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the 2002 Wine Tour

2010 ...past events are chronicled further down on this page

MARCH 20 - SATURDAY 10 AM CLUB PLANNING MEETING AND CAR SHOW at the Swedish Auto Factory / Santa Clara

We will kick off the season with a get together at the www.swedishautofactory.com an independent Saab and Volvo repair shop. While I am hoping to assign (or have volunteers) for club events, don't be bashful about showing up. On the other hand, if you ever wanted to become more active with club activities, NOW IS THE TIME. I hope that this year we will have a number of club drives - maybe a rallye - some swap meets and whatever else is an interest of a sponsoring member. What about a dealership show - are any left??? Bring parts to swap, stories to share. Bring your own LUNCH. Be prepared to pop your hood and view all the mods and tech upgrades other members have installed. Have a tech session with one of the SAF experts. Take a tour of Paul's ever changing vintage Saab collection (both inside and out). COME HAVE SOME WINTER FUN... Everyone is welcome - my presidential agenda is to leave with a schedule for the season.

I'm organizing the "2010 Vintage Volvo Challenge at Sears Point April 9,10,11th. We also have a Saab or two in the race. Do you think you could spread the word to the Saab guys who might want to come and spectate? We will have a Car Corral and a lot of the Volvo Clubs are coming. Saabs would be more than welcome to race, or just show the cars. contact Alan Berry alanb@alanberrydesign.com
2010 SAAB Convention Information:

The SAAB CLUB OF NORTH AMERICA presents the 28th Annual
SAAB OWNERS CONVENTION 2010
As SOC10 planning continues, information on reservation and hotel accommodations will be added at: http://www.saabconvention.com

Saturday, June 21, 1980 was the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.It was also the date of the inaugural “Longest Day at Nelson Ledges” 24 hour race. The country was still in the throes of its second oil crisis, brought about by the Iranian Revolution and subsequent Iran Iraq war. The sports cars of the day included the Porsche 924, Mazda RX7, and BMW 320, but at the end of the Longest Day, a Saab 900 Turbo was at the head of the pack. The Saab Club of North America will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Longest Day at Nelson Ledges victory by holding its annual Owners’ Convention in Aurora, Ohio from July 22-25th, 2010. The festivities will commence with an optional Track Day at Nelson Ledges Road Course on Thursday, July 22, where attendees will have the opportunity to drive the very course where Saab’s turbocharged 900 showed its stuff to the country. The remainder of the Convention will be centered at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center in Aurora, Ohio, just a half hour’s drive from the track. The kick-off event will be: the optional Sponsor’s Appreciation Dinner held Thursday evening, followed by; technical and historical seminars on Friday and Saturday, Friday and Saturday banquets, the Concours and Group Photo, and Sunday Morning Saab Roundtable and Charity Auction. Self directed Scenic Drives through the surrounding area, including the Cuyahoga Valley National Park will be available to allow participants a view of Northeast Ohio’s most scenic venues.

The 2010 Convention will be the first convention held since Saab’s reorganization under the Koenigsegg Group and the establishment of Saab’s new marketing and support subsidiary, Saab Cars of North America. The new 9-5 will be introduced and available for purchase by then, and the 9-4X will be ready to launch. It will be an exciting time to celebrate Saab’s past and look forward to its future. Please join us.

2009

This summer passed without the club having any events. We will have a planning committee meeting this winter to guarantee that we have events for the next season. I encourage everyone with an interest to keep the get togethers happening to attend or to indicate a willingness to participate. I will keep the web going regardless of what does or does not get scheduled, but let's have some fun with our SAABs. Feel free to contact me with any interests you have to participate at President Roger.

JUNE 27, 2009 THUNDERHILL

The Saab Club has often been welcome and represented with the Volvos at Thunderhill. The Golden Gate Chapter Volvo Club has rented the Thunderhill Raceway Park for 50 participants to enjoy driving their vehicles at speed in a closed course, controlled environment with emphasis on improving your driving ability and understanding the handling characteristics of your vehicle. Pricing for this event is as follows:

JUNE 17, 2009

SAAB is for sale. If you have not been watching, GM will probably sell to a European conglomerate with a Swedish focus. For a vintage Saab owner like me, this still does not mean that any parts from the 60's will show up on dealers shelves (what dealers for that matter) but let's see in what form the mark will continue. I am posting one of the news items on the sale below.

Despite my best intentions, I have not generated a summer meeting schedule. While I will spend the next few weeks putting one together, I need help. Cliff Quan has retired as CoPresident. (He is doing well but has increased family responsibilities that have pulled him from his club activities). I am also pulled in a number of different directions. FIVE days in Disneyland was unexpected and will certainly drain me for years to come, but has given me some perspective that I need club members to step up and contribute to organizing this year. We have close to 200 "members" on our email list so if even just a few are interested enough in their rides and in the benefits of sharing that come with club, we will have a good summer. As an owner of several vintage Saabs, I know I could not get by without the help of others.

SO - I am putting an email call out if you are interested in helping to organize a club get=together or ride. I am looking forward to publishing a schedule in the next few weeks so Saab owners can have enough time in advance to make a meet. I can promise 3 meetings if help does not arrive: a get together at an independent shop, a "dealer" meet, and a driving meet. I have been getting inquiries and questions about where our meeting schedule is. With or without help, I will get a schedule to you.

