We already wrote about enthusiasts from the small Danish town of Hojer on this blog, but it’s always good to remember again how much dedication to the Saab brand there is in this great team from the “Svend Wind Automobiler A/S” (SAAB) car service.
This time we were reminded of their enthusiasm by the local television station TV Syd, which recorded a great little tribute to these people and the Saab brand. TV SYD is a Danish television station that serves the region of Southern Denmark. It is a regional public service broadcaster that operates as part of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). TV SYD offers a range of programming that includes news, current affairs, entertainment, sports, and cultural programs.
The video clip of TV Syd is entitled “Saabministeren“, which in translation from Danish means “Saab minister” and that is the nickname of Per Vodder, who runs this car-dealer service dedicated to Saab cars with his wife Tanja.
Per Vodder inherited this series from his father Svend, and he got to know the specialness of Saab cars very early on. Per Vodder quickly learned that Saab is not like the others. For example, the first time he had to open the hood of a Saab 900 he saw that he had to go a different way than with other cars. And when he had to start it, he discovered that the car’s ignition lock was located between the front seats. This is also a characteristic of Saab, says Per Vodder about his first encounter with Saab.
Despite the oddities that come with Saab cars, Per Vodder finally surrendered to the Swede. His first Saab was also a Saab 900, and as he says, “That’s probably where the disease started” – he says about his love for Saab. And as with all Saab enthusiasts around the world, his love for Saab was passed on to him by his father, and she passed it on to her wife Tanja, who is also a big Saab admirer. In addition to being married to Per Vodder, Tanja Vodder is also employed by Svend Wind Automobiles in Højer. She manages all the administrative work in the office.
And the whole Saab story started in Hojer quite by accident. That far back in 1964, Saab sent a group to Tønder (place past Højer Municipality) to find new dealers. After being very unsuccessful in looking for business partners in this part of Denmark, they headed home, and the wrong way. And that was a lucky detour, because they ran into Per’s father, Svend, who was walking out of his workshop. They interrupt and tell Svend that they need someone who wants to negotiate this car brand and then ask him if he would like to do so.
THIS is where the Saab story began in this part of Denmark, which is still successfully alive today, and will continue as long as there are Saab cars on the roads. For the world of this, we highly recommend watching the show about enthusiasts and their Saab story at: https://www.tvsyd.dk/saabministeren/saabministeren
