Bruce is exactly the same off-video as well. I've known him since I was 16 years old. The first time I met him he handed me the keys to that red Sonett V4 at 24:17 and let me drive it by myself when I was 16. I had been admiring it all day and he said, "If you can shift it, you can take it for a spin." So I did! I'll never forget it. Bruce is a great guy! Class act.
Wow!! This remindes me when I drive a SAAB Monte Carlo 850 The sounds makes me flipp out come to Sweden and show your CAR!!!! I had a manufacturing made motor at 75 hp and two italian carburato !!! I loved the sound ! am 73 years and memoris still there!!!!
Wow, great interview! The interviewer knows the subject, asks pretty good questions and then cares enough about the answer to get out of the way to let the subject answer. Very well done! I'm a huge Saab fan, and I love the sound and the history of the vintage two-strokes. Certainly Mr. Turk is celebrating that history with his cars, and I value him for that contribution to all we Saab faithful.
I love it. In November 2014 I was helping a friend look for a car and I ended up with a SAAB 96 converted for rallying. The thing is that I live in Quito, Ecuador, Talk about hill climbing. The thing has a 2.0L Ford V6 out of an old Capri with the radiator mounted above and aft of the engine. Crazy machine but amazing sound and torque.
@ 17:54 He is drinking a Swedish "Champis" It is a carbonated fruit juice. A classic soft drink in Sweden, that reminds of Champagne. But without alcohol. :)
Love this. My uncle was into rally in the 60's and early 70's. Some of his SAAB wrecks ended up in grandmas' yard. I spent my days playing rally driver in them. Since I was four; I had a knack of closing the car door on my fingers. The wrecks were swiftly hauled away. I was so disappointed that I snuck over to my neighbours' wreck (a Volvo PV, God forbid) and demolished my fingers in that one as well. Glad to see it go.
This is by far one of the coolest and greatest things I have ever seen on UA-cam. I've always loved these 2 cycle Saabs ever since I first laid eyes on one as a kid. I'm inspired now, there's a 63' and a 68' not far from me, and either one are just burning to rub the road again. Thank you!
This car is the coolest thing ever! I got to co-drive with Bruce today at a RallyX event and if you think it sounds good on here, you have got to here it in person. He is an awesome driver!
Love this video! Takes me back to my first (of five) SAABs: a dark green, two-stroke 1959 93B driven with youthful abandon through the winters of MN, WI and IL. Thanks for posting!
.So far, I have had a '92, 90 and an 87, all 9000s. My current, the 87 was $250 almost 3 years ago. With the back seats down and a comfy foam pad, I have car camped with ease. Although at times I have said- I have to work, I drive a saab (repairs)...these cars were built, driven and raced by people who had saab mojo..... Thanks for posting and proving older is better...
In Sweden, Erik Carlsson's nick name was 'on the roof' referring both to a popular character of author Astrid Lindgred and the fact that Erik often turned his cars upside down (on the roof). The picture with EriK on the side of the road with a drink was a commercial for a popular soft drink called 'Pommac'.
This guy seriously does drive that thing hard. I've seen him two or three times at rallycrosses in Upstate NY and then in April at ESPR. That 2 stroke was one of the best sounds out there
Great interview. I drive a 1958 DKW 3cylinder 2stroke FWD column shift, so many simularities to the Saab 96 shown here. I've often thought of competing with my DKW in a hillclimb or autocross event, however, my paint is fresh and the 2 stroke uphill performance and torque are not stellar, just like the Saab 96. Quite remarkable what he's accomplished with this Saab. Thanks
Normally I can't stand the blowhard DRIVE guys but this host is great, no exaggerated eulogizing about "revvs!1!!" or long blurbs without actually saying anything. I like the owner too. Good for him for saving the car from the snow/salt plow.
Xtralives i agree, nice to have two guys talking about cars without all the ego and bluster, that bruce guy had a nice manner to him and was quite informative.
