Peter drove his Saab 161,000 miles – got a new car for free

Here is the world’s longest-travelling Saab. Peter Gilbert drove his 900 Aero to 100,000 miles. Thanks to him driving so far, he got a new Saab 9-5 Aero from Saab before he went bankrupt.

It’s not uncommon for a Saab to go far, but Peter Gilbert of Wisconsin may be the person who has driven the longest in a Saab. He bought his first Saab in 1966 and 40 years later he drove one million miles, 161,000 kilometers on his Saab 900 Aero Turbo 16.

Peter Gilbert was born in Great Britain but moved to Glendale, Wisconsin. In 1989 he bought a Saab 900 Aero called the SPG in the US, and in 2006 it took him no more than 17 years to cover a million miles. In terms of miles, that’s almost 9500 miles each year, which shows that Saab had a plane. Better quality when it starts. Peter Gilbert worked as a traveling salesman and used his Saab at work every day.

According to Peter Gilbert, the secret to many miles is careful maintenance and frequent oil and fluid changes. He didn’t directly drive carefully, testing the car on the race track at 217 km/h. Saab has endured no fewer than eight deer collisions in Wisconsin. A respectable distance required two tankers of fuel.

At 200,000 miles, only one transmission replacement was required at 32,000 miles. But almost all parts are original from the factory. The 16-valve turbo stood on stage for all the miles. When the historic mileage was passed in 2006, Saab had a PR department that was alert and came up with an incredible surprise.

They wooed Peter Gilbert and offered him a brand new Saab 9-5 Aero absolutely free when he heard about the feat. Meanwhile, Saab promised anyone who drove more than a million miles a free Saab 9-5, but they never had to give away the cars before it filed for bankruptcy in 2011.

– It’s really fun to get a brand new car like that, says Gilbert. Besides, the 9-5 is a good car, especially very safe and good considering all the deer that move here in Wisconsin, Gilbert commented.

It was fitting that Peter Gilbert returned the car after a respectable mileage. He donated it to the Wisconsin Automobile Museum located in Hartford. The car is still there today and Peter Gilbert visits his car at regular intervals. Recently, a year ago, Peter posted a picture when he reunited with his beloved chap.

According to the Saabnet site, Gilbert’s Saab is the world’s most traveled car. Chris Martin, who has driven 685,741 miles with the 900 Turbo since 1989, has to take second place. That’s 110,335 metric miles. A Volvo driver who drove 161,000 kilometers, one million miles, also received a brand new Volvo S60 from Volvo of America.