Tim Winker
Saginaw, Minnesota
Tim Winker’s first car was a 1960 SAAB 93F, a gift to himself for his 18th birthday. Tim was fascinated by the fact that a two-stroke, three-cylinder, 850cc engine in a front wheel drive car could beat Corvettes and Mustangs in ice races.
In 1986 Winker took over as editor/publisher of The Saab Club Newsletter, and his daily driver was a 1979 99, dubbed the NINE-T9. During the first few months of his tenure the newsletter was given the name NINES, and it later grew into a bi-monthly magazine. It was his full time job for 13 years. In the late 1990s when Internet use was growing rapidly, he created the first web site for the Saab Club at saabclub.com.
Winker took his passion for motorsports to the pages of NINES. He wrote about building one of his 99s into an Improved Touring road race car, and documented his participation in events such as One Lap of America and the Alcan 5000. He was a participant in the 1996 Saab 9000 Talladega Challenge, and was one of the drivers who helped Saab set several world speed records.
Winker remains a Saab owner and enthusiast, and has stayed active in the Saab Club. He lives in a rural area near Twig, Minnesota, with a dog, Greta, two cats, Freddy and Colby, and about a dozen old Saabs.