That was beautiful! Good pictures, good action, good sound! That rally engine's a blast! And thank you for not bogging the sound picture down with bad VJ "music"! Thumbs up plenty! :)
When I was a kid in the late 60's my friend who lived next to us, his older sister had a 96 and she would us to the beach during the summer in it. So I remember we would stop for gas and back then they pumped your gas for you and she would hand the they guy pumping the gas a quart of oil and tell him to put it in the tank, needless to say they thought she was nuts and then of course it would smoke so bad because she was always just dumping in a quart not the correct ratio of gas to oil. Then we would get stuck in traffic in Westerly Rhode Island coming home and I would get sick to my stomach breathing in the exhaust on a hot summer day. I would love to have one.
_No, no, no, no, no!!!_ - William ain't he ''only'' one! - I'd be _thrilled to bits_ getting to drive Bruce's 96! - I practically _grew up_ in one, and at the age of 14 I was literally rallying it around on the exact same kind of narrow, winding gravel roads, and let me tell ya'll: *_There's NOTHING like it!!!_* (PS: The 96 V4 was equally bad ass!....)💓😉👍
SO MUCH RESPECT FOR THIS GUY. Bruce is a true man, self-sufficient, self-reliant. Can't do it? Teach yourself. Don't know how to do it? Learn it. If everyone were like that this world would be a much better place, so tired of bitches whining and complaining that they can't do things and relying on everyone but themselves. You can do anything you put your mind to if you really want to.
17:55 Eric Karlsson is drinking a fruit flavored soft drink called Pommac. It was introduced in 1919 and is the oldest soft drink still in production in Sweden.
I have to admit I've never liked Saabs, and because its a Saab and older than Group-B I really wasn't looking forward to watching this at all. Man am I glad I did! I'm still no a fan of Saab's but have mad respect for Bruce Turk and thank you Drive for broadening my my horizons. Great video.
I don't think that Mike even realises how good an interviewer he is. He seems genuinely interested in this guy's story (while most of the car-related interviews I've seen look fake and forced) and he asks very well thought-out questions.
I have a '62 Volvo 544, this is exactly my fantasy for it! There's something about a car that's so cute, going completely balls-out over gravel. So cool!
Those Saabs dominated rallying when they were made. The worse the weather, the better they were. I had one in the infamous blizzard of '77 in upstate NY. Four studded M+S Vredsteins, it was literally unstoppable when everything else couldn't move. Or even start.
The Sonett was made in three series. The Sonett Mk.1 was a small 748cc two stroke roadster introduced in 1956 intended as a sports/race car, However only 6 were ever made. The Sonett Mk.2 was built from 1966-69, initially with an 841cc two stroke engine. Because of US market demands for more engine power, it got a 1,5 litre Ford V4 engine in 1967, which ironically failed to meet US emissions requirements. In 1970 it was upgraded to the Mk.3, and the V4 engine changed to a 1,7 litre from 1971-74.
One of my dream cars is an early Saab 93, with a properly tuned two stroke engine. The important features is that it has to have a split front window and back hinged doors. My mother had one of those as her first car.
Many years ago, I managed to visit the old and sadly former SAAB Car Museum in Trollhättan. And they had Erik Calssons (On the roof) Rally Car, with which he did win the Safari Rally, also by rolling his, when stuck in the mud, car free by rolling it on its roof, to end with the wheels on firmer ground, to be able to ride on! They also had the wide body car which became the SAAB 88
The new owner of Saab, National Electric Vehicle Sweden, has bolted together its first two new cars at the company's traditional home in Trollhättan. The two 9-3 sedans were built to work bugs out of the production line and test newer components before full-scale production starts near the end of the year.
Very cool car, with a cool story, and I liked how humble the owner was... yeah, then I basically learned to weld, fixed it up to concours quality, then converted it to a rally car, been throwing it around corners since :)
Great video! Fearless with your welding, Bruce! I teach high school welding and the number of students who would destroy your car would have to be 30% minimum, lol! I cringed when I heard on the BRS radio net about the incident at 12:25; was glad to hear that everyone was OK, and was surprised when I saw how little damage was actually done. Only one "negative", no mention of Satch Carlson's famous Saab columns from Autoweek...
After having seen what an expansion chamber pipe did to my 1967 Kawasaki C2 (I swear it DOUBLED the power), I can't imagine owning a two-stroke anything without expandos. I would look at that Baja exhaust, I owned that car, and just think of all the missed opportunity. In the name of Walter Kaaden, I want to see somebody put three expansion pipes on an old Saab. Fitment oughtn't to be a problem; some bikes have four of them! And if you know two-stroke engines, the look would blow you away.
