Saab History

Saab History Visits Atomic Auto – Portland, Oregon

Posted on 23. Jan, 2008 by Ryan.

Photo Credits: Saab History

Over the past holiday season, I got the chance to visit two of my site sponsors, and one of them was Atomic Auto in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Getting this chance to meet the team led by Travis Decker, was quite nice and pleasant. Their shop was without question, extremely convenient and it never ceases to amaze me just how much product knowledge is retained in the independent Saab shops today.

During my visit, I got the chance to meet the rest of the crew, Lou, Barry and Eamon who got to show me a little about what their normal days are like and what kind of work they do. What really impressed me during my stay was how clean their shop was, in addition to just happening to see a frequent customer stop by to ask about getting his headlight working. The impressive part about this experience was seeing Travis meet the customer’s unscheduled visit and request within minutes allowing the customer to get back on the road again. Where does that kind of customer service exist today?

As I departed, Travis was able to get me some historical literature that he was saving, one of those pieces included an original Saab 900 engineering features booklet in “mint” condition!

A great shop, great people and great customer service!

Atomic Auto
726 SE 6th
Portland, Oregon 97214
503 969-3134

http://www.atomicauto.biz/

View Larger Map

Continue Reading

Saab History Welcomes Saab Colorado, Inc. as Sponsor

Posted on 07. Jan, 2008 by Ryan.

Saab History welcomes Saab Colorado, Inc. an independent Saab repair shop from the Denver, Colorado region of the United States as a site sponsor.

In 2000, I visited the owner of Saab Colorado, Inc., formerly known as Donald J. Koziol Saab repair, while I was visiting my Brother who lived there. I have to say that experience at Donald J. Koziol’s was memorable to say the least. I am more than happy that they have expressed their interest in supporting Saab history.

As part of this unique sponsorship arrangement, Saab of Colorado is also supporting Saab History’s video coverage of the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).
[...]

Continue Reading

Saab History’s 1992 Saab 900 Turbo Receives Support

Posted on 14. Dec, 2007 by Ryan.

Photo Credit: Saab History

The 1992 Saab 900 Turbo that I just rescued in Washington, D.C. had a safe travel up North to New England with special thanks to Bill Jacobson at Sports Car Service in Wilmington, Delaware, conveniently located off of Interstate 95.

This rust-free mid-atlantic Saab was a private sale that really needed some immediate replacement and repair in the tire & wheel department. The two front wheels were bald, not to mention varying tire speed ratings and three out of the four wheels were identified as bent.

Thanks to Mr. Jacobson’s Viking Wheel Service also conveniently located on the premises at Sports Car Service, I was able to not only get three replacement tires for the trip up North that matched the 4th tire, but I was also able to get these unique directional wheels straightened all at the same time. The result of Viking Wheel Service’s work, yielded a significantly safer and comfortable driving experience in comparison to the first two hours of the drive and that’s the least of what they do.

This Saab enthusiast operated Viking Wheel service not only straightens any and all Saab wheels, but they also completely restore them back to original OEM standards and look brand new. It is also important to mention that unlike many wheel restoring companies that use a process that virtually eliminates the lips of the wheel, Viking Wheel Service uses a special CNC lathe that has the accuracy of 200ths of an inch, resulting in the least amount of material removed in order to ensure a showroom condition.

Here is the list of amazing amount of services they provide:

Wheel straightening, Stripping, Certified Welding, CNC Face Machining, Refinishing, Powder Coating, Polishing, Chrome Plating, Custom Finishes, Wheel Widening, Custom Work, Wheel Locator Service.

I highly recommend taking full advantage of this Saab enthusiast owned and operated Viking Wheel Service at Sports Car Service. Conveniently located right off Interstate 95 for locals on the East coast region of the United States just 2-hours North of Washington, D.C. , and 4 hours South of New York city, Sports Car Service offers a multitude of wheel services at a reasonable price without the burden of state tax given their geographic location in Delaware. With the international exchange rate advantageous to those outside of the United States, you can take note that they also ship Internationally.

