There are many people who have had a special relationship with their Saab. Ingrid Sundin bought her Saab 92 in 1955 and remained faithful to it until her passing in 2024. Both the car and Ingrid herself (in the form of a cardboard cutout) were once on display at the Saab Car Museum, when the theme was Saab enthusiasts and their cars. The car has now been sold to a new owner. Saab Classic Cars editor-in-chief Claes Johansson sums up a long and unique automotive life.

For Ingrid Sundin in Stockholm, the best day was when the snow finally retreated in spring.
“Then I can take the little Saab out again,” Ingrid said with a laugh. She laughed a lot. I have never met a happier person. Giggling, bubbling with energy. Always ready with the world’s best little sandwiches, freshly brewed coffee, and yet another story about “the little Saab.” Maybe I’d heard it before, maybe not.

There were many pleasant moments at Ingrid’s kitchen table and, when the weather allowed, in the garden beneath her incomprehensible trees with their gnarled, drooping branches. After coffee we always went to the double garage. Checked on the Saab. It was important that it should be well.

Over the years, the little Saab attracted more and more attention. Ingrid parked as far away as possible when she did her weekly shopping at the shopping center in Rotebro. “There are usually a few people standing and looking at the car when I come out, but then I wait until the coast is clear.” Under the spindly windshield wipers there were often notes saying "I want to buy your car".

Ingrid bought the Saab slightly used in July 1955 at Philipsons on S:t Eriksgatan – a burgundy Saab 92, model year 1955.
“I wanted a Volkswagen, but my uncle Hilding said I should have a Saab. Apparently it only had three moving parts.”
And then Ingrid laughed heartily.

Ingrid Sundin never saw any reason to change cars. Her husband Göte preferred Ford and changed now and then. But the Saab was Ingrid’s, no one else was allowed to drive it. And she herself never, ever drove another car. It was an ideal commuter car for her job at the Postgirot in the city, and after retirement it became a reliable friend in all the small errands of everyday life. The Saab never let her down; it almost found its own way to the grocery store and to her husband Göte’s grave, along familiar routines.

I met Ingrid for the first time in 1999. I visited her in my own Saab 92, model year 1955. Burgundy. “Oh, how shiny,” Ingrid said, and told me how the workshop sometime in the 1960s had managed to ruin the hood on her, by then quite sun-faded, Saab. It was so bad that the hood had to be repainted. Might as well change the color of the whole car, Ingrid thought. White was more modern – and didn’t the car look a little bigger?
Riding with Ingrid was a delight. With a few strategically placed cushions behind her back, off we went. She didn’t hold back. She handled the gear positions gently but firmly. Sat close to the windshield. The only moment of concern was other drivers’ limited understanding of semaphore trafficators.

I wrote about Ingrid now and then in various magazines. She could never quite understand why. But she was certainly proud of her Saab. In the photos I did a little magic with her license plates, changing numbers and letters. I wanted to spare her all the phone calls from people wanting to buy the car. She thought that was funny.

Ingrid Sundin turned 90 in 2016, and I was entrusted with driving her Saab to the inspection; she had worried about the long journey. Earlier I had helped her with small mechanical matters, the odd spare part now and then. But mostly it was about coffee and fancy little sandwiches, laughter and conversation. Later that same year, after much persuasion, I got her to lend her car to the Saab Car Museum over the winter. But not until she had met “that museum director” in person, and Peter Bäckström, like me, found the little sandwiches absolutely superb.

Ingrid’s Saab became the centerpiece of the exhibition I had initiated, with the theme of Saab owners with special bonds to their cars. Photos were to be taken, and it was quite a task to get her to stand still and be photographed, she wasn’t anything special, was she?

When the car was returned, Ingrid breathed a sigh of relief. Never had winter felt so long as with an empty garage, and now spring was finally here. And once again she told the story of the most terrible night of her life, when the old villa burned to the ground, and the only thing that could be saved was the Saab. It was rolled out of the garage at the very last moment. It is easy to understand how close Ingrid was to her little Saab.

Ingrid Sundin lived to be 98.
And yes, Ingrid. You were special.
You live warmly in my memory.

CLAES JOHANSSON

Footnote: Ingrid and Göte never had any children. After reflecting on the matter following Ingrid’s passing in 2024, the relatives decided to sell the car at auction. We hope that Ingrid’s little white one has ended up with someone who understands how to appreciate a car with a unique provenance.