I like this video for many reasons, mostly because I know that car and have met Bruce. Always told us fun stories at Rally events. (The time the car rolled was hilarious as he told us the story.) "Zero car's don't need pace notes" is not true.
Great video and Bruce is really inspiring, especially for someone like me wth a 1959 Austin A35 sitting in storage waiting for me to restore....I relly do need to 'just get off my butt and do it"..👍
I thought it looked best when it had been restored to original condition. I used to have a 1974 Saab 95 (the estate version of the Saab 96) - wish I'd kept it now, it was a great car.
Starting production in some months they will use petrol/diesel engines to begin with. Rumor says it will be 1.6 or 1.8 liter and may come from BMW if I'm not mistaken. The car will be 9-3 convertible with facelift etc. And why would you think diesel is the future? Saw Eric Carlsson on the SAAB festival in Trollhättan couple of weeks ago, looked exactly like the pic in this vid. Liked the video allot! Thanks Drive!
I liked this video a lot more than I thought I would. I would love for more information around the "how to get started doing this..." mentality. This had that with the welding, replacing the weakest link and getting involved with the forums and communities of the car. I wish there was a drive show that was just a "how to" show,, I would watch the crap out of all those
Yeah, he probably meant stick. You can braze with acetylene but you can also weld with it, if you turn up the flame a bit and switch to steel filler rod. IMO it's easier than any other method I've used for fine work/sheet metal. It's much like TIG but there's no electrode to contaminate.
Great episode. Love those old 2 strokers. My dream was to one day own a Lancia HF. I actually knew a lot of people growing up in Italy that had one, and a few that had the rally edition. But when I become solvent enough to own one, it was too late already. Bummer.
Bruce is exactly the same off-video as well. I've known him since I was 16 years old. The first time I met him he handed me the keys to that red Sonett V4 at 24:17 and let me drive it by myself when I was 16. I had been admiring it all day and he said, "If you can shift it, you can take it for a spin." So I did! I'll never forget it. Bruce is a great guy! Class act.
Wow!! This remindes me when I drive a SAAB Monte Carlo 850 The sounds makes me flipp out come to Sweden and show your CAR!!!! I had a manufacturing made motor at 75 hp and two italian carburato !!! I loved the sound ! am 73 years and memoris still there!!!!
That thing sounds amazing. Just, this, half angry, half terrified, hollow screaming engine.
Amazing.
i like this guy, he has a good mentality about keeping things original and how kinda pointless it is, cars should be driven.
It is thanks to these petrol gearheads that car history is so rich and auto passion will never die!
Thanks so much for this video!
Loved it
Wow, great interview! The interviewer knows the subject, asks pretty good questions and then cares enough about the answer to get out of the way to let the subject answer. Very well done!
I'm a huge Saab fan, and I love the sound and the history of the vintage two-strokes. Certainly Mr. Turk is celebrating that history with his cars, and I value him for that contribution to all we Saab faithful.
I love it. In November 2014 I was helping a friend look for a car and I ended up with a SAAB 96 converted for rallying. The thing is that I live in Quito, Ecuador, Talk about hill climbing. The thing has a 2.0L Ford V6 out of an old Capri with the radiator mounted above and aft of the engine. Crazy machine but amazing sound and torque.
The way the dust covers the car when the car slides is just so badass.
@ 17:54 He is drinking a Swedish "Champis" It is a carbonated fruit juice.
A classic soft drink in Sweden, that reminds of Champagne. But without alcohol. :)
Its either a Champis or a Pommac, it's difficult to see at that picture.
I believe it’s a Pommac bottle.
It looks like a Pommac to me.
Love this. My uncle was into rally in the 60's and early 70's. Some of his SAAB wrecks ended up in grandmas' yard. I spent my days playing rally driver in them. Since I was four; I had a knack of closing the car door on my fingers. The wrecks were swiftly hauled away. I was so disappointed that I snuck over to my neighbours' wreck (a Volvo PV, God forbid) and demolished my fingers in that one as well. Glad to see it go.
This is by far one of the coolest and greatest things I have ever seen on UA-cam. I've always loved these 2 cycle Saabs ever since I first laid eyes on one as a kid. I'm inspired now, there's a 63' and a 68' not far from me, and either one are just burning to rub the road again. Thank you!
