2010 Saab Festival Dates Announced

The first Saab fans meeting since the company became independent is scheduled to take place in Sweden between July 15 -18, the carmaker announced today. The 2010 Saab Festival is set to attract visitors at the Saab Car Museum in Trollhättan. This year's event will focus on Saabs past and present, including the newly-launched Saab 9-5 sedan.

In addition to factory tours, parades, presentations and automobilia sales, the festival will include a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Saab 96, the car that took Erik ‘Mr Saab´ Carlsson to the first of a hat-trick of RAC Rally victories in 1960.

“This year´s event has special significance as it comes at the start of a new era in our company´s history," Saab Automobile CEO Jan Åke Jonsson, said in a release. “Many Saab fans around the world demonstrated great support for Saab during the sale negotiations and we are delighted to take this opportunity of showing our appreciation."

Prior to the festival, Saab Automobile CEO Jan Åke Jonsson and Saab Automobile Chairman and Spyker Cars CEO Victor Muller will drive a vintage Saab 93 at the Mille Miglia race. The two executives will be co-driven by their sons, Christian, 38, and Olivier,18, respectively.

The event is scheduled to take place in May the 1,000-mile (1,600 km) Brescia-Rome-Brescia route in Italy. The vintage Saab 9-3, which clinched a class win at the Mille Miglia event in 1957, is powered by a 45 hp, 748 cc, three-cylinder engine, and weighs just 810 kilos.