Unique 9-5NG and 9-4X photoshoot at the Saab test track (or: 75 years of Saab spirit at the Saabfestival 2022 – part 3)

A record number of “next generation” Saabs gathered at the former Saab test track in Trollhättan for a unique photoshoot….

Finally!

No less than 127 next generation Saabs -a record number!- in a location that normally is closed to the public: the former Saab test track. Six 9-5NG SportCombis, 105 9-5NG Sedans and 16 9-4Xs, from many countries around Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Czech, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

We were finally able to get together in person (or should I say “in car”?) again after the long pandemic-induced events pause, and the excitement among the participants was palpable. In the run up to the photoshoot we had been quite secretive as getting access to our location hadn’t been approved by NEVS until quite late in the process, but when we briefed all the drivers on the venue all was immediately forgiven!

I guess “finally” also applies to the fact that it took no less than two months(!) for the relevant Swedish authority, Lantmäteriet, to grant the distribution permit for my drone pictures and videos (LM2022/030606). Under normal circumstances, this takes 2-3 days but reportedly the combination of vacation period, staff shortages and the growing popularity of drones has led to these quite substantial queues. Cutting corners and simply uploading the videos to the Internet would technically have been possible, but breaking the rules would have meant risking substantial fines, or worse…

Happy 9-4 / 9-5 day

This post will go live at 12:00 CET on September 4th, which means that on the other side of the globe, the calendar will already have shifted to September 5th. Perfect timing in other words for this unique photoshoot with 9-4Xs and 9-5NGs!

Thanks

This photoshoot would not have been possible without the support of the following people: Henrik Zaar for masterminding and coordinating the event (for the third time!), Marcus Wigh of Vetlanda Bil & Skadecenter for sponsoring the access to the venue, Marcus Bergfeldt for his relentless enthusiasm for Saab and video editing support (also check out Marcus & Manuela’s Saab channel on YT!), Adam, Anders, Manuela, Erik and Trond for their on-site help, NEVS for allowing us to use the venue and -last but not least- all Saab 9-5NG SportCombi, 9-5NG Sedan and 9-4X drivers and their passengers for their support and for keeping the Saab spirit alive!