50 Saabs, 10 Volvos, Oysters and a Bagad: SaabZH Turned Brittany Into France’s Swedish Car Capital

Yann Michel’s SaabZH association completed an exceptional two-day coastal run through Brittany’s Morbihan – and closed with nearly 60 Swedish classics, a charity draw, and a half-hour set from the Bagad de Kervignac.

Yann Michel had one line for it when the weekend was over: “Un bilan encore plus sympa cette année – c’était exceptionnel.” The second SaabZH Rallye Saab & Volvo, which SaabPlanet covered ahead of the weekend, justified that verdict with a two-day coastal route, nearly sixty Swedish classics, Breton food, local history, a public exhibition at Château de Kerdurand, and a charity effort for the SNSM sea rescue service.

Organised by Yann Michel, Hervé Le Gouallec, and Christelle Michel under the SaabZH association banner, the rally drew participants from across France for a weekend that was both more ambitious and more personal than a conventional classic-car meeting. The only serious shadow over the event came during the convoy, when Yann’s wife’s scarab-green Saab 900 Turbo S was rear-ended by a Renault Clio – a painful incident in an otherwise exceptional weekend, with the car still awaiting damage assessment at the time of Yann’s report.

Saturday: Quimperlé to the Camping de la Falaise

The convoy departed Quimperlé on Saturday morning, following a route built around the Finistère and Morbihan coastline rather than any interest in efficiency. The first stop was the port of Doelan, where roughly a hundred oysters were opened and shared dockside, accompanied by a glass of white wine. From there the cars continued along the shoreline through the Plage du Pouldu, Guidel, and Larmor before arriving at Locmiquélic.

Lunch was a picnic in the park of a local château, positioned right at the water’s edge. Yann’s description was brief and accurate: “Les pieds dans l’eau, c’était fabuleux.” The afternoon brought the Pointe de Gavre, where a local female storyteller – a conteuse – narrated the history and life of the headland. The convoy then moved to the Barre d’Étel for a guided visit to the semaphore, the signal station that monitors traffic crossing the notoriously treacherous Étel river bar.

As evening arrived, participants set up camp at the Camping de la Falaise in Étel – erecting tents, a marquee, and tables for a communal dinner of grilled pork, ratatouille, and fries. Yann’s account of the evening was straightforward: “La soirée s’est hyper bien passée avec de la rigolade.” (“The evening went extremely well, with lots of laughs.”)

Sunday: Megaliths, Saint-Cado, and the Kerdurand Expo

Sunday morning opened at the megalithic alignments of Kerzerho at Erdeven – a site Yann described as “exceptionnel,” with standing stones dating to approximately 5,000 BC. The convoy then moved to the village and port of Saint-Cado, one of the Morbihan’s most photogenic locations, set on a tidal island connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway.

At midday the cars arrived at the Château de Kerdurand, where crêpes and galette-saucisses were served from a food truck on the castle grounds ahead of the afternoon’s public exhibition and award ceremony.

The Cars: Approximately Fifty Saabs and Ten Classic Volvos

By the time the Kerdurand exhibition was fully assembled, approximately fifty Saabs and ten classic Volvos were on display. The Saab 900 – in 3-door hatchback, 5-door, and cabriolet form – dominated numerically, spanning the model’s production run from the late 1970s through to the final pre-GM generation. Later 9-3 and 9-5 variants were also represented, and the mix of generations on the grounds made for a useful survey of the marque’s history in one location.

Contest Results: Red Cabriolet, a Nine-Hour Journey, and an Unlucky 900 Turbo S

Three award categories were judged by public vote during the afternoon:

Most beautiful car: A red 1992 Saab 900 Cabriolet in concours condition took the category. Yann’s description was “un superbe cabriolet rouge de 92 état concours” (a superb red 1992 convertible in concours condition) – the car drew consistent attention throughout the weekend.

Car that travelled the greatest distance: Four participants in their early twenties who made a nine-and-a-half-hour journey each way to attend Sunday’s exhibition – in a Saab 9-3. A total of nineteen hours behind the wheel for an afternoon at a Breton château. Yann’s reaction: “incroyable.”

Most unlucky car: Yann Michel’s wife, whose scarab-green Saab 900 Turbo S was rear-ended by a Renault Clio during the convoy. The car was undergoing damage assessment at time of Yann’s report. “On espère qu’elle ne va pas être condemnée,” he wrote – the rear impact was significant, and the outcome was uncertain.

The Bagad de Kervignac

The Bagad de Kervignac – a traditional Breton ensemble of bombarde, biniou, and snare drums – played for approximately half an hour during the trophy and cup presentation. Few Saab events anywhere on the calendar close with Celtic pipes. This one did. Yann’s verdict: “c’était extra.”

Aerial-style view of SaabZH Rally 2026 participants gathered near the Brittany coastline before continuing the convoy across Morbihan:

SNSM Donation and the Tombola

The SaabZH association’s charity refreshment stand, operated throughout the weekend, raised funds to be donated to the SNSM – the Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer, France’s sea rescue service. The tombola, organised in collaboration with local businesses from Riantec, Locmiquélic, and Port-Louis, produced multiple winners across its prize categories.

Yann closed his report with one note of qualification alongside the broader satisfaction: “Super super content de ce weekend en dehors de la voiture de ma femme qui est très abimée.” The rally was, by every account, exactly what it set out to be. The scarab-green 900 Turbo S is a separate and ongoing matter.