The H is still being manufactured to this day, serving in the Saab 9-3 and 9-5. That means that the engines that power those two vehicles are not-too-distant relatives of the wonderfully horrible Triumph V8 in the Stag! By the time Saab got around to the H, however, the reliability had been improved by several orders of magnitude over the Triumph four, and nearly 30 (or 40, if you count the B engine) years of front-line service stands as a very impressive engineering achievement. We don't recommend the H as a 24 Hours Of LeMons engine (though the Box Wrench Garage Saab 900 Turbo managed to finish fourth at the Goin' For Broken '09 and fifth at the Altamont '08 race), because of that rod-throwing thing, but it makes for a solid street engine with plenty of turbocharged power potential.
[Wikipedia]

While there was only one European machine in the Gator-O-Rama top 10, the Opular Dependence Team Israel Opel GT grabbed the prestigious Organizer's Choice trophy for the Continent. Not only that, the Saabs avoided throwing even a single connecting rod this time out, which should be cause for rejoicing in the streets of Stockholm
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Thanks to Myke Toman, Nick Pon, Zerin Dube and Speed:Sport:Life, Anna C of Bikini Racer, the Norwegian Slaabs, Saabs Gone Wild, Prison Break Racing, Team Beermer, LeMons Supreme Court Justice Lieberman, Jackson Williams, and others for their fine photographs.

We see Saabs Gone Wild at just about every single LeMons race; apparently SGW is a global conspiracy of some sort. Even though Saabs nearly always break down at LeMons races, the teams show true Scandinavian stoicism- if that's the word- and keep coming back for more! This car managed 131 laps, good for an 84th-place finish… but check out that 1:38.682 best lap. Turbo, baby!


We're disappointed that the Bernal Dads still haven't done anything with the B23 we pulled from the Black Metal V8olvo and sold to them, but their '84 245 wagon still looked good in its 4th LeMons race. Looks like a few penalties- including the dreaded Max Mosley- slowed them down a bit, but they still came in a respectable 56th.


This really is a Volvo 244! The Flakes, obviously a bunch of bodywork wizards, have created a 1957 Chevolvo using junk parts around the shop. They didn't put much work into adding performance to their slushbox-equipped Swede- which is apparent from their placid 1:47.750 best lap time- but they stayed out of trouble and stayed on the track, and they get a staggeringly good 15th-place finish to show for it!


After teammate Court Summerfield passed away after having a heart attack behind the wheel at the SF '08 race, the Alameda-based Cant Am guys were initially too heartbroken to contemplate returning to LeMons in another Gulf-paint-scheme Volvo 242. Then they realized that Court probably wouldn't have wanted to give up on the turbocharged Volvo dream, and they built a recreation of the old car, this time with a turbo motor out of a 740. It was quick, with a best time of 1:38.566, but seemed to have some fuel-delivery problems on the track.


This car finished 10th at the SF '08 race, and the Box Wrench 900 Turbo came in 5th. There you have it- proof that Saabs don't always break at LeMons races! Unfortunately, that fine Swedish machinery wasn't working up to its full potential this time around, and Team 60 came in 89th.


You're all familiar with the car I helped build by now, so I won't go into tedious detail about its innards. The Black Metal V8olvo came in 29th this time, the lack of a top-5 spot almost entirely due to a nearly-hour-long penalty I earned when I took the exit to the forbidden, closed-off part of Thunderhill instead of the pit road exit. I'll write up the details of that little bonehead move later on, when I finally get around to my long-postponed "What's It Like To Race In LeMons?" piece; for now, you other Swedish-car racers can envy our Detroit-assisted 1:38.299 best lap time.

Ford Model T: Parked on Main Street, Jaffrey, NH. It seems to live in that parking spot, though it's only appeared earlier this summer, and is driven regularly. I'm not dedicated enough to identify it down to the year, but it appears to be an earlier model - pre-1920s.

Honda Accord: A first-generation Accord hatchback with some, ahem, modifications. Happily, it's not "riced", just flamed, pinstriped, and given ugly seatcovers that I didn't bother photographing. I got a quick shot of the dashboard, but didn't get any real detail shots, as it was parked in its usual location, and the door to the house was open. Also - yes, that's my bicycle in the background there... I yelled "Nice Accord!" to the Honda's owner later on; got the hook-'em heavy-metal horns in return, so I think he was pleased that I actually identified it.

Saab 900 sedan DOTS (Jaffrey, NH). '83-'86, as best I can tell. It's a close relative to the Alameda Saab you posted in December, in navy instead of white. These are relatively common here, though I never seem to have my camera when they park on the roadside... The turbo convertibles hide in Peterborough, which I don't visit often, but I'll keep you updated if I manage to shoot one. The rear window shot, while likely too fuzzy to post, shows why there's no interior shot! Don't mess with an ex-seaman.

Sadly, the business ended in 2006 and the company is looking for someone else to to take over production. There's one major obstacle to producing new Saab campers going forward: Saab sedans no longer feature hatches. We say transfer the thing over to the new Skoda Superb. (h/t to SLRSpeedShop) [Toppola Official Website]