Kurt Vonnegut’s Saab Story

I was happy to see in The New York Times last weekend that the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library opened recently – though not quite as thrilled to learn that I’d have to trek out to Vonnegut’s hometown, Indianapolis, Indiana, to visit.

Vonnegut’s 1963 novel Cat’s Cradle was heavily influenced by the author’s work as a public relations flak at General Electric’s Research Laboratory in Schenectady, New York – which also happens to be Shirley Muldowney’s hometown and isn’t far from Hemmings HQ.

What this has to do with cars, however, is that Vonnegut’s quest to put food on the table in the early days led him to become the owner and manager of Saab Cape Cod.

If any of this somehow interests you, check out this Saab story that Vonnegut wrote back in 2004 about his experiences with Swedish two-strokes.

Over at Vonnegut.com, you can even purchase prints of his doodles on Saab Cape Cod letterhead.