dimanche 4 mars 2012

SVD Article:The rescue of the Saab museum- Peter Wallenberg Jr



Saab Museum was minutes from being scattered to many different owners. Then went Poker Wallenberg in and saved it in the same time that he got married. Everything happened in 48 hours and the redeeming factor was - a letter.

Here is the todays article from svenska dagbladet.

Stockholm January 21, 2012 It was the day after the bids on the Saab museum would be inside. Peter Wallenberg Jr. was dressed to the teeth of her own wedding in central Stockholm. Nervous. Then it whistled to his cell phone. "Still nothing."

A few weeks earlier in Trollhättan Saab's bankruptcy estate had no money and the administrators posted the car museum in the market. The whole world could bid for 120 unique cars. Bidders were given a week until 20 January on, and the highest bid would win. All were taken by surprise.


Stockholm in February 2012By Poker WallenbergIt creaks in the herringbone parquet when we sit. The small round meeting room is painted in rust red. everything is quiet.

He rushes in with a happy smile, and it takes a minute before the first big laugh comes
- It was extremely tight time margins, said Peter Wallenberg Jr. - or poker as he presents himself as.
After driving the Grand Hotel and regarded as having the least power in the realm, he is now a member of the Investor and Scania, above all, Chairman of FAM, the company that manages the Wallenberg Foundations.
The man in front of us manages 50 billion.

Wallenberg family and Saab automobiles were linked together like a zipper for over 40 years. Poker's grandfather, Marcus "Dori" Wallenberg (1899-1982) not only gave his nickname Poker - he thought the little boy had a poker face - he personally drove through the launch of Saab's car, despite massive opposition by the Board. Old Marcus was fascinated by technology and driven as well as Saab's development engineers by a desire to get ahead.

While Poker's father, Peter Wallenberg, S: r, was a long time heavily involved in Saab. They then took Poker Wallenberg, the torch, and both of Saab Automobile's boardrooms and behind Wheels of the cars - he loves driving and spends most weekends for more than ten years at racing.

- But now I prefer the wife to work at the Karolinska a Saturday, says he and his whole face smiles.

Suddenly, we arrived in the present and the turbulent days between 13 and 20 January.- It took a while before I realized ... that the museum was for sale. It went very quickly, he says.

It rang only a private enthusiast site on the Saab United, which was scheduled to meet with museum director Peter Bäckström.
- I said, "Please call me after the meeting" and then I started thinking: How can we help?

A seed was sown, but time was running out. A few days later and barely two days before the offer period expired, he received an email. From someone he did not know.

- I thought, wait a minute: This is well written.

It was the cultural and motor journalist Claes Johansson from magazine Klassiker, well known in the Saab arrays which has written a kind of memo about the importance of saving the museum, its collections and archives - and the last minute sent to someone who he thought would understand.

- He had an angle where he asked the question: What does this mean in full? Saab museum is not just physical vehicles. Saab museum is design history. Engineering History. The Swedish industrial history, says Poker Wallenberg.

- I sent the letter about it to those who I thought should read it, families and foundations. I said: Just read this.

One person who got it was his cousin Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman of Saab AB.

Poker Wallenberg then called Helmersson, Managing Director of Trollhättan development company Innovatum - who said they had been sitting with the administrators and the local authority and that Saab has been part of solving discussions. It looked tough out.

Meanwhile Poker Wallenberg rooted idea to support a bid, within the family and the officials of the foundations.

- I was given the mandate to go in through one of our foundations. They support primarily research and education. But without the Saab's archives and cars disappear base for research. It was from that angle we looked at it.

It was a little over a day before the offer period expired.Then there was the wedding chores, others had to continue negotiations and just before time expired, 12 o'clock on Friday, January 20, an A4 piece of paper came out of bankruptcy trustees fax machine.There were 28 million on it. Behind was the defense group Saab with 8 million and Trollhättan city with 14- with 6 million of the Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation.

Then came the civil wedding in Stockholm - he wants to keep private - and four days of nail biting.

- I was so happy! We were there to stay. We understand that it means something to the district.He was silent.

- Of course I am proud that my family helped develop Swedish industry through this company. It is clear that i am proud of it.

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