Page 11
GLSC GM Historical Center Tour Contd
Beaman and John Libbos from Saab,
who gave us some background on
the facility and how it operates. The
first car we saw in the lobby (likely
not coincidentally) was a rare Saab
92, the one many of us have seen
in previous years at the SOCs. Then
the real fun began as we walked
into a large, darkened “hall” that
held an estimated 125 significant
GM cars from the past 100 or so
years. Production cars included a‘76
Eldorado convertible, some muscle
cars and older Caddie convertibles,
various Corvettes, several “antique”
models from the various maker.
It was overwhelming. Amazingly,
all of this was just assembled in
the past 3 or 4 years, as each of
the separate brands had their own
“collections” that were stored and
(sometimes) maintained, but there
was apparently little consistency.
Now, however, the cars are getting
some outstanding treatment that
you have to see to appreciate.
There were several engines on
display, loads of neon dealership
signs and static displays, and a
breathtaking collection of concept
and show cars that | wish | had
more pictures of, even though | shot
constantly for 45 minutes. Ever seen
the Firebird | and 11? Or a Corvair
Monza GT (recently featured in a
popular British car magazine), or
a sublty modified Firebird with a
Ferrari V12? Or so many Corvair
variations you can hardly keep them
all straight? We also saw a Cadillac
LeMans race car, several real and
cloned NASCAR cars, some one-off
Corvettes and some Hummer-like
SUV prototypes. And that is without
trying to peek at the stuff under covers!
Oh yes-the Saabs. Many of you
will recall Eric Johnson’s 1960 96
RAC-winning rally car, and that was
proudly displayed in the center of the
facility, with a Sonett | near it. The
Saab portion of the collection initially
started with the cars that SCUSA
owned in Atlanta, which many of us
have seen at the SOC’s over the
years. These were mainly of the two-
digit variety, from the aforementioned
92, a GT750, a Quantum |, the
Sonett | and I! and the Talledega
9000 and 900. In addition, GM has
added to the collection with an ultra-
rare red 1986 900 Turbo convertible,
ared 91 SPG, atan 1970 99 (ex-Tom
Donney) and there are rumors of a99
Turbo in the wings somewhere too.
The second half of the tour was a
visit to the CAS (Custom Automotive
Services) facility, the company that
does all of the storage, detailing,
shipping, and more recently,
restoration work on GM's collection.
And did | mention there are over
800 cars in this “collection?” We
drove a couple of miles and met the
owner (whose name escapes me at
the moment) and some of his staff.
CAS, started about 20 years ago to
work just for GM, originally got into
just working with the auto carriers so
that cars slated to go to shows and
events were ready to go and on the
right truck. For a growing collection
of 800-some one-off and rare cars,
that is a lot right there. More recently,
however, they have ventured into
restoration as GM adds to its fleet.
So after viewing even more rare
and interesting vehicles, we toured
the restoration facility, where Tom
Donney’'s old 99 was now looking
like it was mid-assembly line in
Trollhattan rather than 36 years old.
The rule for restoration at CAS is
that it has to be “perfect,” and CAS
told us of one instance where they
had not only to remake some non-
existent bleed nipples for a vintage
Pontiac, but also hire an engraver to
put on the tiny Pontiac logo, which
hardly any one would ever be able
to see! As | said, the Saabs are
under good care! There is also a
Sonett Ill in the works, being built
from the remains of two cars, and
at least one of these (the 99) was
said to be headed, complete, to
the 2006 SOC. Of course, many of
us wanted our own project Saabs
to be “next in line,” as the level of
detail there is just astounding. You
will certainly see their handiwork
at future conventions, and perhaps
we can even invite them to speak!
Our sincere thanks to all of those
who took their time to host us that day,
including Jan-Willem Vester, John
Libbos and Tom Beaman of SCUSA
and various GM people, including
Gary Stottler who helped in the initial
planning. We thoroughly enjoyed
seeing the collection and hope we
can visit again sometime in the future.
- Reported by Jim Laman
More Club News on page 27.
Page 12
Saab owners’ convention at Lake George
Saab owners and enthusiasts gathered to
celebrate their passion for their cars and
the Saab brand at the 24th annual North
American Saab Owners Convention. One
owner even traveled from the land down
under—Australia, that is.
This year’s event was held August
24-27, 2006 in Lake George, New York at
the Roaring Brook Resort and Conference
Center. This all-inclusive family resort is
situated in the beautiful scenery of the
famous Adirondack region.
More than 200 vehicles were on
display and joined the weekend activities
such as the Concours d’Saab, the People’s
Choice Contest and technical seminars.
Saab Automobile USA also brought an
array of vehicles, ranging from the award-
winning Aero X concept car introduced
at the Geneva Motor Show to a collectible
9-3 Aero Convertible ‘20 Year Anniversary
Edition’, as well as a number of vehicles
from the Saab USA Heritage Collection.
Among them were a freshly restored 1970
Saab 99,a 1973 Sonnett and a 1991 900
Turbo SPG—all considered milestones
in Saab’s nearly 60-year history as an
auto manufacturer.
“Saab owners are unique in terms
of their affection for their vehicles and
the brand,” said Jay Spenchian, Saab
Automobile USA General Manager.
“This annual convention provides a
unique opportunity for passionate Saab
supporters to come together, sharing
experiences and stories centered around
their cars.” Spenchian was also the
keynote speaker at the Saturday night
banquet, updating participants on the
‘State of Saab 2006.’
OO ga
Page 13
Wile LOC” press Leleasl
regarding60"Anniversary models
of the 9-3 and 9-5. In NINES #230
for June 1996 there is mention
of a Limited Edition 9000 CS.
“The unique lustrous metallic
black paint and silver 8-spoke
wheels give the Limited Edition
Java Black 9000 CS the look of
luxury, but with the popular 2.3
liter Light Pressure Turbo engine,
itis alsoan economical choice. The
Java Black color features a gold
mica metallic flake in black paint Jr
for an elegant accent. Saab will
sell only 300 copies of this special
9000S—one per dealer—all with
power front seats with Sand Beige
leather upholstery, a power glass
sunroof and black rear spoiler.
The Car is priced at $34,295 with
d-speed manual; add $1,045 for
automatic.” I hope many of the
readers are still enjoying their
9000s, special editions or not.