This is the place where I will be sending my wheels before next summer. If you need to get your wheels redone once and for all, I suggest you tour their website, then give them a call now that we’re in the winter season so that they are ready to enjoy by the summer.

The 2008 Saab Owners Convention is also just around the corner, so get those beat-up old Saab wheels into Viking Wheel Service, you’ll be glad you did!

View Larger Map

Viking Wheel Service
3901 N. Market St.
Wilmington, DE 19802

Phone: 302.764.4041

E-mail: vikingwheel@verizon.net

Web: http://www.vikingwheel.com/

Continue Reading

Saab History Welcomes New Sponsor Atomic Auto!

Posted on 01. Nov, 2007 by Ryan.

Please welcome Atomic Auto of Portland, Oregon as Saab History’s first sponsorship from an independent Saab mechanic!

I have yet to visit their shop in person, but I understand that they have a pretty capable crew that are up to any challenge when it comes to servicing those Saabs that are either out of warranty or are of a particular vintage.

Here is a testimonial from a customer in reference to their capabilities:

“Travis Decker’s knowledge of all things SAAB is beyond impressive. He’s always willing to share his knowledge, explain procedures, and discuss options without condescension, and without pushing additional services. He works quickly, with a thoughtful, practical approach to repair and maintenance that must come from being a SAAB owner himself. Travis has gone out of his way on many occasions to make sure I was happy with his work, and with being an SAAB owner (I’m on my second older model). I’ve recommended him highly to my friends and colleagues. He’s the kind of mechanic you hope to find.”

Outside of the servicing end of things, Atomic Auto also races Saabs as depicted in the photographs above. Travis Decker and his team are quite on top of just about everything Saab and from what you will read below, they also appear to get along well together, which can be especially tough the more people you have.

A kind thank you goes to Travis of Atomic Auto for sponsoring Saab History and I look forward to hearing more from them in the near future.

Below you will find their description of who they are, what they do and how it all started:

Atomic Auto was born in a barn in the wilds of northern Oregon during a stormy summer night in June of 2006. Spawned out of the endless energy (and insanity) of owner, manager and slave driver Travis “Wildash” Decker, Atomic Auto is proud to be Portland’s most unique, if not only, exclusively SAAB shop.
[...]

Continue Reading

Sports Car Service, Wilmington, DE – Saab Independent

Posted on 17. Oct, 2007 by Ryan.

Photo Credits: Saab History, Sports Car Service & National Airviews

On Saturday, October 13th, I had the opportunity to visit the Saab Independent, Sports Car Service of Wilmington, Delaware.

The History

Sports Car Service began operations in November of 1956, the same year that SAAB Motors, Inc. operations began in the United States and this family owned and operated Saab independent sales & service facility has been selling nothing but Swedish-built Saab automobiles ever since.

The People

Upon my visit I was greeted with a firm handshake by owner and general manager, Bill Jacobson, as well as his Father, John who was originally responsible for getting the business off the ground since the first owner passed away just prior to 1961, the same year that SAAB Motors, Inc. moved their operations from Hingham, Massachusetts to 100 Waterfront Street, New Haven, Connecticut. Mr. Jacobson also has four sisters, one of which now runs Saab of Baltimore and the first SAAB 96 that she drove resides in his showroom, in good overall shape.
[...]

Continue Reading

Saab Hobby turns into Saab Career

Posted on 27. Jul, 2007 by Ryan.

Photo Credits: Scott Hutchings

Scott Hutchings, the President of the Saab Owners Club of Canada, has just provided Saab History a press release appropriately titled “What happens when a hobby becomes more than just a hobby“?

Christian Skovbjerg as pilot and Scott Hutchings as co-pilot have now officially launched Aktive Motors Inc, a Saab Sales & Service business in Toronto, Ontario Canada. I am very excited for them about this venture and wish them well!

Here is the well written press release below:

What happens when a hobby becomes more than just a hobby?

You end up with something called Aktive Motors Inc.

