Saab Central - Features
Classic Saab 900 - Miscellaneous
Dakar to Brussels by 900i
An official record from Dakar, in Senegal, to Brussels of eight days two hours and 35 minutes has been claimed by a Belgian couple driving a Saab 900i. The driving time included stops totalling 23 hours at police check-points in Africa. In all, they covered a total of 4,039 miles and passed through five countries: Senegal, Mali, Algeria, France and Belgium.
Alain Vanlaetem and Maryvonnic Ouvrad set out to prove that a car that was basically strong could be driven from the farthermost point of West Africa to the centre of western Europe. To prepare the car, they went to rally specialist Ole Stromberg, who reinforced the body and increased ground clearance, partly by moving the exhaust system to the roof. The engine and electrical systems were given special protection against water and dirt since the car had to cross countless rivers and streams, as well as the Sahara desert.
As back-up, the couple had a Range-Rover and a Saab mechanic, Tommy Karlsson, from the Trollhattan factory. However, apart from delays "hassling with frontier authorities and police check-points," they had only to stop for four punctured tyres and two broken shock-absorber brackets. The Belgian Press and television followed the couple's trip from the initial preparations to the finish in a Brussels television studio - the schedule called for Alain and Maryvonnic to drive the car into a studio where a late-night chat show was in progress. They arrived right on time.
The picture shows the car on display at the Brussels motorshow.
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