Oli only notices that the CD also transports another, unusual piece of technology from the 90s when he looks through it again.
Folksam data recorder
This marks the start of an excursion into the early years of accident research, which was carried out extremely consistently in Scandinavia. Because in addition to a Swabian car maker, it was mainly the Swedes who invested a lot of energy into this discipline early on.
Saab built the safest cars in the world in the 80s and 90s. To remain objective, almost everything that came out of Sweden at the time was considered extremely safe. In addition to Saab, Volvo and Autoliv, insurance was also responsible as the driving force Folksam. She purposefully carried out accident research and installed data recorders in the vehicles.
In the year 1992 Folksam introduced the first recorder (CPR), which responded to a mechanical crash impulse. The devices were installed in 260.000 Swedish cars from Toyota, Saab, Opel and Honda. In mid-2008, the CPR was replaced by a new, electronic generation of recorders (ECR).
Up until November 2018, Oli had never seen a '90s crash recorder - until he bought the CD and found a strange, black box in the spare tire well. With a Saab sticker and Folksam lettering. The writing “Crash Pulse Recorder” left no doubt. An early data recorder that fortunately never had to prove its functionality.
From a historical point of view, the 9000 CD turns out to be a multiple stroke of luck. A previous owner with an exciting background, a rare Folksam data recorder. The courage to buy the 9k has paid off so far. Auto archaeologist Oli was having fun.
Now the workshop, TÜV, approval and wellness program are on the list. And of course Oli would like to have the CD converted to Euro 2.
How to proceed with the 9000 CD is coming soon on the blog.
"A bit of criticism of the system [...] aimless, pointless."
Tom, it's still a great pleasure to read your blog posts, but ..
..with this crisp short introduction to the 2. Part of the informative, fast-paced 9000-CD story you've really outdone yourself! "Grandios" as Herbert Hürsch wrote ..
Chapeau! and Merci
PS
Correction: Herbert Hürsch wrote "great" ..
The back seat really looks like no one has ever sat there. This shows again that sometimes advertisements with “sad” photos deserve a look more. Great story!
very interesting story, nice that the car could be saved
Really true words that are related to the environment! Get ridiculed for my CD / driving “old” SAABs by friends who sympathize with the Friday for Future demonstrators. The old car would not be up to date. Instead of an old car, you are asking for all electric cars ... I think there is no need for further comment at this point.
But it's just an old car sustainable. When I consider how many cars from the circle of friends of 9000 has long survived. Pure shaking of the head. All the better that another CD could be saved.
Yes, yes, I still know how I crashed my first 9000 CS in Brussels when I reset one of those fabulous concrete block stones (just so high that you did not see them in the rearview mirror): the bollard was flat and my beautiful rear apron was heavily dented, me was pressed bad! Back in Cologne, I wanted to examine the damage closer - because of repair order. And lo and behold: no more damage to see! Only light paint scratches, which I took as a confirmation, not only to have dreamed the whole thing.
BUMPERS
“Aimless, pointless (e)” scrapping and “criticism of the system”. The introduction is great ...
It was not until this morning that a big parking lot struck my mind as to how much the entire industry has passed away from any claim to sustainability across all brands (partly for political reasons and intentionally).
Front and rear elements are becoming larger and larger and are being drawn further and further around the side of the vehicle - peppered all around with sensors and other elements ...
Bumpers and fenders have had their day. It is better to swap half the car or the whole car if someone looks at one wrongly ...
A tailgate (Tiguan) caught my eye, the lower end of which was shaped optically and practically as part of the rear apron / the “bumper”. A tailgate as a bumper? Are you crazy?
If you wanted to design cars in such a way that the smallest bumps - be it right, back, left or front - cause an economic total loss and mean potential scrapping, then younger automobiles would be exactly on the right track ...
I'm glad that the CD is saved and I'm looking forward to Part III ...
PS
If I'm right in mind, then there were tests on the quality of their bumpers with the 9000 and other contemporary cars. SAAB's engineers had chosen the quality of the plastic and the (honeycomb) structure behind the outer shell so that the 9000 was by far the winner of the test.
It was measured which speeds of an impact the respective vehicles / bumpers permit before permanent deformation or other structural damage can be determined. That was very, very sustainable ...
Completely correct. Unfortunately, Saab has also gone through this un-fashion with the hatchback on the 9-5 NG SC.
You hit the nail on the head ...
Whether SAAB could or would usefully withdraw from legal regulations and un-fashions today is completely and completely questionable.
Helmut Kohl spoke of the mercy of late birth in another context. Maybe the early bankruptcy is also a certain grace?
However, as a lover of the brand, one is now in the luxurious position of being able to measure or measure SAABs as they once did in comparison to contemporaries and how useful they still are.
I cannot say whether SAAB would still build cars today that I would prefer by far to other new cars. What could have been is becoming more and more speculative and interests me less and less ...
I see my personal automotive future more and more in the field of used cars and vintage cars. I wouldn't have thought a few years ago, but now it is. And it's amazingly liberating. Should they do it all: their un-fashions and un-manners but not with me ...
Great story about this 9000 CD!
That this 9000 CD was also a “real CD-Limo” is really awesome in this story!
Research was definitely fun and enjoyable ... 🙂
Also, I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Auto archeology, that's cool. Unbelievable what the SAAB has for a story. Great that she's so well documented. I'm looking forward to part 3!