- Saab Soundings, company magazine
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     The 'what' in the episode above was the exact moment of birth for the concept of the first Saab 900 convertible -- the Saab model that instantly took the company's image from obscurity to vogue in the mid-1980s.  It was also the fingerprint of one role-model of an automotive professional:  Bob Sinclair.

     One thing certain is that the popular 900 convertible would not exist today if Robert J. Sinclair weren't a genuine car enthusiast and bold.  Yet being bold, or even a car lover, would not alone be enough to have the automotive industry experience and insight to make such a visionary decisoin.   Rather, Sinclair's strength was the combination of his own intuitive sense of what makes a good automobile and his confidence that he understood this same spirit in the potential market for new and repeat Saab customers.   It was this core ingredient that Sinclair kept with him all the way up to his role as CEO of Saab Cars USA and continues to make him endeared by both fellow car buffs and auto industry colleagues alike to this day.

     Having risen to the level of the top American executive overseeing Saab sales and distribution in the United States and Canada, Sinclair was enjoying a growing level of credibility and success with the company. After all, in 1958 the Philadelphia native started his career as a Saab dealership salesperson and was now directing national sales from the car company Board room.

BOLD DECISIONS

     The year was 1982 and Saab was preparing to introduce a new basic two-door notchback coupe. The company headquarters looked at the U.S. market and decided to advise Sinclair about a plan to ship the new coupes to America. Sinclair recognized the potential appeal of the new coupe for Europe, but didn't think it would impress the American buyer.

      "Basically I told them 'Look, if you're ordering me to take the cars obviously I'll take them. I'm a good soldier. But I'm telling you it's wrong for our market,' " Sinclair reflected. "We don't want stripped cars with stamped steel wheels and burlap upholstery and rubber gaskets around the windows and all the rest of the bull s---."

      Saab headquarters invited Sinclair to take 48 hours to come up with a recommendation about how he thought the company should equip the new coupe for the U.S. market. They expected interior trim and accessory requests, such as air conditioning and wheel and tire specifications. The Swedish brass had no idea Sinclair would come back with such a then-outlandish idea as building a separate convertible model.

      Of course it worked. And when the "design study" prototype made its world debut at the 1983 Frankfurt Auto Show it created instant excitement with both the press and the public. The Saab 900 Convertible ultimately went into production with a limited 350 units built for the 1986 model year. Sales in the United States exceeded 2,000 in 1987 and by last year annual Saab Convertible model sales hit more than 6,000 units.

      By 1996 40,000 Saab Convertibles had arrived on North American highways and this success has given Bob Sinclair many smiles -- as well as new customers and additional sales for Saab.   He had made the kind of bold decision that many executives only hope to make, but often shiver and fold up before being able to experience -- along with capturing the thrill that follows the payoff for their self-confidence.

BEAN COUNTERS AND CAR GUYS

      The Saab 900 Convertible episode is the "car" side of this article. But this story is really about recognizing the "guy" Bob Sinclair.

      Bob Sinclair has since retired from his chief post at Saab Cars USA in 1991 and he and his wife Anne have made Santa Barbara their home. Though anybody who knows him well will tell you that he's only busier in work and travel today than prior to his "retirement" at 59 years old.

      From playing with his on- and off-road motorcycles Ð including recently across Europe (to catch this year's annual Le Mans 24-hour race and a motorcycle Grand Prix in France), to his garage full of "toys" that includes a Ferrari 328 GTS among other cars, 15 motorcycles (including a late-model Ducati) and two perfectly restored 1928 and 1949 Swedish Husqvarnas Ð Sinclair's definitely doing it "his way."

       In the auto manufacturing community there are executives known as "bean counters" who could just as easily be building refrigerators as cars. In the other camp there are men and an appropriately increasing number of women who are genuine car buffs. These individuals care passionately about cars as hobby, art, design, engineering as well as from an auto marketing standpoint.

       When one of these folks happens to be a guy, he might likely be labeled a car guy in an "informal" sense. More than a decade ago, while working as a consumers' car buying consultant and mechanic, I registered the state and national service mark and "formal" title "The Car Guy" as my business name.

       With a background as a manufacturer's representative, advertising and public relations professional Ð and most recently automotive technology instructor and journalist, The Car Guy has continued to fit the arena. Yet, when it comes to the accomplishments and contributions of Bob Sinclair, I can only stand in his shadow.

CAR GUY OF THE YEAR

       Looking around the nation there are many outstanding individuals in both the enthusiast and business areas of the auto field. Yet when the idea of recognizing a "Car Guy of the Year" occurred to me I knew the first place I should look is at home in my home town of Santa Barbara, Calif.

       As you may know, we have an impressive list of individuals in the Santa Barbara area who are stand-out car buffs: world-class racers; entrepreneurs; technicians, dealers; designers; photographers and journalists. So, in addition to seeking perspectives and suggestions from a number of knowledgeable confidants, the following criteria for the first "Car Guy of the Year" evolved:

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