As many of you already know, this year marks 40 years since the launch of the Saab 9000. The car model that refuses to age. Still, more than 25 years after it stopped being produced, many Saab 9000s are seen in daily traffic and in advertisements many cars are seen that have gone over 300,000 kilometers but are still in good condition.
It’s also no surprise that the model took center stage at this year’s Saab Festival. This means that the spotlight was on the model that so many of us have a dear relationship and memories around. Not least all those who have been involved in developing and manufacturing the car. You will find a short retrospect of the festival a bit further down this page.
During the last year, as you who are already members know, we have on several occasions interviewed the Support Organizations own Gunnar Johansson who was working at Saab from 1971 until the end and was also involved in developing many of the details and processes that were new on the Saab 9000, including the challenges they had with the rear spoiler and how it went about when the automatic climate control system ACC saw the light of day. These films are available on the members’ page, which all paying members have access to. Now that it is the anniversary year, we feel a little extra generous and would like to share two of these wonderful videos, about the rear spoiler and the introduction of the ACC system, and the challenges faced, both in terms of production technology and fit. Other videos can be found as before on the member page.
Saab Festival 2024 in retrospect
The Festival is over for this time and the Saab Car Museum Support Organization would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Saab Car Museum Supporters who visited our tent and discussed and told your fantastic stories, both those of you who have been with us since before and those of you who chose to become members now during the festival. It is you who make what we do possible 
We in the Support Organization got off to a flying start on Wednesday by showing ourselves and a Saab 9000 at the first Slussträff of the season and already there we made contact with six people who want to become Saab Car Museum Supporters.
On Friday we stood in our tent outside the entrance to the Museum and handed out festival passes to our members and explained to those who did not know us what we do and why they should become members. About 25 people listened to our message and chose to sign up for membership of the organization.
Saturday at the Saab Car Museum Festival at the Innovatum area with the Saab Car Museum as the obvious centre point, offered many highlights, and even a few glimpses of sunshine, despite the rather grim weather outlook in the morning. We in the Saab Car Museum Support Organization had the pleasure of welcoming another 25 new members to the organization. There was a great interest for the organization and not least the group 3 car that the organization restored and donated to the Museum attracted many curious visitors, not least when the engine’s beautiful song sounded over the area.
The organization also distributed the scholarships in the two memorial funds established by the organization. In the Erik Carlsson Memorial Fund, where the recipient should have made a significant contribution to Saab in motorsport in the spirit of Erik Carlsson, rally driver Per-Arne Sjöstedt was honoured for his long and and inspiring rallying with Saab in historic racing. In the Hans Johnsson Memorial Fund, Fredrik Grewin was honoured for his extraordinary renovation of his Saab 9000 Aero in the spirit of Hans Johnson.
The Support Organization was also honoured to receive a donation from The Saab Owners Club of Great Britain of no less than £2000, which of course both we and the Museum are extremely grateful and happy for.
Many of the The Saab Car Museum Festival 2024 visitors spent Sunday at Kinnekulle Ring, to take the chance to drive their Saab on the track, or watch others do it and listen to the beauty of Saab engines in all its forms. The day’s weather conditions gave drivers the opportunity to test their Saab in both wet and dry conditions. The Support Organization took the opportunity to air and show the Group 3 car, which was restored by the organization and donated to the Museum in 2019, in its proper environment and let visitors hear the engine sing its beautiful song over Kinnekulle.
