NOT ANOTHER SAAB STORY — SCANWEST AUTOSPORT
STORY | Stein Broeder
PHOTOGRAPHY | Sam Allen
Unusual. Quirky. A little different. Those are the typical words people will use when describing a Saab. Then in the same breath they will use words like well-designed, safety, and performance.
Saab people, like the cars, are a little different. But the sparkle in their eye, smirk on their face, and their bubbling enthusiasm when they talk about Saabs, that tells the real story. And just like the car and the people that love them, the history of the manufacturer is, well, a little different… after all Saabs were born from fighter jets.
THE SAAB TIMELINE
After World War II governments around the world had all the military aircraft they needed so Saab, a Swedish airplane company, decided to do something with their spare production capacity. Car production in war-torn Europe was almost non-existent, and the U.S. was concentrating on satisfying local demand, so Saab decided to produce a Swedish car. Early Saabs resembled airplanes without their wings and produced 50% less drag than their counterparts.
Saab started exporting cars to the United States in the 1950s with many going to the Pacific Northwest where countless Scandinavian loggers had settled. In 1968 Saab introduced 99 model which was larger and fancier than the previous models and sent Saab into the luxury car market on par with BMW’s 2002 and Alfa Romeo’s Giulia.
Saab was also somewhat of a car pioneer. It is interesting to note that the 99 was the first car ever to feature headlight wipers and offer heated seats as standard equipment.
In 1969 Saab merged with Scania trucks and one thing Scania knew about was turbochargers. With fuel prices sky high, and Saab wanting their four-cylinders to compete with V8s, they created the 99 Turbo, one of the first production turbo cars. Then, in the late 1970s Saab introduced what would go on to be its best-selling car, the Saab 900.
Saab went on to produce several popular models including the 9000, 9-3 and the 9-5. Each with its own distinct character. And let’s not forget the 9-2X, a collaboration with Japan’s Subaru which has become affectionately known as the “Saabaru.”
SAAB IN DECLINE
Unfortunately, with the introduction of the newer models in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Saab was losing some of that quirkiness loyal customers had grown to love. Fueled by General Motors (GM) investment in 1989 and their cookiecutter thinking, Saab began veering from its Scandinavian rally roots. Although Saab sold a lot of cars in the mid to late 1990s, the early 2000s were less kind. Existing customers saw BMWs, Audis, and Mercedes as more compelling luxury cars. In 2008 GM filed for bankruptcy and after several attempts by various companies to keep the brand alive, Saab’s run officially ended in 2014. But that’s not where our Saab story ends.
THE PASSION CARRIES ON
The Scandinavian loggers who first brought Saabs to the Pacific Northwest helped spawn a local appreciation for a car that remains strong to this day, especially among enthusiasts. One of those enthusiasts is Rob Walden, who grew up around cars and has worked on Saabs as far back as he can remember. His love of Saabs is just part of who he is.
SAAB’S SAVIOR, SCANWEST AUTOSPORT
Walden likes to tell the story about how his shop was previously a Union 76 gas station where he would fill up his car in his youth. In 1985 that gas station became his Saab repair shop, Scanwest Autosport. Having worked in other repair shops he says he eventually opened his own out a genuine desire to help people… and his love of Saabs. “Ensuring customer satisfaction at a fair price is the driving force behind Scanwest. I worked at other shops when I was younger where I saw shop owners take advantage of customers. In fact, there was one instance where I quit right after I realized this was happening and I said to myself you must be able to do the job right and still make a living. So that’s what I set out to do,” said Walden. And 35-plus years later, he’s still doing it.
Walden’s passion is so genuine and authentic that it’s rather contagious. So much so that it even turned former customers into employees. One such employee is Craig Haugen. Haugen started out as a customer and then started working as a tech, but after realizing that working on cars might not be his strong suit he moved into the office and has helped run the business ever since. Trying to nail down what makes Saabs so unique Haugen said, “I love the ways Saabs handle. The way they look. The way they feel. They are just special cars.”
SCANWEST’S RALLY RACING EXPLOITS
Walking into Scanwest you immediately see and feel the 35 years of history. There are trophies, memorabilia, and newspaper articles on the wall that tell the story. One of the highlights is their rally car exploits.
Walden recalls the moment he fell in love with the rally car movement. In the mid-1980s the first leg of the Olympus rally was held at Golden Gardens in the Seattle area and a friend invited him to attend. They were standing on a corner when they heard the first car approaching, down-shifting prior to turning the corner and screaming past mere feet from the crowd. A nearby police officer yelled for everybody to get back immediately. “That was it. I was hooked,” said Walden.
As luck would have it, around that same time an employee had decided to turn his Saab into a rally car, so Walden decided to lend a hand given his newfound enthusiasm. And they were off to the races. Literally.
In the 1990’s the shop caught the attention of Saab for their rally prowess in the classic 900. Scanwest won many rally races with their modified classic 900, enough for Saab to sponsor Scanwest. In 1995 Saab provided them with a new 900 and a truckload of extra parts. Several modifications later Scanwest created a 300-horsepower monster 900 that won the 1997 SCCA Pro Rally Group 5 championship.
When you head upstairs in the shop you really begin to understand the depth of their passion. There are rows of shelves with parts in bins, parts stacked on the floor, up against the wall. Scanwest has been collecting these parts over the years and they often get calls from all over the country, from enthusiasts and shops alike, looking for something very specific. And they’re always willing to lend a hand.
Scanwest’s Saab know-how and genuine enthusiasm has earned the company a reputation as one of the premier Saab specialists in the country. And while meeting the needs of their Saab customers is paramount, Walden realized that when Saab shut down, he would eventually need to branch out to stay in business. Subaru was a natural first choice considering the successful “Saabaru” collaboration. The company later added Mini, BMW and Audi. But the Saab legacy lives on at Scanwest.
They do it right. Not only do customers keep coming back, Scanwest has such a good reputation that the loyalty is multigenerational. “Back in the day Saab owners were a bit unique bunch,” says Weldon. “They were Boeing engineers, architects, doctors. People that could really appreciate something that is well-made. And now we have several instances where we are servicing their grandkid’s vehicles.
