A while back we reported on the status of the Saab car collection from the Trollhattan museum. The company in charge of overseeing Saab’s bankruptcy announced that it would be auctioning off cars at the Trollhattan museum. While it horrified Saab enthusiasts, to the liquidators it was a source of cash. They don’t care for the historical value of things – unless it brings in money. That’s the whole point.
The collection includes the very first Ur-Saab and countless other milestone production models, prototypes and concept cars. Vehicles like the Aero X Concept and the stillborn prototype Subaru Tribeca-based 9-7X crossover SUV. Fan site Saabs United organized an effort to try to purchase these vehicles if they indeed did head to auction, in order to preserve them in a private museum.
It would have been a shame if these cars were spread all over the world rather than displayed in a single collection that the public would be able to view. Thankfully, Autocar reports that end has been avoided. The City of Trollhattan (who wants the tourism dollars), SAAB AB (the airplane manufacturer that bears the Saab name) as well as The Wallenberg Foundation came up a sum of over $4 million (at current exchange rates) to take ownership of the entire collection.
There are 120 vehicles all in all. There isn’t much information available on the purchase other than that. This is a big victory for Saab fans though. What isn’t clear is the state of the Saab museum grounds – if the collection will be moved or what the deal with that is. We assume The City of Trollhattan will work to make sure it is open to the public and able to attract tourists. As for the Saab brand, there is still reports going on that some well-heeled buyers are interested. Call us when something serious materializes!
