<OT> Swedish Cars (was Re: suse 8.2 networking)

[Leon Goldstein]

Roger Oberholtzer wrote:

>On Wed, 14 May 2003 22:42:50 -0500
>Jack Berger <jberger at midwestiso.org> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>> volvo 850s rule...
>>> 
>>> saabs are "that other" swedish car!  
>>    
>>
>
>SAABs are interesting because they were first designed by aircraft designers
>at SAAB (SAAB is something like Svensk Aviation AB, where AB is the
>equivalent of Inc). SAAB was and is primarily an aircraft company. They said
>that if they could make something fly, keeping it on the road cannot be much
>more difficult. So the first SAABs were rather aerodynamic in design, with
>controls a bit different from other cars. The thing about SAABs having the
>ignition key on the floor comes from that initial layout. Of course, things
>have changed. SAAB is now part of GM...
>  
>
I discovered SAAB in 1967.  I had just bought my first almost-new car, a 
Volvo 122.
The Volvo dealership had worthless mechanics, and I was getting 
frustrated until another
Volvo owner suggested taking my car to the SAAB dealer.  They had two 
mechanics,
Sven and Ake, neither of whom spoke much English other than "ja shur, ve 
feeks" but
they sure spoke Volvo.

One day while waiting for my 122 to be serviced, the one and only 
salesman was bored
and offered me a test drive of a SAAB 93.  This one had the old 
3-cylinder 2-stroke engine.
He fired the thing up.  It sounded like an angry sewing machine.  While 
driving down a
side street at the legal 35 MPH limit, the salesman spun the steering 
wheel.  The 93's
rear wheels lifted and the front pivoted 90 degrees.  We were about 20 
feet down the
cross street headed in the new direction when the rear tires returned to 
earth.

 From that point on I was sold on SAAB.  Unfortunately, I was chained to 
the Volvo 122 by
an iron-clad finance contract.  I think the only reason I didn't do 
anything foolish was because
the SAAB 93's windows did not roll down all the way (heck, who needs 
fresh air in Swedish winter?)
and it got kinda stuffy in California.


-- 
Leon A. Goldstein

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