Roger Wapner

President of BASC

DETROIT -- General Motors wants its 220 U.S. Saab dealerships to sign a proposed agreement by Friday to prepare for the likely sale of the Swedish brand. But these proposals are no guarantee that all Saab dealerships will get to stay in business even if GM completes the sale. The proposed agreement, which GM sent to Saab dealerships on Friday, June 12, will allow for two possibilities:

The first would be continuing to sell Saabs under the new ownership. The second would occur if GM can't close a deal on Saab. The dealerships would then follow an orderly wind down and GM would offer a payout. "There's no guarantee all dealers will go forward because the new company might say, 'I see you have 220 dealerships, and we only need x number,'" said Steve Shannon, executive director of product and marketing for Cadillac, Hummer and Saab. "It says you might continue to be a Saab dealer and adopted by the new owner."

Shannon says the importance of the U.S. dealer network has been recognized by interested investors from the beginning and "the number of Saab dealerships in the U.S., at least at first glace, seems reasonable." GM is close to selling Saab to Swedish luxury sports carmaker Koenigsegg, Reuters reported last week. Shannon declined to comment on that report or on whether Koenigsegg was an interested party. Saab said today it is likely to announce its new owner this week and that three-quarters of its creditors had agreed to a proposed write-down of the money-losing brand's debt. A Saab spokeswoman said an announcement should come soon. "I think that during this week, chances are good. It could be anytime now," the spokeswoman, Gunilla Gustavs, said.

Saab sought protection from creditors in Sweden in February. It has been granted an extension of its business reorganization until Aug. 20 to restructure and find a new owner. Shannon said Saab has a "short list of three potential investors." He said if GM sells Saab, the U.S. arm would be a distribution network and likely remain located in Detroit initially. Shannon said if dealerships opt to not sign the GM agreement, they would not be eligible for wind-down payments if GM can't sell Saab.

The rains, such that they are, have come and the Saab Club is "shut down for the winter". President Cliff has retired and President Roger is busy arranging a schedule that we will publish before the spring, so you can calendar future events. If you are a new member (or an old member with a new email), feel free to contact President Roger with your email for updates. If you have any interest in helping coordinate or develop a meet please also call.

2008 Past events

BLACKHAWK MUSEUM TOUR and Drive - (SEPTEMBER 13 10AM) . Former President Doug has graciously offered to lead another tour of this amazing museum for a special guided club tour. If you've never been, or if you have, this is the best way to see and hear about the cars http://www.blackhawkauto.org/index.html . Here is the address: Blackhawk Automotive Museum 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville CA 94506 (925) 736-2277. This is a rain or shine event good for the whole family (but watch out for shopping at the mall afterwards). If your Saab does NOT leak fluids (you know - that black wet stuff under the car on the driveway) you can park and EXHIBIT your car on the PLAZA. There is room for about 10 or 12 cars. The rest of us will meet and park in the parking lot. We will have a guided tour at about 10:30 with lunch on-your-own at a local destination that will include an interesting drive through the hills. We have arranged for a wine tasting. ($5.00 fee, refunded if wine is purchased ) at the Big White House at 6500 Greenville Road, Livermore. There are several more within 1 -2 miles from there. BWH has picnic tables but there sell no food. (Bring your own Cheese and Bread or a more substantial LUNCH ) I told BWH around 2:30. In essence, we go out Camino Tassajara toward Pleasanton, left on Valley, left on Stanley to Livermore, right on 1^st street to (becomes ) TESLA, right on Greenville Rd. to Winery. 24 Miles. There is an alternative route but I have not scoped it out. It might be more rural and fun. Those leaving from there can take Greenville Road to Highway 580 and hit the freeway East or West. We have also invited the Sacramento Volvo CLub to attend and they can scoot home on 5 after lunch...
Here is the map. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=blackhawk&daddr=Camino+Tassajara+%4037.741110,+-121.870670+to:37.680288,-121.772804+to:1st+St+%4037.681610,+-121.768770+to:Greenville+Rd+%4037.646990,+-121.696600&hl=en&geocode=%3B6142388664649805099,37.741110,-121.870670%3B%3B9602865730891974005,37.681610,-121.768770%3B9761890709200196140,37.646990,-121.696600&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=2&sz=12&via=1,2,3&dirflg=h&sll=37.682734,-121.784477&sspn=0.129333,0.307617&ie=UTF8&ll=37.857778,-121.886444&spn=0.129027,0.307617&z=12

Blackhawk 2004
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAIN WINE TOUR - (OCTOBER 2008 TBA). The annual Saab Club Santa Cruz Mtn wine tour is always a lot of fun and well attended by Saab owners from far and wide. The tour is set up for folks who both do and don’t drink (like your presidents) with the emphasis on driving and seeing the best in the bay with other Saab companions. Once again it is time to grab your walkie talkies and see if we can navigate the twisty back roads without losing any cars. Each year we increase coordination efforts to stay together and each year it’s the back of the line, or the middle of the line that takes a turn or not and ends up somewhere else. And this is before the wine tasting. The good news is that we have always all ended up back together.
CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW/THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE BLOCK PARTY - (AUGUST 7 - THURSDAY EVENING 4PM TO 9). The club has been invited to show our cars on Castro Street in the middle of the City's Party. We will need to gather BEFORE they close off the street at 4:30. Check out the party at http://www.mountainviewdowntown.com/events.html . There will be music, food, kid's activities, other clubs, and lots to do.
DUBLIN SAAB (Saturday July 19TH) - 11AM. We met at Dublin Saab last year and had a great time. The dealership was beautiful and they put on a fine meet for us. We had 22 people show up with 13 cars. Food, tempura shrimp, tereyaki steak, sushi, and the beverages. They did a short presentation about biodisel and ethanol fuel for the future. Dublin SAAB said they would like to have us back! So here we go: -) - 2400 John Monego CT Dublin, CA 94568 (925) 416-6400. This is a brand new dealership with a sparkling new showroom, and they have graciously offered to host the club. Our host for this event is Val Dosanjh. Test driving of new models will be available as well as lunch and refreshments. The event begins at 11am and ends at 2pm. As usual, we ask that your please rsvp if you plan to attend the event and how many people will be in your party. If you require a vegetarian lunch let us know. Please rsvp before the 19th to rwapner@earthlink.net . There will still be plenty of time to pop the hoods and exchange parts.

