Nines 360 – April-June 2020
Features
Saving that Old Rusty Saab 8
Saab Trikes 10
Zantech Automotive 11
Saab Wheels 12
The Big Dance 14
Viggen VIP Stories 28
2020 SCNA Election Proxy Ballot 32
2020 SCNA Election Bios 33
Nothing Short of Epic 36
SCNA and Club News
Saab Services and Discounts 26
NEVS News 30
North American Saab Clubs and Contacts 34
SCNA News 35
Departments
Letters 4
From the Archives by Bruce Harbison 6
The Doctor is In by By Kelly R. Conaty, MD, MBA 16
On the Column by Bob Miller 18
Professional Perspective by Chuck Andrews 20
Through a Windscreen Darkly by Linnea Krajewski 22
Nix’s Saab Shots By Karis Nix 24
Classified Ads 38
President’s Letter
Dear SCNA Members,
There is nothing like a weekend away with Saab friends to ignite the excitement for SOC. At the end of February, many SCNA board members and volunteers visited Albany, NY, for our site visit at the Desmond Hotel. Since Albany is just a few hours’ drive from Boston and many other cities in New England and New York, some board members flew to Boston so that we could drive out to Albany together. On Thursday, a few of our Board Members visited a nearby race track to investigate the possibility of running a track day on Thursday, July 16. We hope to be able to offer this event, so be on the lookout for more information about this or another exciting event to kick off SOC 2020.
Our SOC theme this year, “State of Independence. Still on our own road,” chosen to celebrate the community that has allowed Saab to continue to survive and thrive. With the continued support of SCNA members, Orio/Saab Original parts and Official Service Centers, as well as the hundreds of independent businesses who welcome the Saab community, we hope to continue steadily down our road of independence.
As part of our visit to Albany, we visited Elite Motors in nearby Vorheesville. Owner Jason Duncan and his team at Elite welcomed us and let us tour his expansive repair shop and private collection of unique and unusual Saabs. You will have to come to SOC to view some of his rare cars that even Saab enthusiasts like me have almost never seen in person. In addition to the owner’s collection, Elite has a slew of parts cars as well as some vehicles for sale. Independent shops like Elite Motors continue to provide valuable service and support to the Saab community, and we look forward to welcoming him and other sponsors for SOC 2020.
There are a number of other important events, from simple meet-ups to organized car shows besides SOC that strive to bring the Saab community together. In late March, SCNA and the Virginia Saab club hosted their second annual event, held at the Blue Ridge School in Dyke, VA. May brings us to Carlisle, PA, where you will be sure to see the largest collection of Saabs outside of SOC. If you have information about regional events, we would love to hear more about them. SCNA is always working to incorporate local Saab clubs and groups in order to help publicize events.
On the ride home, SCNA Vice President Daniel Cahill wanted to stop at a special street called Saab Ct. that he had located in Springfield, MA with the help of Google maps. As you may have expected, there were not too many other people vying for a photo of themselves and their car in the same frame as this street sign, so we managed to get a prime parking location. The street lights made taking a picture more difficult, but of course we managed to document our visit to this famous street.
Respectfully,
Sanford Bogage
President, Saab Club of North America