Photo Credit: New York Times

Saab’s new Design Director, Jason Castriota has been recently interviewed by the New York Times.

Here’s a small part of that interview below:

Jason Castriota, formerly designer for Ferrari, Pininfarina and Stile Bertone, has been tapped by Saab to lead design, through Mr. Castriota’s design firm.

Jason Castriota Designs has been hired to handle design for Saab Automobile, the Swedish automaker that was bought in February by Spyker NV, a Dutch car company.

Saab’s news release referred to Mr. Castriota, 36, as design director, adding that he would take “the lead role in design at Saab,” but he will not work exclusively for Saab, Mr. Castriota said in an interview on Monday.

Mr. Castriota is widely regarded as a star in the car design world. He was at Pininfarina from 2001 to 2008. While he was at Pininfarina, he worked on designs for Ferrari and also for Maserati (which is owned by Ferrari) including the Maserati Birdcage concept. More recently, he worked at Stile Bertone, where he designed the Mantide, an exotic car based on the Corvette ZR1.

Mr. Castriota, who was born in the United States, set up his own firm, Jason Castriota Design, in December and has offices in New York and Turin, Italy, where he also keeps a residence.

Bertone Mantide Mr. Castriota designed the Mantide supercar during his brief stint at Stile Bertone, the Italian design firm.

In the interview, Mr. Castriota said that the Saab relationship began with a meeting he had with Jan Åke Jonsson, Saab Automobile’s chief executive, and Victor Muller, the chief executive of Spyker and chairman of Saab, at the Geneva Auto Show in March. They discussed Mr. Castriota’s designs for a sportier, upscale version of the company’s bread and butter 9-3 sedan.
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Photo Credits: Pete Kuncis

The Saab Rally Team here in the North East, are at it again, this time as an entry to the New England Forest Rally here in Maine this Friday, July 17th in Bethel, Maine near Sunday River Ski resort. Their team will be joining the RallyHo! Motorsports team as the only Saab entries in the forest rally.

Driver Luke Sorenson and co-driver Joshua Jenny, will be taking their 1975 Saab 99 rally car that we’ve seen participate in numerous rallies here in the North East region of the United States over the years.

The last time I was at the New England Forest Rally, formerly called the Maine Forest Rally, was in 2001 when I was with the New England Saab Association. At that time there four participants in Saabs! Here here for Luke & SaabRally.com this year for keeping the Saab rally spirit alive in the North East which began back in 1957 with the Great American Mountain Rally.

The official entry is in and the team has their sights set on the New England forest rally, scheduled for July 16th & 17th, 2010

For more details on this rally and to see them in action, please visit this website directly.

New England Forest Rally
July 16th & 17th, 2010
Hosted at Sunday River Ski Resort
Newry, ME
GPS: 44d 28′ 25.21N
and 70d 51′ 22.28W

Photo Credit: Charles Gould

Saab enthusiast, Charles Gould has recently written a rather detailed account of his “barn find” acquisition of a 1962 Saab 96.

Below is the first chapter of this incredible story.

Another Saab Story- Barn Find 1962 Saab Model 96!

Written by Charles Gould
Photos by Gabriele Isenbrand
Chapter One

I received the Craigslist ad from a friend on Friday night, even before I saw it on the Vintage Saab list, where it had also been posted. The ad said that the 1962 Saab, had been parked in this garage by a little old lady in 1978, and that it had sat there ever since. The ad confessed that the engine was stuck, and that the rest of the car’s condition was unknown, but the photos made it look fairly derelict, with all of the dust and debris which had collected on it for those thirty-three years.

Everyone on the Vintage Saab list had speculated that thirty-three years in a dark, damp New Jersey garage could not have done it well, and that between the salt air, and the obvious mice infestation, it was probably a fairly rusty candidate for restoration.

The ad stated that the little car would be sold to the highest bidder at an estate sale, which was to be held the following afternoon at 4:00 PM. There was only one problem. The estate was over 200 miles away! Although I wanted to go to see the car in person, I was not prepared to get there in time for the Saturday 4:00 pm deadline. So, I made arrangements to place a bid over the telephone, sight unseen.

