The Pa Taket garage

You may remember our Pa Taket amphibian Saab model which attended at Red Bull Rapids race last year. Everybody was very afraid of it through the floods in summer. But it survived.

The owner of the place, where Pa Taket was stored, moved out, so there was a need for a new garage. Here it is. I don't know the guy on the photo, but his bravery to store it this way is awesome! I hope that both, the courage and the Pa Taket hold and remain where they are now.

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Hirsch Performance restarts production

This is really great news. In a recent newsletter Hirsch Performance announces, that it will restart production of some of the parts which have been sold out.

Nice! Well not everything, but some parts yes. The newsletter says:

Production restart

Since two weeks, it is again possible for Swedish customers to order a new Saab 9-3 Aero! There is also a chance that the new Saab 9-3 Aero will soon become available for order in other countries as well.

In spring of 2014, the first happy customers will be able to pick up their new car directly from the factory in Trollhättan.

In response to those good news, Hirsch Performance have decided to restart production of some previously sold-out products, both to complement the new car, but also to offer an attractive accessory portfolio to existing Saab owners.
The new accessory parts are for the Saab 9-3, including the new model year 2014 Saab 9-3 Aero.

The production will initially be in small volumes only, so to ensure timely delivery, we recommend to pre-order parts through your local Saab dealer.


We wish you and your family a happy new year!

Yours sincerely,

The Hirsch Performance Team

And the products:

01. Roof spoiler

Already on stock in limited volume 

In anticipation of a future restart of the production of the 9-3 in wagon form, we have produced a small number of 9-3 roof spoilers, which are now available in stock. The roof spoiler is delievered primed, including all required installation parts. It fits all Saab 9-3 SportCombi and 9-3X.
 

02. Leather interior

6-piece leather interior kit for the Saab 9-3 MY07-
The popular Hirsch Performance leather interior kit, which has been sold out for some time, will become available again from Q1 / 2014. The kit includes the four door handles, the handbrake handle and the multi-slot cover.

03. Sport steering wheel

Sport steering wheel for the Saab 9-3
The steering wheel for the Saab 9-3 will be available again from Q2 / 2014. It will fit the Saab 9-3 MY06 - as well as the new Saab 9-3 Aero.
Note: The steering wheels are shipped without the airbag and without the switch units, which need to be carried over from the original steering wheel.

04. Sport sedan boot lid spoiler

The boot lid spoiler will be available in a new pre-painted version. The available colors are the same as introduced with the New Saab 9-3; jet black and diamond silver.
The boot lid spoiler integrates perfectly with the new 2014 Saab 9-3 Aero but can be installed to all Saab 9-3 MY08 -.

05. 8x19" 6-twin spoke rim

The new production lot of the 8x19" rim will be available in Q3 / 2014.
The new rim will be painted in a new, modern color and therefore be a perfect fit for the new 2014 Saab 9-3 Aero.

06. Discount on software performance upgrades

The 50% und 30% discount for the software performance upgrades will continue!

Starting january 1-st, 2014, a 30% discount is available for cars from model year 2009 and 2010.
A 50% discount will be applicable for all cars from model year 2008 and older.

source: Saablog-in and Hirsch Performance newsletter

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Winter ?

One would expect tons of snow, ice and winter atmosphere here in Europe. Instead of it it's ... cabrio weather. This is 24.12.2013, Bratislava, Slovakia. 11°C, sunshine. hmm...

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Merry Christmas and only the best for 2014

Christmas are here again. For me, these are the days when all the stress and hurry stops for a moment. The days to be with the family and the loved ones. But not everybody lives these days in peace and harmony and this is why I am thankful, that I have this luxury.

And I am wish you all, dear readers, that you have it too.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
alex @ saabism

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Music for cabriolets: Nitin Sawhney - Sunset

This worked very well in the car.A recently discovered older piece. Smart, modern and subtle. A bit pop but by far not village carousel stuff.

The author Nitin Sawhney is a very respected composer, musician and producer. He worked with Sting, Cirque Du Soleil, Paul McCartney, Imogen Heap and many others. Well no wonder ...

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99 Turbo photoshopping

Usually I don't like too much photoshopping, but this one somehow catched my attention. It seems to be a car from the SCNA Heritage Collection.