SACRAMENTO SAABERS ( SUNDAY - JULY 20 9:30 AM). The Sacramento Volvo club is inviting any local Saabers to join in a Swedish take over of the Towe Museum. (Did you know Model A Fords can use Volvo 4 speeds?). Contact the president at sacvolvoclub@sbcglobal.net or 916-421-5184.
2007
SANTA CRUZ MTN WINE TOUR 2007 (SATURDAY - OCTOBER 13 ) 10:30 AM - MEET AT FOOTHILL COLLEGE PARKING LOT ONE - The annual Saab Club Santa Cruz Mtn wine tour is always a lot of fun and well attended by Saab owners from far and wide. The tour is set up for folks who both do and don’t drink (like your presidents) with the emphasis on driving and seeing the best in the bay with other Saab companions. Once again it is time to grab your walkie talkies and see if we can navigate the twisty back roads without losing any cars. Each year we increase coordination efforts to stay together and each year it’s the back of the line, or the middle of the line that takes a turn or not and ends up somewhere else. And this is before the wine tasting. The good news is that we have always all ended up back together. This year, the roads will be more challenging than ever: President Roger is still stuck in the Saab ad campaign “find your own road” era and has a beautiful route planned. This is a bring your own lunch event and a fun drive for the whole family (or in the case of my 2 seater sonett, my daughter is all that will fit). Also bring binoculars, 2 way radios, and a designated driver...
VOLVO CLUB TRACK DAY (NOVEMBER 27) - VCOA has just added a Thunderhill Track Day to our schedule. Monday November 26th 2007 - $120 for VCOA Members, $150 For Non Members: Limited to 50 cars. Please reply if interested with the following information:
DUBLIN SAAB (SEPTEMBER 15TH) - 11AM
- - 2400 John Monego CT Dublin, CA 94568 (925) 416-6400. The dealership was beautiful and they put on a fine meet for us. We had 22 people show up with 13 cars. Food, tempura shrimp, tereyaki steak, sushi, and the beverages. They did a short presentation about biodisel and ethanol fuel for the future. I talked a little bit about the past events and the upcoming wine tour and drive. Great weather. We wrapped up about 2:30pm. Dublin SAAB said they would like to have us back! Our next scheduled club meet will be Saturday September 15th, 2007 at SAAB of Dublin. This is a brand new dealership with a sparkling new showroom, and they have graciously offered to host the club. Our host for this event is Val Dosanjh. Test driving of new 2007 models will be available as well as lunch and refreshments. The event begins at 11am and ends at 2pm. As usual, we ask that your please rsvp if you plan to attend the event and how many people will be in your party. If you require a vegetarian lunch let us know. Please rsvp before the 15th to <cliff-at-gene.com> or <rwapner-at-earthlink.net>. There will still be plenty of time to pop the hoods and exchange parts.

2006
BLACKHAWK MUSEUM TOUR - (MAY - SUNDAY THE 20TH 10 AM). Former President Doug (who is just itching to take his restored stroker Sonett II on a drive) will lead a tour of this amazing museum for a special guided club tour. If you've never been, or if you have, this is the best way to see and hear about the cars http://www.blackhawkauto.org/index.html . Here is the address: Blackhawk Automotive Museum 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville CA 94506 (925) 736-2277. This is a rain or shine event good for the whole family (but watch out for shopping at the mall afterwards). If your Saab does NOT leak fluids (you know - that black wet stuff under the car on the driveway) you can park and EXHIBIT your car on the PLAZA. There is room for about 10 or 12 cars. The rest of us will meet and park in the parking lot. We will have a guided tour at about 10:30 with lunch on-your-own with everyone afterwards at one of the many mall eateries.
Blackhawk 2004

The 2007 Saab Owners Convention will boast vehicles from Saab's Heritage Collection and feature the unveiling of a 2008 production car. Pictured is a 1967 Saab hanging it out in a factory photo

photo courtesy Saab

The 2007 Saab Owners Convention is now officially on the calendar. From August 23-26, Saab enthusiasts from all over North America, will gather in Southeastern Michigan, and the Great Lakes Saab Club will play host. This is the 25th annual convention, and it promises to be a not-to-be-missed affair. For one thing, this will be the first time the convention has been held in Michigan; for another, Saab USA has promised to send vehicles from its remarkable Saab Heritage Collection. There’s still more: Saab has announced that it will unveil a 2008 production vehicle at the event. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Saab as an automobile manufacturer, so the club and the company are pulling out all the stops on this one. We’ve had a chance to see vehicles from the Heritage Collection up close and personal (you can expect to see them in the pages of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car in the not-too-distant future), and we can tell you that these alone would make the trip worthwhile. Whether it’s the little Sonett, the turbolicious SPG or the rally champion 96 that floats your boat, you should seriously consider joining your fellow Saabers in Troy this summer.
Learn more, and watch for the beginning of online registration, at www.saabconvention.org.