I had lost three other “bullnose” “stroker” Saabs, and I did not want to lose another. One was from an estate sale in Texas, and the executor had promised to sell it to me for $4,500, and then decided to increase it to $5,500, and then decided to get it running first, and then demanded $6,500, which I was still prepared to pay, as it had a factory rebuilt engine, and a GT hood, even though it was not a true GT. He then decided to place it on EBay, where it drew close to 12K from a European buyer. Oh well, I guess it wasn’t meant to be!

So, I was very excited about this New Jersey barn find car, as I really love original cars with years of patina, and I also truly love barn find stories. I was “willing” this to be a nice original car, and although the posts on the Saab list were getting pretty discouraging, I did not give up hope.
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Photo Credit: Rally Ho! Motorsports

Rally Ho! Motorsports of Camden, Maine that I reported on back in 2006, are at it again, this time at the 2010 New England Forest Rally near Sunday River Ski Resort.

On July 16th & 17th, the team will be participating in not a Saab 99 as they previously used, but a 1984 Saab 900, fully outfitted to meet the needs of this international rally scene.

RallyHo Motorsports, have been in the Saab rally scene since the early 1990’s. RallyHo Motorsports consists of Mike White (Driver), John Groo (Driver), Jared Lantzy (Co-Driver) as well as Team Manager Suzanne Dunavent-White and Crew Chief Brett Rudolf.

With the experience, team size and expertise on hand, the RallyHo Motorsports team appears to have a bright future in the Rally Scene in New England.

If you are a Saab enthusiast that has not been to a rally before, I strongly urge you to make it to this year’s event to show your support. (don’t forget to bring your large SAAB banners to hold out proudly)

Here’s hoping as Saab starts their new era, they can begin to take on sponsorship of these events in their primary market in the United States to rebuild their visibility once again.

For more details on this rally and to see them in action, please visit this website directly.

New England Forest Rally
July 16th & 17th, 2010
Hosted at Sunday River Ski Resort
Newry, ME
GPS: 44d 28′ 25.21N
and 70d 51′ 22.28W

Photo Credit: Keith Coleman

Keith Coleman, one of the participants that attended the “SAVE SAAB” kickoff event in Detroit this past January, has kindly shared a photo for this week’s “Saab Sighting of the week” at Saab History.

Here’s his quote below describing the photo of the Saab 9-3 SportCombi and how he took it. It looks spectacular!

I was traveling in Spain and Scotland the past few weeks and enjoyed seeing a good amount of SAAB’s on the road. Here is a shot of one in Elgin, Scotland. I shot it on my infrared camera. Hope your well, keep up the great work. Thanks, Keith

Saab Automobile, known as a historical leader in the hatchback segment of the automotive industry, has not offered a true hatchback model since 2002.

However, with the recent details of the new 9-3 to arrive in 2012, that history of the hatchback, is expected to be continued.

The 28 year history of the hatchback began for Saab in 1974 with the Saab 99 Combi Coupe model and concluded in 2002 with the 9-3 model.

It is logical that Saab is choosing to offer the hatchback in their latest Saab 9-3 model, effectively picking up where they left off a decade ago, in a continuation of the same 9-3 model lineage.

I am very pleased to hear of this good news and look forward to seeing this model come to market in the near future.

How many of you will be interested in buying a hatchback once it becomes available? Please voice your opinions below.

Autocar has recently learned new details about the 2012 Saab 9-3, touted as the “93“, harkening back to Saab’s 2nd ever model, introduced in 1955.

Here are the known details of the new generation Saab 93, based on a new “Phoenix Architecture”

The following product segments will be available in this model which include a convertible, 3-Door Hatchback, Sedan and Sport Wagon. In terms of technical details, it should have an electrified turbo as we learned about at the Saab dealer conference in Boston, along with a hybrid powertrain option amongst its right-sized engine choices combined with an Interior & Exterior Designed by Jason Castriota

Saab will declare its independence as a carmaker with the launch of an all-new 9-3 in late 2012. Rebadged as the 93, the new model will also mark the reintroduction of a hatchback version reminiscent of the classic 900.