It's funny-looking and it sounds like a pissed-off weed whacker. I love it!
This car is the coolest thing ever! I got to co-drive with Bruce today at a RallyX event and if you think it sounds good on here, you have got to here it in person. He is an awesome driver!
2 stroke saab 96 is a legend dude ! especially when it is driven by eric karlsson.
Love this video! Takes me back to my first (of five) SAABs: a dark green, two-stroke 1959 93B driven with youthful abandon through the winters of MN, WI and IL. Thanks for posting!
Best. Interview set. EVER.
Videos like this make the world a better place. Thank you all.
My Dad rallied three of these in the early 70's. It was a pleasure showing him this video, thanks Drive.
I'm glad there are videos like this on UA-cam because for most people, we wouldn't even know this special rally car even existed.
.So far, I have had a '92, 90 and an 87, all 9000s. My current, the 87 was $250 almost 3 years ago. With the back seats down and a comfy foam pad, I have car camped with ease. Although at times I have said- I have to work, I drive a saab (repairs)...these cars were built, driven and raced by people who had saab mojo.....
Thanks for posting and proving older is better...
In Sweden, Erik Carlsson's nick name was 'on the roof' referring both to a popular character of author Astrid Lindgred and the fact that Erik often turned his cars upside down (on the roof).
The picture with EriK on the side of the road with a drink was a commercial for a popular soft drink called 'Pommac'.
Best After/Drive so far. It gets so much more interesting as soon as you leave the studio. Loved it
This guy seriously does drive that thing hard. I've seen him two or three times at rallycrosses in Upstate NY and then in April at ESPR. That 2 stroke was one of the best sounds out there
Yes!! I had an 86 SPG and fixed it all up and drove it for years. I miss it. They are great cars. Get one while you still can.
I'm nostalgic? If one can be that... I had a few 2 stroke Saab's... seriously a fun car
Great interview. I drive a 1958 DKW 3cylinder 2stroke FWD column shift, so many simularities to the Saab 96 shown here. I've often thought of competing with my DKW in a hillclimb or autocross event, however, my paint is fresh and the 2 stroke uphill performance and torque are not stellar, just like the Saab 96. Quite remarkable what he's accomplished with this Saab. Thanks
Always nice to see people with passion who care about what they do
Normally I can't stand the blowhard DRIVE guys but this host is great, no exaggerated eulogizing about "revvs!1!!" or long blurbs without actually saying anything. I like the owner too. Good for him for saving the car from the snow/salt plow.
Xtralives i agree, nice to have two guys talking about cars without all the ego and bluster, that bruce guy had a nice manner to him and was quite informative.
That was beautiful!
Good pictures, good action, good sound! That rally engine's a blast!
And thank you for not bogging the sound picture down with bad VJ "music"!
Thumbs up plenty! :)
When I was a kid in the late 60's my friend who lived next to us, his older sister had a 96 and she would us to the beach during the summer in it. So I remember we would stop for gas and back then they pumped your gas for you and she would hand the they guy pumping the gas a quart of oil and tell him to put it in the tank, needless to say they thought she was nuts and then of course it would smoke so bad because she was always just dumping in a quart not the correct ratio of gas to oil. Then we would get stuck in traffic in Westerly Rhode Island coming home and I would get sick to my stomach breathing in the exhaust on a hot summer day. I would love to have one.
_No, no, no, no, no!!!_ - William ain't he ''only'' one! - I'd be _thrilled to bits_ getting to drive Bruce's 96! - I practically _grew up_ in one, and at the age of 14 I was literally rallying it around on the exact same kind of narrow, winding gravel roads, and let me tell ya'll: *_There's NOTHING like it!!!_* (PS: The 96 V4 was equally bad ass!....)💓😉👍
SO MUCH RESPECT FOR THIS GUY. Bruce is a true man, self-sufficient, self-reliant. Can't do it? Teach yourself. Don't know how to do it? Learn it.
If everyone were like that this world would be a much better place, so tired of bitches whining and complaining that they can't do things and relying on everyone but themselves. You can do anything you put your mind to if you really want to.
self sufficient women are ideal as well.
17:55 Eric Karlsson is drinking a fruit flavored soft drink called Pommac. It was introduced in 1919 and is the oldest soft drink still in production in Sweden.