Aktive Motors Inc. is the brain child of Christian Skovbjerg, a veteran of over 25 years of experience working on Saabs. Christian was educated in Sweden as an automotive engineer and worked for Saab Scania for many years, including roles such as Service Educator in Trollhättan at the head office for Saab.
Christian was also the first Saab Scania Master technician in the GTA.
He has worked in a number of the dealerships in the GTA and even spent some time in Singapore as a General Service Manager for a Saab/Porsche importer.

Obviously, Christian takes his “hobbies” very seriously.

This is where I come in. When Christian mentioned the idea of opening a Saab specialty shop to me, it was like a giant light bulb went on all of a sudden. “What would it be like to work in a place that deals with something that has become my greatest hobby?” Ideas started flowing and we started talking about this seriously. Christian wouldn’t have to do this on his own. I offered to work for him in whatever capacity he felt would fit. That was well over a year ago and on Tuesday July 3, we opened the doors on Aktive Motors Inc.
Don’t get me wrong, this is Christian’s business … he is the big cheese, the head honcho, the owner, but we will be building this business together.

Our mission is simple … to provide Saab owners with a place they feel at home, where they can come in for a coffee and a chat or have their Saab rebuilt from the ground up. We won’t be the cheapest place out there, but we also will not be cutting corners. When you come in for a brake job, you can expect the little things … like ensuring that you have had your brake fluid changed within the past 2 years. As part of our service, we will paint your callipers for you. Need an oil change? You’ll also get a complimentary wash and vacuum. Getting a major service on the car? We’ll take the extra time and detail your car for you.

We plan to have an extensive supply of new and used parts and are working with several suppliers of Saab performance parts. No longer will you have to order stuff from the US, the UK, or elsewhere. You will be able to buy in Canada and not worry about the hassles of customs, duties, or brokerage fees. And if we don’t have a relationship with a supplier, we will be happy to look into developing that. You will either be able to pick up the phone, stop by in person, or eventually, order on-line and have the parts shipped to you. Not only will we be able to supply the parts to a DYI’er, but we will also provide professional installation services for those not interested in getting their hands dirty.

Without any question, our focus will be on providing quality service and support for Saabs that no longer enjoy the benefits of warranty. However, for those who choose not to use the dealers for basic maintenance while your Saab is covered by the factory warranty, you will now have a place to go that will understand and care for your Saab with the highest level of professionalism available. If there is something on your Saab that requires the attention of your dealer, we will give you a full report and suggest that you take your car there.
Our objective is not to be in competition with the dealers, but simply to be an alternative to going to the local garage that knows nothing about Saabs. As a matter of fact, we will likely become one of the biggest customers of the dealers as they will be the main source of Saab parts for us.
There will be times when the best place for your car might be a dealership and the reverse could be just as true in other situations. By working with the dealerships instead of against them, we hope to be able to provide Saab owners with the best of all possible choices.

We will also be getting into selling “previously enjoyed” Saabs in the future. Exactly when that will be is hard to say as we need to focus on building the base business first. One thing you can be assured of is that we will approach those cars the same way as we approach our service … with professionalism and integrity. We take pride in the Saab brand and it will show in everything we do. When you come to see our Saabs, they will be clean and detailed and we will have them in proper working order for your test drive.

Our Saabs will also come with a warranty, something quite unheard of for use vehicles of any kind. And we aren’t talking about 3rd party warranties either … we will warranty the Saabs ourselves. We are still working on the details of this, but customers will be able to buy used Saabs with confidence. We have confidence in them, why shouldn’t our customers?

We are located at 886 Winston Churchill Road, just south of the QEW and Royal Windsor Drive. Our hours of operation will be Monday to Friday 8:00AM to 6:00PM with extended hours until 8:00PM on Tuesday and Thursday, plus Saturdays from 8:00AM to 12:00PM. Our phone number is 905-842-0017. Our web site will be located at www.AktiveMotors.ca once we have it up and running.

Until we meet again, Happy Saabing!

Scott

Continue Reading