Saab is working on a new platform — known internally as the ‘Phoenix Architecture’ — that will underpin the next-generation 9-3 family as well as the eventual replacement for the latest 9-5, which has just been launched.

It’s expected that the first car based on the Phoenix Architecture will be the new 93 saloon, which is currently pencilled in for a 2012 launch.

Getting this new car into the showrooms is a priority for a company that badly needs to boost its sales and dramatically increase its cashflow.

A cabriolet and a three-door hatchback will follow hard on the saloon’s heels. The drop-top and hatch are closely related, being nearly identical to each other up to the doors and frameless window arrangement.

The 93 Sport Wagon will be the final model in the range, sharing the majority of its construction with the saloon.

Although the 93 hatch will be bigger than the Audi A3, it is expected to be priced at a similar level, starting at around £18,000. The new model should be Saab’s most credible driver’s car since the 900 Aero was launched in 1985.

The styling of the 93 family will build on that of today’s 9-5, but the company designers are likely to make more use of an aerospace-influenced, barrel-sided look for the 93.

Inside, the wrap-around dashboard theme will stay, but the expanse of bare fascia seen in the new 9-5 is likely to be watered down to avoid overwhelming the driver.

Saab engineers have the option of fitting the 93 with the sophisticated HiPer strut front and linked H-arm rear suspension systems that are already used on some versions of the new 9-5. The company’s highly regarded four-wheel drive set-up is also on the menu.

There’s still some mystery as to the source of the 93’s engines, but it seems highly likely that they will come from outside the General Motors family.
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Photo Credit: Saab Automobile AB

New Design Director at Saab Automobile

* Former Pininfarina and Bertone designer joins Saab leadership team
* Will lead design for Saab’s product expansion program

Trollhättan, Sweden: Saab Automobile today announced the appointment of former Bertone and Pininfarina designer Jason Castriota as its new Design Director.

Castriota, 36, now takes the lead role in design at Saab, reporting directly to Saab Automobile CEO Jan Åke Jonsson. He and his design company will be responsible for exterior and interior design and will lead the design activities at Saab as the brand renews and broadens its product range.

Announcing the appointment, Jan Åke Jonsson said: “We’re delighted to welcome Jason to our leadership team. He has an outstanding track record in automotive design and will help us take the brand forward. He will play a key role in expressing all that’s best in the innovative tradition of Saab design as we carry our brand’s roots into the future.”

“I’m greatly looking forward to joining such an iconic brand,” said Castriota. “Saab has a very strong and distinctive heritage which gives it great potential to develop. This is an exciting opportunity for me to help shape its future products.”
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It has been recently indicated that Saab Automobile, as part of it’s global brand relaunch, will market using applications for Apple’s Iphone and new Ipad, according to BusinessWeek’s interview with Saab’s new Global Sales Director, Adrian Hallmark.

As Saab continues to emphasize it’s interest in being touted as the “Apple” of the automobile business, one cannot help but wonder if there will be future partnerships with the company.

Wouldn’t it be nice to receive a brand new Apple Iphone or Ipad with any new Saab purchase right at your local Saab dealer instead of having to pick it up at the Apple store itself?

Here’s the quote below from Saab Automobile’s new Sales Director, Adrian Hallmark.

The marketing will feature “all media platforms” and include applications for Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad, Hallmark said.

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile AB

In the next month or so, Saab Cars North America is expected to launch an all out marketing blitz as part of the launch of the all new Saab 9-5 in the United States according to Business Week.

“There’s a huge wave of media and communication” that will start in Sweden when the 9-5 goes on sale June 19, Adrian Hallmark, executive director of sales, said in a phone interview. Saab will spend more than $150 million on marketing in the second half of 2010 after spending “nothing” on promotions since the sale by GM, he said.