The Saab 96 GL V4 Super. He's coming. He's coming.

Up to the ears. This is how I can fall in love with someone who attracts me. Or on something I like. And in both cases are blessed with a beautiful character. Loosely translated: the amorous feelings recently came in the context of iets to light. Because for a while the car was already a kind of potential online date. Well. Not. Well. Not. The swipe went to the right. Because a brown Saab 96 GL V4 Super from 1978 seduced me with its wonderful appearance. Of course I drove it. And a touchingly beautiful love arose.

Call it personal, call it special. But since I became aware of the car phenomenon, I became fascinated with older models that were still new in the showroom. The Saab 96 was such a car, and I saw that the color changed in the run-up to one of the last model years. Still innovations, I loved that. The Saab 96 GL V4 Super (the car was already called that at the time) was updated, with matte black window frames and a black panel at the rear. Trollhättan ensured that the car - which was actually based on the design of the original Saab - was adapted to the latest fashion trends. While retaining the good. One of those new variants rolled off the production line in Uusikaupunki, Finland, in 1978 and lived a quiet life in Sweden, the brand's home country.

And yes, then this Saab came to Wolvega, to Gerard Kramer Klassiekers, with a lot of money on the clock. And I was there several times in a short time. And on Saturday, August 3, 2024, I wanted to drive the car. I already announced it. And the weather was beautiful. The neat and even technically perfect Saab, adorned with wonderful signs of wear, actually had no secrets. You may remember the report that Bart Spijker and I made with the special Special, a copy from the limited Dutch anniversary edition from 1979. And this classic was a beautiful copy, which was offered by Hofman Leek at the time. I still think this Saab is one of the nicest cars I have owned in ten years Auto Motor Klassiek under scrutiny. A very, very rare specimen. The brown Saab 96 GL V4 Super that I was driving now did the same: moved me. And not just a little bit either.

The combination of that good-natured Ford V4 sound - which I sometimes heard as a little boy from the front of grandpa and grandma Van Putten's yellow Ford Granada 1.7 in the mid-seventies - the suspension behavior, the completely unique design, the tricks, the seat, the freewheeling, the steering gear: this Swedish friend, built in Finland, embraced me in everything. A warm feeling moved through me, steadily, lasting minutes and minutes. A small veil of moisture remained hidden behind my sunglasses. Yes, I am strange sometimes. But a car can hit me. And that is what the Saab did and does to me. And how!

Cyclists waved along the way, I waved back. Autonomy and feeling autonomous are - without disrespecting others - core values ​​for me, and I felt them deep inside in this classic. Of course I drove the Saab to the Spangahoekweg. Regular readers of the magazine know what that spot means to me. And it was there that I made the decision to seriously consider marrying the 96.

I will spare you further reflections, but especially since the ride with this import Saab I knew more than enough. During guarded and unguarded moments I thought about the Saab, I could already see the rides in front of me and there was that comfortable and warm feeling that this classic evokes in me. It's like love. Sometimes you know when someone suits you, such moments are unique. And sometimes you know when a classic suits you, everything comes together. The Volvo V50 gets a classic friend, both are blessed with Ford ties. Both models come from a Swedish manufacturer. And both were assembled abroad. These two cars will be a match made in heaven. And match gjord i himlen.

Love sometimes also brings sacrifices. It is with a heavy heart that I exchange the Jetta for the Finnish Swede, and you can bet that it will take some effort. Because I am quite attached to the VW. But this one will soon end up with an enthusiast, there is no other way. Unique, delivered new in the Netherlands, fine technology, basic version and with two doors. And above all: in original condition. Just like the Saab completely is not messed up, and ends up with another enthusiast: me. The time has come after the summer. And that, together with the holiday prospect, is a wonderful idea. I followed my automotive heart and bought a Saab 96, a good-natured icon from my youth. I can hardly believe it. But it's really true.