Autoblog

Rumormill: Saab to enter WRC with new 9-2

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Saab, Rumormill

Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Saab was quite successful in rally competition once upon a time, and it looks like the automaker's new management hopes to kick-start the brand's revival with a return its motorsports roots.

The word out of Europe is that Saab has met with World Rally Championship officials and committed to a 2012 entry into the series with a machine based on its upcoming smaller car. Depending on who you talk to, the new model could be dubbed either the 9-1 or 9-2.

The small car project originally began several years ago when Saab was still under the General Motors umbrella with the car expected to be based on the Gamma platform that underpins the Opel Corsa. As an independent, Saab doesn't have the resources to develop such a platform on its own and is currently talking to other potential partners including BMW and some Chinese makers. Expect its design to be inspired heavily by the Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid concept (above).

If Saab hooks up with BMW, it could have a Mini-based 9-1/9-2 competing against the new Mini Countryman WRC.

Gallery: Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept

[Source: CAR]

Rumormill: Saab to enter WRC with new 9-2 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saab enthusiasts planning rally at GM HQ?

Chris Shunk — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:58:00 EST

Filed under: GM, Saab

Saab: A history in pictures - Click above for high-res gallery

After canceling a earlier deadline of December 31, General Motors has given potential suitors until January 7 to come up with a bid for Saab or the storied Swedish brand will go the way of the dodo. On a business level, the move to rid itself of Saab makes sense. Saab is a perennial money loser and it has never quite figured out how to handle the brand. At this point, about the only possibility for Saab to escape the guillotine is for Spyker Cars or another bidder to somehow come up with a satisfactory last minute bid- or is it?

The brand enthusiasts at Saab History are trying to stage a last minute rally of their own - only instead of a bid for the company, these fans are looking to rally at GM's Renaissance Center headquarters in Detroit, hoping that a show of force will help keep the doors open in Trollhättan. The goal is to assemble an impressive show of force just hours prior to the General's January 7 board meeting that will determine the fate of the brand. The directions are simple. Get to GM headquarters, park your Saab, get some group photos and talk to the press.

The hope of the rally is that GM's board members will see the outpouring of support for Saab and somehow push harder to make a deal a reality. While that sounds nice - and probably fun - like the hoped-for agreement with Spyker itself, it remains to be seen whether the plan can be seen through. After all, the rally suggestion was floated just yesterday, and thus far plans are in their infancy. That said, we've seen car enthusiasts scrap together more with less, so this is something worth keeping an eye on. Interested in learning more? Click on the link below.

Gallery: Saab - A History in Pictures

[Source: Saab History]

Saab enthusiasts planning rally at GM HQ? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saab retro-racer takes on Mexico

Stuart Waterman — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 11:02:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Saab

Saab is sending this classic 1960 Saab 96 rally car to Mexico to compete in the upcoming 19th running of La Carrera Panamericana, the legendary '50s open road race, since evolved into a more genteel (and less deadly) vintage car rally.

The forty-six year-old Saab, dubbed "The Pearl," will be piloted by Nicolina Hubert and Anna Sorensson (pictured), who will unleash the three-cylinder, two-stroke Saab on the Mexican roads this Friday, when the road race begins in Veracruz. You can follow their exploits here.

The diminutive Saab 96 was a rally superstar in the early '60s, winning the Monte Carlo rally outright in 1962 and 1963. In race trim, the 850 cc, 38 hp three-banger was bored out to 1000 cc and put out 90 hp, enough to motivate the 1,800 lb FWD classic at race-winning speeds back in the day.

[Source: GM]

Saab retro-racer takes on Mexico originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Nov 2006 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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