THUNDERHILL RACING (APRIL 30) - The Volvo Club is hosting Track Day at Thunderhill Raceway on Monday April 30. You can check out the track at www.thunderhill.com They are limiting the number of cars to 50 to ensure everyone has sufficient track time and maintain non crowded conditions. Pricing is $170 for VCOA members, $195 for non members. They already have 25 members signed up - Saab Club members have participated in the past and had great fun AND there will be Saabs running again this year too. There is no racing, just a chance to drive your car fast on the track under safe, controlled conditions. Instructors will be available. Lunch will be included. If you are interested please contact the Volvo president at Lee@vcoa.org or call me at 415-455-9192 so that he can give you the details, answer questions and hold a spot for you.
MARCH MEET - (MARCH 10TH ) - 10 AM to about 3 PM - At the Swedish Car Factory, Santa Clara. Welcome to 2007. For those of you following President Roger's tribulations (no that is not the name of a new Saab model but it could be), I just clamped the CV boots on the sonett and took a test drive to the golf course following a tranny swap. No grinding, whining, slipping, humming, or any of those heart-warming transmission thingys that are all too familiar to Saab owners. I am finally ready to do a drive with 50 other Saab owners behind me with tools in their cars... President Cliff is also back in the show with a bunch of fresh gas for 2007. While we had hoped to combine the trionic tuning with a Meet at the same time, the tuning only occurs during the week... Bring parts to swap, stories to share. Bring LUNCH. Be prepared to pop your hood and view all the mods and tech upgrades other members have installed. Have a tech session with one of the SAF experts. Take a tour of Paul's ever changing vintage Saab collection (both inside and out). COME HAVE SOME WINTER FUN...
MARCH, TRIONIC TUNING - (MARCH 6 / 7 / 8 ) - At the Swedish Car Factory, Santa Clara. For owners with gizmos under your hoods, there are ample opportunities for tweaking your ride. Automotion will set up at SAF and will do things to your car that you can't with SQR software programming to do Trionic performance upgrades. Programming of Trionic 5, Trionic 7, and now Trionic 8 Saab Vehicles is available in many different stages of performance. Tuning prices will be as normal from their website, but they will require a $200 deposit before hand that will be applied to the cost of the tune. So the price is the same you will just have to front the deposit, to avoid too many people from signing up then backing out last minute. We already have about 4 club members signed up. Contact Automotion directly to make an appointment by using this link http://www.automotion-saabvolvo.com/motorsports/index.html about them coming out here . Then show up to the meet and show us what they did.

Mappningsprogrammet som vi på SQR använder, för att få en så exakt mappning av bilarna som det är möjligt.

THIS LOOKS LIKE IT FOR 2006!!!!! The rains are upon us and while we traditionally garage up for the winter, we have not yet done our traditional Santa Cruz Mountains caravan. This has mostly been due to my driving sonett (and all my other Saabs for that matter) being somewhat disabled. While I had written earlier in the summer that I was about to pull the V4 to switch out the tranny, all that happened was I got to prep the car in the sun. I just pulled the engine/tranny today during a break in the showers and will see how long it takes for me to reinstall one of my replacement units. I can’t think of a better way to test out the new tranny than on a drive with a line of Saabs behind me. I’ll send out another email and keep the web updated for trip dates. Otherwise, have a great holiday season and stay dry!!!

It looks like I need to work on posting the engine-out photos: the engine is in, the CVs are in place, but the new tranny isn't seated yet... more grimy fingers another day. While I was hoping other club members would get inspired to sponsor get togethers, no one has stepped forward. It would be fantastic if someone would get inspired and pull together a meet or drive. My plan is to put together a list of dates and activities for the Spring so we have events we can plan ahead for. My best to all of you enthusiasts out there. Roger Wapner

SEPTEMBER 9TH - SEE PRESIDENT ROGER SWAP OUT A V4 TRANNY (SEE BELOW). GET DIRTY OR NOT AS YOU CHOSE IN THE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS.

Our Last Event
This is Roger Wapner, one of your presidents of the Bay Area Saab Club with a mid season report. We had a great time at the July meet at the Alameda Naval Base. The club won an award (see the foto above – the piston in back of me is the award and I am giving Ken an award for his restored convertible in the foto below - you might think the award is just a hub cap but there was a great deal of creativity among the participating clubs for designing awards) for the most members present, which was pretty strange being surrounded by all those Chevys and Fords. The car I liked best there was a 63 Avanti R4, but I think that was because I had just been to the Factory in South Bend in June. There were lots of vendors and I scored a 1959 magazine called Small Cars with a picture of a new Saab on the cover.

My Sob Story
Earlier this month my sonett started acting strange as I was using it for daily commuter while my wife stole my commute car. Her Honda had been broadsided by a teen going through a stop sign and is in the shop. Although my drivetrain was engaged, the sonett acted like the freewheel was activated. For you 3 digit owners, all the V4 Saabs had freewheel transmissions (like the lockout hubs on a 4x4) that would put the engine in neutral when you let off the gas. The freewheel ratchets are famous for exploding and are not the strongest part of the tranny. I made it, under power, to Saab-O-Rama in Santa Cruz, where Dan Joel gave me shelter despite having no available slots for the sonett. He runs a great independent shop, although he’d rather work on the later model Saabs. Bottom line is it appears I need to swap in one of my spare trannies. Thus, my sonett gets in line with my 95 and 96 (both need clutches) for needing the engine pulled. Which leads me to our Next Event Update.

