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Holy Mother Of Saab

This Mother's Day, I'm appreciating the Motorhead Mamas in my family and how they made me the woman I am today. You see, I come from a long, proud line of sharp- tongued, red-blooded and lead-footed women. My grandmother once drove her pale pink Aries K up onto the sidewalk, proceeded to flatten a stop sign and immediately instructed us in the backseat to "quit your worrying."

IMG_2355(Grandma's weapon of choice, the Aries K)

Years later, I witnessed a local police officer telling my mother, "Mrs. Motorhead, I don't have the heart to give you another ticket." In response, she ripped him a new one– reminding him that was her tax dollars (& ticket fees) that "put his kids through college, so he should be grateful!" It's no wonder that when I was first pulled over for speeding, I turned to the poor, unfortunate red-headed fellow and told him I wasn't "going to be ticketed by a Leprechaun." That was a fun afternoon.

Mom wasn't always a such a barrel of monkeys behind the wheel, but everything changed when she traded her '82 Nissan Sentra (what a beauty) for a '86 Saab 900S.

IMG_3311

It was this car that made my mom a terror on the roads, a faithful Saab enthusiast and about 300x happier on a daily basis.  And I was lucky enough to witness this transformation from the right front passenger seat.

It usually started when we'd open the sunroof. In the late 80s, sunroofs weren't common as they are now, so when that sunlight permeated our poor, Vitamin D deficient East Coast foreheads, it was pure elixir.  

Then we'd pop in a cassette tape (if you're under 35–Google it).  Mom's favorite at that time was "Arethra Franklin."  Never mind the fact that the preppy white lady mistook the Queen of Soul for a conduit for semen and urine, because no matter what her name was, she reigned supreme in that 900S.  

One problem was that Mom also had a penchant for applying her cuticle cream while driving.  Now I'm no safety expert, but I'm pretty sure that greasing up a steering wheel is pretty much the last thing your State Farm agent wants to see you doing.  So between the "r-e-s-p-e-c-t" and the slippery handling, there was never a dull moment in that car.  Considering the fact that, at that time, most Connecticut mothers were streaming (if you're over 45, look it up) Simon & Garfunkle and gingerly coasting from one tennis lesson to another– I consider myself completely blessed.  We had a ball in that car and Mom showed me that a car is not only a vehicle of transportation but a vehicle for pure elation.  Thanks, Mom. Happy Mother's Day.

8 thoughts on “Holy Mother Of Saab”

  1. When the gearbox on my white Saab 99T failed, I figured it was time for a more modern Saab and at just six years old, my 9-3 Viggen was the newest car I’ve ever owned (I’ve still never bought a car younger than six years old).

  2. One problem was that Mom also had a penchant for applying her cuticle cream while driving. Now I’m no safety expert, but I’m pretty sure that greasing up a steering wheel is pretty much the last thing your State Farm agent wants to see you doing. So between the “r-e-s-p-e-c-t” and the slippery handling, there was never a dull moment in that car. Considering the fact that, at that time, most Connecticut mothers were streaming (if you’re over 45, look it up) Simon & Garfunkle and gingerly coasting from one tennis lesson to another– I consider myself completely blessed. We had a ball in that car and Mom showed me that a car is not only a vehicle of transportation but a vehicle for pure elation. Thanks, Mom. Happy Mother’s Day.

  3. Thank you for the Holy Mother Of Saab information. motorheadmama, What motivated you to call this blog “Holy Mother Of Saab”, not that the title does not go with the content, I am just wondering. Nice work motorheadmama.

  4. You are of course right and the car is a 1990, not 91. I got my years mixed up as I used to own a G reg mini that was built in 89 but registered in early 90. Anyway, I am awaiting a gasket for the diff inspection plate which will come off when it arrives and I’ll do the gear oil and have a poke around what comes out but the box feels pretty tight at the moment and i can’t afford a full rebuild yet so I’ll have to tie balloons to my right foot to look after it for a bitYou are right that the 3rd gear surge is more than addictive and I have scalped a fair few more modern cars with relative ease if the revs happen to lay in my favour.In other news. Had the back axle off this week and I am rebutting the ones that need doing, dampers and springs are in excellent nick but torque arm and panhard rod bushes were shot to bits. I’ll put pictures up tomorrow.Wheels came back from being refurbed and look lovely so I need to get some decent sealant on them, again pics tomorrow.Hopefully I’ll get the few little bits of welding done before august, do the headlining and refresh the engine bay and then there’s not too much left to sort out.I’ll be at a few shows this summer so keep your eyes peeled for me!

  5. “The glory days of Saab Scania are long gone now, GM were brave to invest massive sums of money into the brand. They put Saab in a true volume market position while allowing their own individuality to shine through. If GM had not come on board in 93, they would have shut down simple as that, they reduced the build time by almost 75% and by sourcing GM running gear in later models, reduced the cost base almost by a similar figure. The main problem was how astute the traditional Saab owner was, they saw the new owner as global corporation taking over and slowly walked away from the brand while buyers who had never owned a Saab perceived the car to be too expensive to buy and run – which in fact was the opposite.

  6. Yanase Co., Ltd. is the exclusive retailer of all imported BMW (passenger cars and motorcycles) products to Japanese consumers, and has had the exclusive rights to do so since the end of World War II.

  7. Great post! I remember the Saab and the sass, the music – and the cuticle cream. I also remember her laughter. She was freakin' happy in that Saab. Happy Mother's Day Mrs. Motorhead!

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