Koenigsegg Buys Saab

This is the best thing to come of GM having purchased Saab. I'm rather pleased to see Saab going back to being wholly Sweedish. It just seems right, or maybe that is because it feels a whole lot less wrong than the Chinese buying Saab. Question of the day... how many Koenigsegg employees have owned or own Saab products?

I'm with "keepaustinweird" about the '00 Viggen. The 1999-2002 generation (pre-GM) is my absolute favorite. I think SAAB had just re-purchased the company back from GM in 1997 or 1998 (? am I right?), and they launched the new line in 1999, then re-sold to GM again in 2002, and GM came out with their line in 2003 or 2004. (May not have all my facts straight so don't hold me to the dates.) In any case - I love my Viggen. It is now going into it's 10th year. It still gets 32 MPG. It has tons of room, is still sexy and still super fast. When I hit 160,000 miles I had to replace the fuel pump and opted to do that rather than buy a new car because there is absolutely nothing on the market that I want that could compare to my Viggen. So I decided to wait, and I'm so glad I did. One week after my fuel pump replacement, Koenigsegg announced their intent to purchase SAAB and I couldn't be happier! I'll drive this Viggen into the ground waiting for a new model from Koenigsegg that is actually made well, versus the current generation that are essentially on a Chevy Chassis with a SAAB logo. Tragic. GM destroyed the car but hopefully the brand will survive.

This appears to be very good news for loyal Saab enthusiasts like myself. Hopefully Koenigsegg will return SAAB to counter-culture aesthetic and functional appeal. I miss the unique interiors (full of highly accessible buttons and good build quality) of cars like the SAAB 9000 Aero and hopefully these unique interiors will resurface. I have owned a 900, a 9000 and a 9-5 and was going to be done with SAAB because of what GM did to the interiors in 2007 but now I look forward to the 2010 Koenigsegg SAAB's!

I'm sure glad I held on to my 1978 99 Turbo. This one-of-kind model (first Turbo/last 99) is what hooked me on SAAB. I was an undergraduate back in 1981/1982 when I first saw that unusually shaped car with the fighter jet windshield. At closer inspection it was the smooth,ergonomic knob of the shifter and the ignition key uniquely placed at its base that further caught my eye. I finally test drove one after graduation while shopping for my first car: The purr, the cockpit seat belts, the 4-speed Turbo acceleration,and the simplicity in opening the manual sunroof after reaching cruising speed - aah, what pleasure. I've been smitten ever since. Can you blame me?