The Next Club Event - SEPTEMBER 9TH
No one has come forward with suggesting or leading a trip, rallye, or event this year. President Cliff has to sit out this season and is unavailable to participate. While we will have meets (see the web at www.bayareasaabclub.com ) later in the season, I personally would like to drive a Saab there. Which means I am delaying an event for August. It occurs to me that we might want to do a shop session on how to swap out V4 transmissions. My wife will allow me to spend a day in the garage if I can call it a club meet… While only so many hands can get dirty at once, there is an opportunity for a crowd to observe, kibbitz, and otherwise get in the way. I will be starting as the sun comes up (or probably 8AM) and will offer some refreshments but Bring Your Own if you have special tastes. Email me for directions at President Roger .

JULY 16TH SUNDAY, AT 9:30 Alameda Point. The Saab Club will participate in the All Clubs First Annual Show and Shine. Please RSVP to President Roger so we can give an accurate count of cars. We must be in position by 10 AM. There will be a $12 charge per car. This will be fun!

SHOW MEET AT ONE OF OUR LOCAL SHOPS - To Be Announced for August - These are always a good turn out event to look at each other's cars and talk Saab.
JUNKYARD TOUR - (Some Saturday in August) - At this point the event is sooner - stay tuned. President Roger's commute truck is in constant need of stuff so it is time to hit the pick and pulls. The problem has been I've been sneaking off to the yards after work with only the hand tattoo for my wife to discover where I've been. This event works best for the 900 and 9000 owners as the yards typically have lots of untouched 1983 - 1996 Saabs. However, we have found 2 V4's this summer... This event was alot of fun last year. Bring your own tools and everyone will help with spotting and pulling parts. Lunch will be from the tacomobile typically parked in front of the yards. We will start at 9:30 at the Fremont yard http://www.picknpull.com/Locations/California/Oakland/oakland.html and make a caravan to San Jose. You DO NOT have to get dirty to enjoy this and it can be fun to just walk around with the club. No under 18 year olds and you must wear closed toe shoes to get in.
SANTA CRUZ MTN WINE TOUR 2006 - Late Fall - see past events below for all the fun we have on this. Our Club's favorite event!!!
SAAB USA AT SF FLEET WEEK - To be announced. This should pretty exciting. Stay tuned to this site for updates.

Stick a Club flyer under a windshield. Have you seen a (parked) Saab you think should be part of the club? Click on the link to go to a printable flyer to carry around in glovebox with information about the club.
We are always looking for trip leaders, ralley leaders, tour guides, swap meet sponsors, and Saab owners interested in looking at each others' cars. Other 2004 events can still be planned. Start thinking about the Summer. We have had very few on-the-road trips and seem to be not seeing vintage Saabs at the outings. Should we hold a special meet just for strokers and freewheeling cars? Email us.
The connection between the SCNA (Saab Club of North America) and BASC has been formalized. We are now a SCNA chapter at www.saabclub.com . SCNA publishes NINES magazine, which is included with an individual SCNA membership. Please support this organization.

We are essentially shut down for the winter with the classic V4s relegated to too many backyards (hopefully to emerge in the Spring) and the newer cars avoiding rain drops on the hiways... We ended the 2005 season with a fantastic Mountain Wine Tour (see below) and are looking to get a schedule out for the whole summer - with plenty of advance notice this year. Well, we'll see. As always - we are looking for Saab owners to organize an event - otherwise you get what President Cliff and I like to do best. Next year we will be looking for vintage Saabs to make a showing at the meets. While we are still operating without dues, we are no longer underwriting the lunches and expenses for the meets. Drop us a line over the winter or check out the club bulletin board on saabnet.com.

SANTA CRUZ MTN WINE TOUR 2005 (SATURDAY - OCTOBER 1st) 10:30 AM - MEET AT FOOTHILL COLLEGE PARKING LOT ONE - The annual Saab Club Santa Cruz Mtn wine tour is set for Saturday October 1st. This event is always a lot of fun and well attended by Saab owners from far and wide. The tour is set up for folks who both do and don’t drink (like your presidents) with the emphasis on driving and seeing the best in the bay with other Saab companions. Once again it is time to grab your walkie talkies and see if we can navigate the twisty back roads without losing any cars. Each year we increase coordination efforts to stay together and each year it’s the back of the line, or the middle of the line that takes a turn or not and ends up somewhere else. And this is before the wine tasting. The good news is that we have always all ended up back together. This year, we will look at a route similar to last year, where the roads were more challenging than ever: President Roger is still stuck in the Saab ad campaign “find your own road” era and has a beautiful route planned.

