History Swedish Hot Rods and Customs from the 1960's

I thought it would be interesting to post a little something from the early days of hot rodding and customizing in Sweden, which would be the 1960’s. I’d appreciate if you helped me with information and also if you guys posted Swedish – pre 70’s built cars (pictures and possibly some data to go with them) here !

First out on my behalf is a truly legendary Swedish hotrod that personally I took a few shots of while it was for sale in Stockholm back in October 2007:









This was once Pelle Widholm’s Bucket T ’23, which made the quarter mile on 13,59 at Sweden’s first official drag race ”The First Go!” at Scandinavian Raceway in Anderstorp August 10-11, 1968 (back then powered by a Chevy 283").


A vintage photo from this very weekend in August 1968.

For more pictures from that cl***ic Swedish race see: pellefotograf.net

From Swedish Wheels Magazine in Nov 1979: Pelle Widell's old Bucket T, now owned by Calle Weman and having a Chevy 302" and a Muncie M21 4-speed ******:



Though built in the 60’s, this car never became registered and street legal – and I just ran a check on it’s registration showing it still isn’t inspected after almost 44 years …

 

Those are nice looking buckets.

 

The link has some killer pics. Rover push truck for an FED is awesome. Thanks!

 

When I saw the rear shot of that T, I thought that looks like Calles car. IT IS!!!!!
I use to cruise all around So Calif with Calle in that car. We were roomates along time
ago. That is a COOL car!

 

Today the owner is mr.Haraldsson in "Gnellbelte"!

.............................
Taildragger&fenderless

 

I sent you a PM

 

All right ! I found some more pictures:

In the closed hamb-thread Hot Rods 60s style T-Buckets user Heo wrote:

"Built in Sweden in the sixties
The owner Calle Weman mowed
to L.A. with the car but its now
Back in Sweden"





(I REALLY don't know how to down-size pictures [new to this forum] ... )

 

Damn it...You really had a good scene back then,unfortunately i cant say same thing about Finland.
And what comes to images,download an image resizer from somewhere.The google will help you to find one..

 

Wow! They had front-engine dragsters (and pretty nice looking ones at that) in Sweden in 1968? I didn´t know that. The rest of the cars in the pictures like the (then) brand-new Mustangs, must have been some big-ticket items at the time, as well.

 

Sweden has an incredible history, both in racing and in hot rods n kustoms.
I have a few issue of "custom car" which is a british car mag, with articles about 60s swedish built customs. Some wacky as funk ****, but totally period correct, and some rather cl***y sleds too.
Sweden is the Socal of EU as far as cool cars....weather not so much thou,

 

This is Calle's car from 1988 when we both worked at SAC Street Rods in So Calif. We would terrorize all the local joints in that car! The tire combo
stirred things up alot. These were the days when we said Street Rod and NEVER Hot Rod. That T was a wicked Hot Rod. He drove it always with open headers! Calle is a hell of a fabricator, I learned alot from that man!

 

Great story Jim, glad you share it !
______________________

A story of another early rodder is this - in Huddinge just outside Stockholm lived in 1963 one of about 30 hot-rodders in Sweden; the 20-year old Lars “Junken” Ljungkvist who’s ’32 Ford Roadster was featured in this Swedish car magazine:




(Courtesy of raggmunkoflask.blogspot.com)

The ’32 was dropped 3” in front, carried ’47 Ford hydraulic brakes and had a Buick Nailhead engine plus a ’47 Ford truck manual ******. The headlights came off an agricultural tractor and the rims came off a Lincoln.

In 1965 it was featuerd at Sweden's very first Hot Rod Show at Ostermans Marmorhallar in Stockholm, by then painted in gold and riding on Rader wheels (I'll try to post more about this particular show later on...).

Back in 1970 a new Swedish car magazine called COLOROD was introduced. At first it was more of a picture magazine with very little text, but after a couple of years the fresh editor Sture Torngren enhanced its quality considerably.



The first issue of COLOROD featured an article of this Roadster. From that article it was stated that the car was painted in Kelly Green Metal flake, which in the mid 60’s was changed into Marigold Metal flake. In the late 60’s he sold it to a club owner in Stockholm who repainted it in red candy on silver base and named it “Candy Deuce” and now powering a Chevy small block and automatic transmission.



Unconfirmed rumors has it the car was shortly afterwards sold to West Germany…

 

I think i recognize that gold tri-5 w/ canted quads and 'vette grille from the articles in Custom Car mag.

 

Jim, in that picture are those honeycomb style wheels? i guess you needed to arm wrestle the stering a tad to steer that fat rubber

 

Hey bonez, They were BBS style wheels. The steering was not bad when you were rolling but going slow, Uuuggghhh!

 

That chick is cute

 

A better shot of "Junken's" Roadster:



Also, while searchin the H.A.M.B. i found that user '29 back in 2007 has posted a scan of the catalogue from the first annual Swedish Hot Rod Show at HOT ROD SHOW 1965 in Sweden


The cars featured on the cover are:

*Jonas Qvarnström's Dodge powered Model A Roadster on '32 frame
*Bo Sandberg's Olds powered T-23 on '32 frame, called "Purple P***ion"
*Göran Silfors' Flathead powered '36 Ford Tudor
*Lars "Junken" Ljungkvist's Buick powered '32 Hiboy

 

sweet!

 

Here are a few from Marmorhallarna , Glowing Coupe.

 

Bump from the past... I own this car now. It's had a few changes to conform with German regulations unfortunately, but the majority of the car is still in tact. It is back in the states. It would be available to a swedish buyer who wants to restore it back to it's former glory.