I saw this car at one of the rallies! such an awesome story!
I have to admit I've never liked Saabs, and because its a Saab and older than Group-B I really wasn't looking forward to watching this at all. Man am I glad I did! I'm still no a fan of Saab's but have mad respect for Bruce Turk and thank you Drive for broadening my my horizons. Great video.
This might just be my favorite non-Top Gear car video ever. Absolutely stellar episode.
I enjoyed that immensely. Great job. I am loving After Drive, Mike. Do more of these features on owners of interesting older cars.
Spectacular! It's not easy finding media on old Saabs so I really appreciate this bit!
I can't describe how awsome this is, especially the Swedish stuff! Keep it coming!
I don't think that Mike even realises how good an interviewer he is. He seems genuinely interested in this guy's story (while most of the car-related interviews I've seen look fake and forced) and he asks very well thought-out questions.
I have a '62 Volvo 544, this is exactly my fantasy for it! There's something about a car that's so cute, going completely balls-out over gravel. So cool!
Those Saabs dominated rallying when they were made. The worse the weather, the better they were. I had one in the infamous blizzard of '77 in upstate NY. Four studded M+S Vredsteins, it was literally unstoppable when everything else couldn't move. Or even start.
The Sonett was made in three series. The Sonett Mk.1 was a small 748cc two stroke roadster introduced in 1956 intended as a sports/race car, However only 6 were ever made. The Sonett Mk.2 was built from 1966-69, initially with an 841cc two stroke engine. Because of US market demands for more engine power, it got a 1,5 litre Ford V4 engine in 1967, which ironically failed to meet US emissions requirements. In 1970 it was upgraded to the Mk.3, and the V4 engine changed to a 1,7 litre from 1971-74.
Probably one of my top 5 favorite videos on youtube, and i dont even like saabs.
"As my Grandmother always used to say, red brake calipers are a gift you give other people" Classic
Im from Sweden and my dad has 2 Saab 2 strokes.
This guy really is inspiring; pretty damn impressive that he was able to restore it with such little experience.
One of my dream cars is an early Saab 93, with a properly tuned two stroke engine. The important features is that it has to have a split front window and back hinged doors. My mother had one of those as her first car.
I really want a Sonnett II to rally and autocross... I love the package, and that engine just has so much charisma! Great video.
Many years ago, I managed to visit the old and sadly former SAAB Car Museum in Trollhättan. And they had Erik Calssons (On the roof) Rally Car, with which he did win the Safari Rally, also by rolling his, when stuck in the mud, car free by rolling it on its roof, to end with the wheels on firmer ground, to be able to ride on! They also had the wide body car which became the SAAB 88
From now on, Bruce is my IDOL!
If this videos could raise enough attention to bring back two-stroke cars that would be amazing.
The new owner of Saab, National Electric Vehicle Sweden, has bolted together its first two new cars at the company's traditional home in Trollhättan. The two 9-3 sedans were built to work bugs out of the production line and test newer components before full-scale production starts near the end of the year.
Even if I didn''t know about his Saab collection, I'd still picture this guy in a Saab.
Albin Nygren maybe a volvo
Very cool car, with a cool story, and I liked how humble the owner was... yeah, then I basically learned to weld, fixed it up to concours quality, then converted it to a rally car, been throwing it around corners since :)
This dude gets "it". Hero status.
My first car was a 59 Saab with suicide doors. I've been hooked ever since. Fun video!
Bruce, thanks for saving this beauty from the crusher.
That fart at 7:45 tho lmfaoo
hahahahahaha
A BOOOOOPIE
Awesome interview man, I don't like SAABs or anything but I sat through this whole thing because it was so well made and so real.
I had a '66 Monte Carlo 850... miss that car so much!
Enjoyed this episode, great questions for a genuine Saab owner. I also like the sound of that 2 stroke.
Got to love Saab for being so unique.
18:03 it is Pommac, a soft drink.
Great video! Fearless with your welding, Bruce! I teach high school welding and the number of students who would destroy your car would have to be 30% minimum, lol!
I cringed when I heard on the BRS radio net about the incident at 12:25; was glad to hear that everyone was OK, and was surprised when I saw how little damage was actually done. Only one "negative", no mention of Satch Carlson's famous Saab columns from Autoweek...