REMEMBER TO BRING:

Your lunch – food and drink will NOT be provided on this trip – there is no place to purchase eats at the foothill college gathering spot –OR anywhere on route for that matter. Get your supplies before you arrive
Your BINOCULARS – there will be extensive viewing opportunities of the Bay
At least half a tank of gas – get gas BEFORE you meet at the parking lot. There will be no opportunities to fill up once we get going
WALKIE_TALKIES – we will be on channel 5. If you have a set, you will get to listen to the comical chatter of the lost and getting-lost. The units (and cell phones) have kept the group together in the past rides even when we have strayed
Parts for swapping (that won’t rattle around too much on the turns)
Family and friends – it looks like I get my 5 year old for this drive. That will fill the sonett up

TRIPTIK:

We will head out from the Foothill College Parking lot off EL MONTE/280 and wind our way to foothill blvd.
Our first stop will be Ridge winery at the end of foothill blvd (turn right at the quarry by Lexington Reservoir). If you miss us at the parking lot, you can catch up at Ridge. They have the best Reds in California and the best view of the whole Bay Area from the top of Monte Sereno. This can also be our lunch stop.
Depending on how many cars we have, I’d like to stop at Ahlgrens on the ocean side of hiway 9.
We will revisit Booney Dune Winery and end up
At the ocean in Davenport… bring a kite. You can also bonfire on the beach for a late lunch. Swimming is NOT advised. Wading is.

Travel Directions to Foothill College

Main Campus Map - Los Altos Hills

From San Francisco:		From San Jose:
	Travel south on Interstate 280; Exit El Monte Road; travel west to campus entrance OR travel south on U.S. Route 101; Exit San Antonio Road; left turn on Foothill Expressway; right on El Monte Road; travel west to campus entrance.	Travel north on Interstate 280; Exit El Monte Road; travel west to campus entrance; OR travel north on U.S. Route 101; Exit San Antonio Road; left turn on Foothill Expressway; right on El Monte Road; travel west to campus entrance.

BBQ AT B&B DEALERSHIP MEET - JUNE 25 at 10 AM- The First club meet of the season will at B&B Saab. Our host will be Parts Manager Shawn Pierson. Guaranteed to be fun and full of surprises! We probably have emptied all of B&B's overstocked parts at the raffle give-aways last year but are continually surprised and grateful by their generosity and support of BASC. Let's get a big crowd and let's have some fun! We'd appreciate an RSVP since we plan to BBQ at President Roger W or President Cliff@gene.com but it is not necessary. C U There.

