Koenigsegg Wants To Buy Saab

[Zorro]

Source: Dagens Industri

Supercar maker Koenigsegg wants to by its long-neglected, but quirky, neighbor Saab. That would be the best thing to happen to the brand that's not really born from jets since GM bought it in 1990.

The three remaining bidders for Saab are Koenigsegg, billionaire Ira Rennert and Jim Press's personal saviour, Fiat.

"According to sources close to GM the toughest battle is expected between U.S. billionaire Ira Rennert and Swedish carmaker Koenigsegg," reports Swedish paper Dagens Industri, which goes on to state that Koenigsegg has lined up financing from a group of "very wealthy people."

Read more: http://jalopnik.com/5272912/koenigsegg-wants-to-buy-saab

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For those who drive or like Saabs, the possibility of being purchased by a supercar manufacturer that's interested in green technology is intriguing news.

[PurityOfEssence]

1. Yeah, well they'd BETTER be "very wealthy people" if they're going to drive Saabs

They're horrendously expensive to repair, and they break down constantly. Never again. Never never never again.

The true name of the brand comes from the sound of the owner.

[CreekDog]

2. Maybe they can finally get the ignition off the floor

:wtf: :eyes:

[madrchsod]

8. i had saabs where the starter rod was through the firewall

i used to have a rope in one of my 93`s

[Dover]

3. Where's the green?

http://jalopnik.com/tag/koenigsegg/

Looked at Koenigsegg's website and couldn't find green anywhere. In fact it seems quite the opposite. What am I missing?

[Zorro]

4. Here ya go

http://www.koenigsegg.com/pressreleases.php?view=16

[Dover]

7. Oooooo..thanks! How sad that the U.S. manages to suppress this kind of innovation.

I don't believe it's for a lack of great engineers. It's the corporate mindset and
cow-towing to big oil and other industry lobbyists among other things. And perhaps their
location in the midwest has something to do with it....lol....you betcha.

[madrchsod]

10. saab had a concept car that had solar panel in the roof

the solar panel powered the heating and cooling system. yes toyota was not the first

[Old Coot]

5. We had 3 Saabs in the 1960's. They were good cars then.

And affordable by most anyone, at the time.

2 had 3 cylinder/2 cycle engines with a lifetime warranty on the engine. The engines were very dependable for the day (unless you used the wrong kind of oil, which I did as a teenager.) They had many safety features uncommon for the day. They all had a mechanism to allow freewheeling when going down hills to save fuel. They had front wheel drive, which was unusual for that time. We enjoyed the cars.

Then, in the late 1970's, I bought another Saab. It was a nightmare. It was fun to drive, when it ran. The electrical system was constantly tearing up. I could find no mechanic who could adjust the mechanical fuel injection, so I had to leave the dirty air filter in it the whole time I had it. If I put a new filter in, the car wouldn't run. One of my employees said the she thought that the Saab caused my mental breakdown. She could have been right. Everywhere I went, I had to carry a complete tool kit and spare parts. It was a nightmare.

I don't know what the proposed market would be for Saabs unless they can make them more reliable than I have heard they are.

[flvegan]

6. I see a 1,000 horsepower, biodiesel powered Saab 9-3 wagon in the future.

God but I love Koenigsegg. It's Swedish for "Oh no, I think my head's just exploded."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svxRpqeqFRY

[LeftyMom]

15. I see a stress-induced ulcer in my future if you get a 1000 hp anything.

You're already the second most aggressive driver I know.

I'm taking the fifth about who the first is. O8)

[madrchsod]

9. that would be nice....

i love the orginal 93-96 saabs. i`ve had over 26 of them and now i can`t afford to buy one now. best cars i`ve ever owned

[Dover]

11. Agreed! Just hope if this happens they'll be available to the U.S. market.

In the past Americans could only drool from across the pond at many of the innovative
and efficient models with a few exceptions.
Among those exceptions, I've always loved Saabs and Mazda's....until U.S. companies got ahold of 'em.
So now maybe they'll get a new 'lease' on life.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

12. Christian von Konigsegg is probably

the most brilliant automotive engineer on the planet.

[alfredo]

13. Beautiful machines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZPXQMLeTgk&feature=player_embedded Not for the faint of heart.

[sofa king]

14. Any Saab mechanics out there?

I worked at a high-line dealership long ago, and the mechanics never complained when the odd Saab taken in trade came through.

According to one of them, part of the attraction was that most major maintenance and repairs can be completed with the book-sized toolbox in the back of the car.

I've always wondered if that was true. Anyone know?

(I do know this: never clean the engine of an old Saab with water. The inline four cylinder's spark plugs stand vertically and are recessed, and water collects there. When you get water in the plug bay, it doesn't want to start. Take the plugs out and the water drains into the cylinders, and then it really doesn't want to start. Yeah, I should have guessed that before I did it, but I didn't.)