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It all depends... Posted by Larry West [Email]  (#1140)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Larry West) on Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:12:14
In Reply to: SAABs at Carlisle OR SOC??, BAAB  [Profile/Gallery]
, Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:28:04
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...on what you want to get out of the experience.
Each has its merits, and they complement each other more than they compete.
Saabs At Carlisle takes place during the Carlisle Import Kit/Replicar Nationals at Carlisle Fairgrounds, Carlisle, PA. This is a few minutes west of Harrisburg, PA. This is your classic car show. You bring your car out onto the fairgrounds, and show it off to all the other Saab owners, and owners of other Imported cars. There are no tech sessions (not any specific to Saabs, anyway), the Autocross is run by the local SCCA, I believe, and is open to all makes. There is also an open swap meet. There are a couple Saab-specific vendors there, but not a lot. But you never know what you'll find at other booths.
Saabs At Carlisle registration includes lunch. There is an optional Saturday night BBQ on the fairgrounds, and Friday night is a free "Bring your own" BBQ (you bring your own food, Saabs At Carlisle provides grille & condiments). Sunday is mostly to hang around before leaving, one last pass through the swap meet, and wait to see if Saabs At Carlisle wins for most cars registered again...
Saabs At CarlisleC features a pure people's choice voting on the Saabs in attendance. There is a "No Votes, No Vittles" rule in effect, meaning if you don't hand in your People's Choice ballot, you don't get lunch on Saturday!
Though ostensibly a 3-day event, the big day is Saturday. Day trippers from hundreds of miles around come in, check out the Saabs, and go home happy.
You MUST register through Saabs At Carlisle to get the lunch, and also to make sure that your Saab is counted when they tally up how many cars of a particular club are there. Seems all the other makes don't do this...
The Annual Saab Owner's Convention is a completely different beast. The US meet has grown to be a rather large gathering with many different facets to it. You'll have technical sessions, seminars by Saab executives, Peter Bäckström from the Saab Bilmuseum in Trollhättan, Sweden, and (hopefully, as he's getting on in years) Erik "På taket" Carlsson, "Mr. Saab". There is usually a planned set of meals, including the big banquet on Saturday night, where awards are presented. There is usually a fun rally, an autocross, and this year, an optional Track Day at Nelson Ledges Road Course.
There is a swap meet area, and vendors usually set up tents. All Saab-related stuff. Just before leaving on Sunday, there is a charity auction of Saab bits and memorabilia.
Because of the greater scope of events, registration for SOC is considerably more expensive. But you're also getting quite a lot.
The big competition at SOC, though isn't the People's Choice (which is a relatively recent addition to the SOC), but the "Concours d'Saab" where owners show off their well-restored or well-maintained Saabs for the public, and the general scrutiny of a set of "blue ribbon" judges. Here, it's not about the bling, or how many ponies at the wheels, it's all about restoring or keeping the cars at showroom new condition. Many immaculate cars go through this judging process. You'll see 96s, 93s, and even 900s in here that look like the owner just picked them up. Some cars like these show up at Saabs At Carlisle, but here's their real home. And they're hardly all Garage queens! Most are driven regularly by their owners.
Where are you located?
This year, Carlisle (which never moves) and SOC (in Aurora, OH, this year, but changes annually) are within 300 road miles of each other. If you are anyplace close to them, I'd ay trip to Carlisle, and spend the 3 days at SOC...
I'll be spending 3 days at each, I'm sure.
_______________________________________ Current: 2002 9-5 Aero Kombi Cosmic Blue 2000 9-5 SE sedan, Imola Red 1990 900S Rose Quartz, Auto Past: 1999 9-5 LPT Combi 1999 9-5 LPT sedan 2002 9-5 Arc 1990 900 5-speed 1986 900 turbo Convertible 1991 9000 turbo 1980 99 GLi 1986 900 turbo 1986 900 S 1991 900 turbo 1984 900 turbo 1976 99 GL
, Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:28:04, Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:12:14 <-- Viewing This Message, Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:43:39
, Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:44:50, Mon, 29 Mar 2010 05:33:59, Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:25:57
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