I'll bet my good buddy Bob Schulties, autos channel editor at About.com in NYC, would enjoy this one; Bob's a Saab enthusiast to the core. Thanks to this week's Hemmings newsletter I've just learned that August 23 through 26, Saab enthusiasts from all over North America will gather in southeastern Michigan as the Great Lakes Saab Club plays host to the 25th Saab Owners convention. Saab USA has promised to send vehicles from its remarkable Heritage Collection, while the company has announced that it will unveil a 2008 production vehicle at the event.

Let me drive an early Saab for a few minutes, and I'll be tempted to fly to Troy, Michigan myself. Saabs, when I first got to know them, were compact 2-door fastbacks powered by 3-cylinder, 2-stroke, front-wheel-drive DKW engines; slick as a tadpole and looking much the same, though designed by aero engineers. The later 4-cylinder cars were more powerful but Saabs were always distinctive. The turbocharged SPG, plus a reputation among Vermonters and New Englanders for go-anywhere reliability, established the Swedish car as a serious contender in the US market. Register online and learn more at the convention Web site.