SAAB
Still Alive And Breathing. love these things!
After having seen what an expansion chamber pipe did to my 1967 Kawasaki C2 (I swear it DOUBLED the power), I can't imagine owning a two-stroke anything without expandos. I would look at that Baja exhaust, I owned that car, and just think of all the missed opportunity. In the name of Walter Kaaden, I want to see somebody put three expansion pipes on an old Saab. Fitment oughtn't to be a problem; some bikes have four of them! And if you know two-stroke engines, the look would blow you away.
I like this video for many reasons, mostly because I know that car and have met Bruce.
Always told us fun stories at Rally events. (The time the car rolled was hilarious as he told us the story.) "Zero car's don't need pace notes" is not true.
The soft drink Carlsson is drinking is Pommac...popular in Scandinavia around 1960...
it is, not champis as one suggested, i have an interest in old bottlelabels, and its most certain its pommac in that timeframe
Great episode! Love the spirit Bruce has. What a legend!
i love the two extra sets of plugs in the car
Super interesting. More of this please. Bruce is so nice and willing to share.
Saab has always been an automotive brand that has done things differently and have always built cars that cater to enthusiasts.
This man is a BADASS. "I popped it in, I watched the 10 minute movie, and I was welding."
Great interview! I really like his stories on finding parts carsn keepin only the good stuff, i can relate lol
Nice video. I used to love riding with my grandfather in his old 96. Amazing sound in that car.
mike spinelli - THE best!! such a great natured guy!
haha i love em! the 2-stroke ones sounds like snowmobiles :D
Im in love with saab (obviously with my profuile pic) and I really want to meet this guy
Sweet machine. Love the fact it had the emblem of my club on the window.. Saab Club of Finland.
really like Mr. Spinelli - interview style, relax and very cool story.
Great video and Bruce is really inspiring, especially for someone like me wth a 1959 Austin A35 sitting in storage waiting for me to restore....I relly do need to 'just get off my butt and do it"..👍
Best rally car noise ever is a bda escort followed very closely behind by that saab
Great video man. This is an awesome dude.
Hopefully this guy can come back on sometime and talk about the Sonnets. What a weird little car with an interesting history.
I thought it looked best when it had been restored to original condition. I used to have a 1974 Saab 95 (the estate version of the Saab 96) - wish I'd kept it now, it was a great car.
Starting production in some months they will use petrol/diesel engines to begin with. Rumor says it will be 1.6 or 1.8 liter and may come from BMW if I'm not mistaken. The car will be 9-3 convertible with facelift etc. And why would you think diesel is the future?
Saw Eric Carlsson on the SAAB festival in Trollhättan couple of weeks ago, looked exactly like the pic in this vid. Liked the video allot! Thanks Drive!
I liked this video a lot more than I thought I would. I would love for more information around the "how to get started doing this..." mentality. This had that with the welding, replacing the weakest link and getting involved with the forums and communities of the car. I wish there was a drive show that was just a "how to" show,, I would watch the crap out of all those
that is absolutely the sweetest sound ever!
sweeeet!!
Great interview, Mike. I like your questions and the guy is the real deal. Thanks.
Very good interview.
My respects to Mr Turk for refusing to grow old
Yeah, he probably meant stick. You can braze with acetylene but you can also weld with it, if you turn up the flame a bit and switch to steel filler rod. IMO it's easier than any other method I've used for fine work/sheet metal. It's much like TIG but there's no electrode to contaminate.
Fantastic episode ...really makes me aspire to a build of my own someday.
Great episode. Love those old 2 strokers.
My dream was to one day own a Lancia HF. I actually knew a lot of people growing up in Italy that had one, and a few that had the rally edition. But when I become solvent enough to own one, it was too late already. Bummer.
17.53, not a beer. Pommac, a sparkling apple type of soft drink!
Best after drive yet
Awesome episode! More Saabs on DRIVE!
Erik Carlsson sits and drinks a Swedish soft-drink called Pommac after rolling.
He had a nickname, On the Roof...
Keep the SAAB's rolling!
i love how this guy started working on cars...just like me! its easy!!
"Go out break it fix it. Go out break it fix it." Makes me feel a bit better about my 1984 944.