SANTA CRUZ MTN WINE TOUR 2004 (SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 6TH) - The annual Saab Club Santa Cruz Mtn wine tour is set for Saturday November 6^th. This event is always a lot of fun and well attended by Saab owners from far and wide. The tour is set up for folks who both do and don’t drink (like your presidents) with the emphasis on driving and seeing the best in the bay with other Saab companions. Once again it is time to grab your walkie talkies and see if we can navigate the twisty back roads without losing any cars. Each year we increase coordination efforts to stay together and each year it’s the back of the line, or the middle of the line that takes a turn or not and ends up somewhere else. And this is before the wine tasting. The good news is that we have always all ended up back together. This year, the roads will be more challenging than ever: President Roger is still stuck in the Saab ad campaign “find your own road” era and has a beautiful route planned.
We will climb Page Mill to Skyline Drive (Rt 35) and first visit Thomas Fogarty (http://www.fogartywinery.com/). The winery has a commanding view of the Bay and is a beautiful vista stop. Their reds are also quite tasty. We will then cruise the rest of the beautiful Skyline to Hiway 9 and here’s where it will get even more interesting. We will take an old stage road winding through-the-Redwoods to end up on Empire Grade. That means I don’t want Justin or Damian right behind my tail in their racing Saabs. The only really dangerous part of this section is if you turn right onto the dead end leading to the secret Lockheed facility. If the guards just stop you and don’t shoot, we’ll come rescue you.
Our last winery this year is Bonny Doon Winery (http://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/tasting). Randall has been making great wines for decades. I took a UC Davis wine tasting course from him in 1985. The winery is so close to the ocean that we will do our lunch at the beach! Make sure you bring changes of clothing for both sun and shade. If it’s chilly, we should be able to bonfire at the beach: sea cave/tide pools/cliffs and a great time is promised. Families, dogs, kites
DEALERSHIP MEET, CANCELED- The third club meet will at B&B Saab has been canceled. We are considering a replacement event and will let everyone know. Our host will be Parts Manager Shawn Pierson. Guaranteed to be fun and full of surprises! We probably have emptied all the local dealers' overstocked parts at the raffle give-aways last year but are continually surprised and grateful by their generosity and support of BASC. (See past events below)... We are leaving the month of August open for those attending the national convention in WA.
NATIONAL SAAB CONVENTION - (August 20 - 22) - The board of the Saab Club of North America has approved the proposal by the Northwest Saab Owners Club to host the 2004 North American Saab Owners Convention August 20-22 at the Crystal Mountain Resort http://www.crystalmt.com/ . This was the site of the 1991 convention, and is located 76 miles southeast of Seattle, overlooking Mt. Rainier. Some club members are already planning their caravan (on the saabnet chat board). It was at the 1991 convention that the current formulation of BASC was established. Let's see how many cars can make it up the coast.
EAST BAY DRIVE - JUNE 26TH, 2004 10AM, Our second meet will be a driving event taking place at the end of June. We will meet at the Lafayette BART station in the east bay and LEAVE at 10AM - come a little earlier. From there club member David Williams will lead us on a drive starting on Upper Happy Valley Rd., Happy Valley Rd., Bear Creek to Alhambra Valley Road through the town of Pinole finally ending up in Crocket at the foot of the Carquinez bridge. Bring 2-way radios. There will be maps at the start but given our caravaning history, it will be good to have maps and radios. We will have lunch at the Nantucket Seafood restaurant at the Foot of Port St., Crocket
BLACKHAWK MUSEUM - MAY 22, 2004 10AM - Former President Doug (who just almost got back his restored stroker Sonett II) will lead a tour of this amazing museum for a special guided club tour. If you've never been, or if you have, this is the best way to see and hear about the cars http://www.blackhawkauto.org/index.html . Here is the address: Blackhawk Automotive Museum 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville CA 94506 (925) 736-2277. This is a rain or shine event good for the whole family (but watch out for shopping at the mall afterwards). If your Saab does NOT leak fluids (you know - that black wet stuff under the car on the driveway) you can park and EXHIBIT your car on the PLAZA. There is room for about 10 or 12 cars. The rest of us will meet and park in the parking lot. We will have a guided tour at about 10:30 with lunch on-your-own with everyone afterwards at one of the many mall eateries. Let's get a big crowd and let's have some fun! we'd appreciate an RSVP at President Roger W but it is not necessary. C U There.
October 18, 2003 - FALL WINE TOUR - This annual event always brings out a caravan of Saabs and this year, we had more participants than ever. You can count the number of cars in the panoramic first foto - pictures from the latest Winetour . We picked up another in the hills and lost one to Highway 17. Our farthest participant came from Idaho; I rode the only V4 (the sonett). We had 2 99s, and a bunch of 2-digit Saabs, including some highly modified cars from Sacramento. At Ridge Winery we picked up 3 Swedes (see the inside shot with Cliff) driving a Lincoln. It was hard to tell if they were also going to the winery or just following us. Living just outside of Trollhatten, one had a brother with 20 92s and 93s boasting a track record with a 92... Starting from Palo Alto, we toured the Los Altos Hills in route to Ridge Winery overlooking the Bay. Passing by the very expensive homes in Los Altos Hills was fun but twisty. Chasing everyone out from Ridge, we negotiated some of the narrowest public roads up through Stevens Creek Canyon to the Summit. We road the back roads on the summit and cruised to Silver Mountain Vineyards overlooking the Ocean. Finding our Own Road yet again this year we lost the middle of the caravan at each winery despite 6 walkie talkies and maps. Still, we all managed to end up together. Silver Mountain (www.silvermtnvineyards.com ) again gave us an exclusive party and we filled the amphitheatre for lunch, before oogling each other's rides.
AUGUST 2nd - I think the place to start in describing this meet at Burlingame Saab is with the "raffle". Burlingame Saab put out a floor full of NOS rosewood dashes, road wheels, steering wheels, carpet sets, and a host hats, Saab paraphernalia, and free service credits. The most sought after item was a solitary early NOS 900 dashboard, that ended up with MikeM after a survivor-like partnership was struck. (Maybe we should televise the next reality-raffle show: I need a partnership with a member with a larger carrying capacity than my sonett!). Everyone got major dealership items to cram in the hatch. We gave out original sales literature (thank you to DirkD, who donated his collection on moving to New Zealand). We had Portobello mushrooms grilled on a 900 BBQ with all the rest of the bbq, topped by a real whipped cream birthday cake for DavidW. A big surprise was BO ENGSTROM's appearance. Bo is from Chicago (but with his accent you know not originally) and is a recognized specialist in the technical Saab setup. We all tapped into his expertise with questions. There was the usual array of lots 900s and 9000s with tricked-out set ups. We had very few vintage cars with a sonett II, a 96, and a 93 showing: WHERE ARE YOU members with cars made in trollhatten by trolls?? Let's see some of you on the road for the wine tour. A very BIG thanks to Burlingame Saab: Neil and Shane for hosting this event. ONE MORE MEET FOR THE SUMMER - On the peninsula, for us to gather and line up our cars with the hoods up. Put 10 AM on your calendar. We will head back to Burlingame SAAB in San Mateo www.burlingamesaab.com. We will have a SAABAQUE (cooked on a 900 grill) with lunch provided by Burlingame SAAB. The dealership will provide parking in the shade and on the grounds BUT PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN FOLDING CHAIR since there are not enough to go around. If you are not checking this site, make sure the presidents have your email.
