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eloquent editorial from The Guardian UK Posted by JohnA [Email]  (#426)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from JohnA) on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:44:10
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One of my favourite newspapers:
It is too often said that if Swedes bought Saab cars as fervently as they loved them, one of Europe's best-known brands would not be in the pickle that it is currently in. That is to be unduly harsh on a carmaker that over the last 62 years has produced a steady stream of bold designs that have been as iconic as they have been idiosyncratic. Almost every generation of Saab has spawned its own dewy-eyed owner. There are drivers who can remember adding oil into the two-stroke engine of the bullnose Saab 96, the car that achieved international cooldom and was as at home in California as it was on the rally circuit. There are others who think that only a 900i three-door Combi sedan is the true expression of the faith, and that no rear spoiler has ever looked the same since. Yet others prostrate themselves before the turbo-charger, which transformed a heavy lump of metal into a fleet-footed sprinter that left Volvos for dust. And what reveries of push-button dashboard design greeted the driver inside. Wrapped in a cocoon of green lights, too many a fantasist at the wheel could imagine themselves saying "Roger that" to ground control. No dream can last, and under GM, Saab became steadily more mainstream as it borrowed technology from elsewhere. As it did, it became less able to define itself against outperforming German rivals. It has also not made a profit since 2001, a factor weighing heavily on any prospective buyer. But what a loss it would be if the dream died and Saab became history.
, Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:44:10 <-- Viewing This Message
, Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:40:46
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