Saab Story

The closing of Curran Cadillac drew a lot of attention last year.

This week, Saab of Westport left town without so much as a toot of the horn.

The website still touts itself as “Connecticut’s #1 Saab Retail Sales Leader for 2008” — big whoop — but after nearly 3 decades on Post Road West opposite King’s Highway Elementary, the Westport dealer has “merged” with its sister showroom, Saab of Greenwich.

Speaking to the Danbury News-Times, Pat Ryan — president of Saab of Westport — offered up the usual buzzwords:  increased operating efficiencies, economies of scale, yada yada yada.

Once upon a time, Saabs were Westport icons — stylish, well-built, Sweden’s automotive version of Ikea.

Lately though, they’ve become just another brand.  GM bought the company, and after months of shopping around finally unloaded it to a Dutch firm no one’s ever heard of.

The 2-acre Westport property is up for lease.  It’s prime real estate, with plenty of parking.  For years its neighbor was Steele’s Texaco, 1 of the last gas stations that actually did repair work too.

Today, that triangular corner at the intersection of King’s Highway North is a generic office building.

What will replace Saab of Westport?

Don’t even go there.