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Rally legend Erik Carlsson dies at 86

The motorsports world has lost a legend with the passing of famous rally driver Erik Carlsson at the age of 86. If you've ever seen a photo of a vintage Saab sliding around a corner or blasting through tree-lined roads, there was a good chance that Carlsson was behind the wheel. The man was so tied to the Swedish auto brand that he earned the nickname Mr. Saab. Carlsson experienced his greatest competition success in the late '50s and early '60s when he scored victories in premier events like the Monte Carlo Rally (pictured above). Among his more impressive performances were consecutive wins in '60, '61, and '62 Britain's RAC Rally. His three-cylinder, 750cc Saab 96 wasn't insanely powerful, but Carlsson made it a monster in the world of rallying. In 2010, Saab named a special edition 9-3 after him and honored his victory at the RAC Club in London. Beyond being impressive behind the wheel of a rally car and a longtime Saab brand ambassador, the driver had a habit of rolling his car during competition to earn the moniker "Carlsson On The Roof." According to Classic and Sports Car, he also wrote the book The Art and Technique of Driving that detailed his left-foot braking method, and it was co-authored with his wife, fellow racing driver Pat Moss. Our condolences go out to Carlsson's friends and family.

Spyker to appeal dismissal of Saab lawsuit against GM

It seems as if Spyker CEO Victor Muller has made a decision on whether or not to pursue a legal battle between his company and General Motors. Spyker has announced it will appeal a US District Court decision to throw out the company's lawsuit against GM. As you may recall, on June 10 Judge Gershwin Drain ruled tht GM had a right to approve or disapprove Spyker's sale of Saab to Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile. Spyker sued GM for some $3 billion, claiming that the American automaker had forced Saab into bankruptcy by stopping Spyker from transferring intellectual property to its Chinese partner.
Spyker has said only that it plans to appeal the decision. Until now, the company has been silent about the ruling. GM, meanwhile, has said it is pleased with the original outcome. You can read the quick Spyker press release below for more information.

Last 900 Saabs heading to auction

If you've been wanting to get your hands on one last new Saab but missed out on the great Saab sell-off when Saab Cars North America declared bankruptcy, well, your ship has now come in.
Actually, it came in last year - but hundreds of new Saabs got waylaid at ports in California and New Jersey because of the bankruptcy, according to SaabWorld.net. Those cars are now slated for auction, some 900 of them, which will be available for dealers, exporters and rental car companies to bid on beginning next week. Eventually, 300 of these cars should make their way to Saab dealers, where they're expected to be sold off at 30- to 50-percent discounts. The other 600 will either be exported or used as rentals, according to the report, so "the price of Saabs will not be severely depressed."
Besides the new cars, some 67 company cars, including some interesting stuff like a 1960 Saab Quantum IV and a 1970 Sonnett III, will also be auctioned off, according to the report. Of the new cars, just over half are 9-5 models, some 400 are 9-3 sedans, another 60 are 9-3 wagons, and about a dozen are convertibles. According to the report, 28 are actually 9-4X crossovers, which is more than 10 percent of Saab's total 2011 sales for that model.