JUNE 7, 2003 - Air bags exploded as the techs at Dirito Saab juiced the wires in a demonstration of just what happens when they deploy. What a great time we all had as Dirito hosted the club in their new Walnut Creek facility (designed by club member/architect Bing). We had a lot-overflow turnout of members with great eats provided from breakfast goodies to endless lunch. the highlight of the meet was a continuous road test (3 at a time) of the new Vector after a Q&A session with top salesman Wes Harris. We also had a blast with raffling off saab-stuff. There was not much chance in the raffle as Dirito made sure everyone walked away with prizes. The best (my wife thought) was the free spa pass for the building next to Dirito: bring in your car and get your massage and nails done before you get your bill...Combine that with one of the $100 service give-aways!!! We'll be back. This is the date for our first big meet of the season. Dirito Saab (http://www.diritosaab.com/index.asp) in Walnut Creek will host us at the unveiling of Dirito Bros. new showroom designed by architect and club member Bing Young. Our host will be David Dirito manager of Dirito Bros. SAAB. Two of his SAAB technicians will be there to answer questions about your car. We will have Wes Harris the number #1 Saab salesman in the Western United States do a little Walkaround on the new Vector followed by our techs doing a brief explanation and then question and answer to follow. The parts department will be open for special discounts to club members very similar to what Burlingame and B&B SAAB have offered in the past. Lunch and beverages will be provided and we ask that you please RSVP one of the Club Presidents so we can get a head count for food. During lunch we plan to have a club meeting and then a raffle will be provided by the service managers. If you attended the club meets at Burlingame or B&B SAAB the raffle prizes were great! In addition to getting to look at each other's cars, we will have a chance to check out the latest models on the showroom floor... not to mention the parts counter. Calendar this date!!
JUNE 6, 2003 - It's true that Burlingame Saab no longer has any V4Saab parts to speak of... but we still had a great time as they hosted this event to coordinate with their free service clinic. While a number of mechanics came out to look at my sonett, no one offered to put it up on a lift and talk about it intelligently. However, many club members had their saab inspected. Plug in the computer, pop the hood, look under the lift... and read the print out. Over 20 cars were inspected, according to pleased Service Manager Neil... some will be back. The food was super and there was a steady stream of regular customers coming through wondering why their cars didn't exactly look like some of our cars. Burlingame SAAB in San Mateo www.burlingamesaab.com is holding a FREE Service clinic on Friday June 6th from 12-5pm. They will bring your SAAB into the shop, put it on the lift, and perform a thorough inspection. Most of the people participating will be from their customer base, but they have asked the Bay Area SAAB club to be present. THEY WILL SET ASIDE A CAR CORRAL FOR THE CLUB SAABS. Check their web for directions to: Burlingame SAAB, 825 N. San Mateo Drive, San Mateo, CA 94401: (650) 348-4200. Burlingame SAAB will set aside parking on their lot for the club members. We have over 12 cars signed up ranging from V4 Sonetts to Saabs-with-CHIPS but have room for more volunteers. We know this is the day before our first offical club meet of the year at Dirito Bros. in Walnut Creek on Sat. June 7th, but it could be two days of fun SAABing! Food and beverages will be provided along with some give- aways. If you like you can get your car inspected. Free 30 point inspection of exterior, on hoist, underhood, and road test. Also, refreshments will be served. RSVP to President Cliff at cliff@gene.com .
MAY 17, 2003 - Spring Junkyard Tour: We had about 6 cars show up and met some other very nice saab trolls in the yards. The parts we scored ranged from an alternator, hood insulation, relays, front grille, headlights, braided lines, even a Toyota tilt-o-meter for Roger's 4x4, and other goodies. We passed up rear-window visors, seats, inca wheels, a double vented hood, and a range of available stuff. We toured 3 yards, each with an increasing number of 900's: it's 900 heaven at the pick-n-pulls. While we clocked only 2 900's and no later 900s, we had a great time; even the junkyard burritos were tasty. President Roger will host a club visit to the Pick-N-Pulls that range from Oakland to San Jose. While there are 6 to select from (with 4 for the same $2 admission price) we will see how many we can pack into one Saturday. The true chore will be to not mix tools with friends. Start your wish list now so you don't forget what you need. The yards typically have mid 80 to 90s vehicles with as many as 6 or so 900s spotted in a yard at a time. Every now and again there is a 60's or 70's car, as this is the bay area! We will gather at 8:30 at the Oakland Pick-N-Pull parking lot under the BART. The 'European' section is in the middle between Nissan and Honda but we will wait outside of the yard for stragglers... The address is 8451 San Leandro Street /x/ about 85th (use either the 98th St or Hegenberger exits off 880) http://www.picknpull.com/Locations/California/Oakland/oakland.html. While we will go with the group flow on how long to stay at each yard, our next stop (for late-comers) will probably be the Mowry Ave/Fremont yard. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO NEED PARTS TO PARTICIPATE, but minors are not allowed in the yards and you need real shoes. no need to get dirty if you just want to look.
APRIL 28,2003 - We had a showing of 3 saabs with Damien testifying that his continually modified 900 was the fastest. He did say that with the wet track conditions, Paul's race sonett seemed to keep up... I guess experience DOES count. The volvos filled up the rest of the track: this has become an annual event coordinated with their Spring meet in Davis. If you are interested, start thinking about this now as sign ups fill quickly. The Volvo club has extended yet another invitation for us to sign up for THUNDERHILL RACEWAY PARK Track Day. Last year we had a sorry showing of only one 900 on the track. VCOA is very generous to re-offer an invite. THIS EVENT FILLS UP - SIGN UP NOW! you must contact Keith ksoreng@neteze.com by ASAP! Click here for more details. The track day is at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA, on Monday. Willows is about 77 miles north of Davis on I-5. Cost will be $180 per driver for non-members, limit of 60 drivers. Spectators are free. You can drive your street machine: I believe you only need to rent a helmet if you are in a convertible.
November 2nd 2002 - Santa Cruz Mountains Winery : For those of you that missed this trip, we had about 30 cars (with one boxster wannabe Saab) that toured the twisting hill roads, ending at a private tasting at the www.SilverMountainVineyards.com. We only lost 6 cars on the caravan but they showed up in time to join the line up for fotos and food. There are some fotos posted in the BASC bulletin board on saabnet (see the link on our front page) and President Cliff is still trying to get our pictures into 9s Magazine.
October 20th 2002 - at Burlingame Saab 10AM to 3PM. Lunch will be provided with your RSVP to the Club. Tech talk, new car review, and much more. This is the last B.A.S.C event of the season. See you at 825 North San Mateo Drive, San Mateo CA. Visit the dealership web site at http://www.burlingamesaab.com/ for directions.
July 21st 2002 at B&B Saab 10AM to 3PM.
July 29th 2001 - Swedish Auto Factory shop talk with SPG9.
September 9th 2001 - Santa Cruz Mountains Winery tour/swap meet.

some of us with our cars                        some of us without our cars
                   SANTA CRUZ WINE TOUR 2005