April 2004 Meeting Report

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Our April meeting was at the Horseshoe Inn in Windmill Hill near Herstmonceux. The management at the Horseshoe Inn had again kindly given us the use of a private function room with bar making the meeting once again pleasant and relaxed.

Due to the Easter Holidays, there were only eight of us there, with apologies for absence from Mike and Toby, although the holiday season did allow Frances to join us again.

The discussion was lively and interesting, starting with a review of the Abbott Racing meeting, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed and were very impressed with. A couple of members present had Abbott mods done to their cars before buying, so it was nice for them to see the works behind it.

We then had a highly interesting discussion of how we all got into Saabs into the first place and what the attractions were, which included:

• Being different
• Safety
• Performance
• Status

Some younger members of the group inherited the Saab fascination from their parents and have stayed with Saab when they have got their own cars.
We all recounted how we came across our various Saabs, and some interesting stories came out, particularly of the older Saabs now long gone and sadly missed!

The other item on the agenda was the upcoming Lydden Classic Car Festival, which we all agreed we should attend and that we should poll our Members for a range of cars to present. Since not many of us were present at this meeting, it was decided that this should be a top priority for the next meeting, and that we should try to get as wide a range of Saabs together as possible. It was suggested that we should each nominate either our own car or that of other members to represent our ranges, and take a final vote at one of the future meetings, at which point polishing can begin in earnest!

Finally, we thought about ideas for future meetings and events, and came up with several suggestions, please let Mike & Toby know how much interest there is for some of the following: Harvey's Brewery Tour; Eastbourne Italian Ice Cream Extravaganza; Skid Pan Day; Treasure Hunt; BBQ; Dealer evening at Turners Hill; Quiz night; Jordan Grand Prix Tour; Trip to Trollhättan.

We look forward to the return of Mike and Toby and the other members who were off in (hopefully) sunnier places, and also look forward to the hospitality of The Horseshoe Inn again next month.

Next Meeting: Tuesday 18th May at the Horseshoe Inn. < DETAILS >