In the original picture are Inca wheels, which are to be respected, but I like these photoshopped as well.  There are a couple of other Saabs on the source site.

Source: Virtual Models / Photoshop Chops

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Cabrio ride hints: Transylvania

The rented 9-5 in front of the huge Palace of Parliament.

Many trips in Romania usualy start in the capital Bucharest. Mine as well. After a couple of business trips I've decided to stay for a weekend, rent a car, see more of the city and drive through the countryside.

Actually you can rent a Saab in Bucharest. They don't realise at all, that there are only a few places in the world where you can do that. At one of the major car rental companies. You just have to require it and resist the E-class offer. 

It was not exactly cheap, but I've got a gorgeous 9-5 Turbo4 XWD Aero with only 19.000 km on the clock. Crashed (a bit) from the rear :) I didn't care. And despite that in the papers is written "Lin", leading to Linear, it was an Aero. Every Saab fan knows what that means.

Don't drive in Bucharest, if you want to keep your smile. 

Except your're a stoic person. I've learned that the more south you drive (in continental Europe) the more chaos rules the city traffic. Bucharest is not an exception. Traffic jams, stressed drivers pushing themselves into every possible gap honking all the time. Defensive driving ? Forget it.

Instead go outside if you have a car.

Hints were given by several people incl. romanian colleagues where to go. The hottest hint was Transfagarasan Highway which was featured and loved in Top Gear, but it's closed in winter. Another hint was Transalpina DN67C, but I've followed a hint o from a friend, an experienced motorbiker, organising motorbike tours and knowing this area.


View Larger Map

It was a part of a longer journey and also a two in one: a great drive and in the middle of it The Bran Castle, one of the possible inspirations of  Bram Stoker when writing the Dracula in 1897.

Three hints for travellers:
1) Don't expect everything to be nice. There are many very poor people around living with nearly no income, many parts of your journey will remind you on that all the time.

2) The travel is slow. There are very few highways and the "express roads" allow max. 90 kmh and are covered by long villages, where you must slow down. Plan accordingly. Google maps are in general right with the travel time estimations.

3) There are dogs freely living in the countryside. Everywhere. Be good to them, because they will be friendly to you, because of the food they want. Also they are a part of the nature and unfortunately they are often hunted by the people for money. Rather don't judge this, just be good to them. 

Transylvania is a well known part of Romania. The hills I am referring to are Carpathian Mountains, a 1500km long chain of mountains, starting in the southeast of the Czech Republic / western Slovakia and continuing in Poland, Ukraine into Romania and Serbia. [map].

Once you come into the hills, you can get this view:

Luck with the weather. For a while.

The HUD was a nice bonus.

Like on a post card.

You get empty roads, in average in good condition and wonderful scenic mountain views. Not very fast roads, but that's not what is expected here. Some places to stop are always there.

One longer and recommended stop is the Bran Castle. An ancient castle, which started as a fortress in 1211 and then continued as a castle since around 1388. It has a long and interesting history, which is worth to see. You can go in, it's an hour long walk inside and in the courtyard. Beneath that is a small marketplace.

Bran Castle.

The road then continues in direction to the city Pitesti through a wonderful hill drive. The scenery in this, for european context wild area, is just beautiful. Untouched nature, at least in the hills and not too much tourists. Just watchout while you drive not to look too much around, the road is curvy.

Some scenic stops are there. Not many.

A curvy road.

How was the Saab ? Great. The 220hp engine had enough power in the hectic city traffic as well as in the mountains. It has an automatic transmission, so a slight delay is there. But it's a great feeling when the large Saab is angry accelerating. It was great in the curves, the response from the steering wheel is quicker and steeper than in mine 9-3.

The equipment had everything what you would expect from an Aero, except the GPS. Important detail was the AUX input, I had a cable into my phone, means my music, because the local radios are terrible. It made me actually think about buying one. Saab, not radio. Again the repeating heart contra brain fight. It's such a pity GM denies to let them build.

This is a very recommended trip. A strange part of the world, with reported but largely underrated beauty. A world of it's own, kind of peculiar. Why cabrio ride hint ? Because this must be in summer with a convertible a fantastic trip. I plan to do it again in summer if the situation admits.

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