Cars

One of the very first cars to pass inspection, I remember, was the ambulance of the city hospital, a brand new Ford T, may bee of model year 1925. In grey livery with a large red cross on each side. Other remarkable vehicles were taxis of the brand Minerva, later Ford and Chevrolet, Fiat and Willys Knight, most of them with flapping folding tops. And the vehicles of the fire brigade: Scania or Tidaholm trucks with fire-ladders on the top and a fire-punp trailing after. I had not to be pressed to cling to the rails during the test ride.

"Does the Engine of the Automobile exhaust smoke, steam or nasty smells, to such an extent or in such a way, that it causes inconveniences to the public?"

Contemporary environment article in the folio report of the proceedings made up after approved inspection. If it was the question of a new registry, the vehicle carried red plates with a handwritten letter of approval affixed by a wire with a lead seal to it.

Other common brands at this time were Citroën, Chrysler, Dodge, Nash, Overland and Packard. Some others Adler, Graham Paige, Mathis, NAG, Opel. Among trucks was Ford leading, also some Chevrolets, heavier trucks like Scania or Tidaholm. Eventually Volvo appeared on the market. That was after 1926.
When going to the capital with my parents, I notised small 3-wheeled taxis outside the hotels. They were called Phaenomobils and had a 4cyl aircooled engine placed across over the chain driven front wheel. Two small propellers in front of the cylinders cooled the engine when idling. The steering of the vehicle was managed by an arm turning both engine and front wheel.

Some cars from before 1950

But it was about cars which I have been in closer contact with, I was going to tell about. The first one, I remember well, was an Adler from 1914.

Touring with the 1914 Adler. Author second from left in the rear seat.
Note the impressive 3-tone horn, operated by hand of the driver.

The Royal Swedish Autoclub´s winter rally of 1925, starting at Östersund.
My father was a member of the local autoclub administrating the start, and I think it was here he became intersted in the successful Citroën cars. Foto: Autohistorica

Citroën B 12 Torpedo.
Note the impressive electric Klaxon horn.

The engine was a 4-cylinder with side valves of 24 HP, a 3-speed gearbox driving on the rear wheels (traction arriére). I was right hand driven, the foot brake worked on the front wheels and on a drum on the cardan shaft, while the hand brake operated drums on the rear wheels. This is stated in an instruction for model B 12. For model B14 the arrangement was changed into the foot pedal working on all 4 wheels, when the hand brake operated the drum on the propeller shaft. And it is so I will remember our car. Maybe it was that my father changed it at the same time the high pressure tyres 710x90 were exchanged against new Michelin Superconfort low pressure tyres 4.75x80. On the left side of the car there was an enormous electric Klaxon horn.

Front view of Citroën model B12.
The author is hardly visible behind the wheel.

With this car we made several tours to Norway, and during those trips the horn sounded warningly at narrow passages, calling attention to cattle and other road users. The signal echoed round the high mountains. The car was capable of making 45 mph, but made seldom more than 40 with the new low pressure tyres, However, this was the car in which I learned to drive, and I became an expert in changing gears of the unsynchronized gearbox without scraping.

The cockpit of Citroën model B12.
The Klaxon horn was operated by a button to the left of the wheel.

The gas pedal was oddly placed between the brake pedal and the clutch pedal, making it a little tricky when jumping into other cars for a tour.

Citroën B 12. Passing the Norwegian border. The author jumping in the rear seat.

The Citroën was a modern car for its time, but after 10 years and 80 000 kms on gravel roads, my father was looking for something new. He fell for a German car, an Opel Olympia Cabrio Coach 1936. I remember he had to pay GBP 360. The design was brand new and it combined the smoothness of a smaller car with open air facilities at hot summer days. From the beginning there was no heater installed, and my father had to install one with defroster in order to keep the windows open at cold weather. The olympia had a 30 HP sidevalve motor of 30 HP, the gearbox had 3 gears, two of them with synchromesh. The car was light grey with grey textile upholstery. It had hydraulic 4 -whell brakes and individual suspension of the front wheels, which made it kneeling at kornering. Top speed was 50 mph, allowable only on very few roads at the time.
When it was time for me to get my driving license in eary 1939, it was on this cardrove up for Mr Nilsson. It went all right though it was blowing a cold snow storm thar day.

The two door Opel Olympia 1936,
just deliverd and equipped with red temporary registry plates.

The Olympia was stalled up during the war years and the authorities took the tyres. After the war it was sold for almost the same amount of money as brand new to a businessman who was hoping to get some petrol on cupons.

Next car within my teach was a 2-door Chevrolet Master de Lux 1934. I had a 6-cyl OHV engine of 60 HP, 3-synch gearbox , hydraulic brakes and kneeling independent front wheels.

The Chevy has got engine failure.
The author is trying to solve it by eliminating a number of possible causes, later defined as a clogged fuel filter.

The car belonged to a solicitor, and was only available to us under the vacation period. The authorities confiskated the tyres in the beginning of the war, and I have no idea of the cars further destinies. Most civil Chevrolets, Dodges and Fords from the late 30-ties were converted to operate on generator gas extracted from charcoal, and was scrapped after the war. If the were not spoilt by sock-car races.

For being able to spend some holidays on wheel after the war, I borrowed some times a Ford Pilot V8 1938 of a more well situated fellow officer. The Ford had been stalled during the war and was like like brand new. I rented tyres from a rubber company and made som trips in northen Scandinavia. The big V8 engine was thirsty and took som petrol, but petrol was cheap at that time, less than 2 SEK for an imperial gallon. The Pilot had mechanical brakes, instead it was eqipped with 4 hydraulic jacks which could be lowered if having a puncture, making it easy to change a tyre.

We borrowed an old Ford Pilot, here seen on Karl Johann in Oslo, the summer of 1951.

My first own car after the war was a Chevrolet Master de Luxe 1939, sold by the government as surplus in 1953. I checked its antecedents, it had been a staff car for the commissariat service and was not badly damaged. A fellow oifficer and I bought it at the auction for 230 GBP. For financing we also bought a crashed exradio Volvo car, knocked out the dents, sprayed it with rust preventive and army grey, and sold it at a minor profit. Yhe 1939 Chevrolet had about the same type of equipment as the above mentioned 1934 model. the engine a little higher rated to 70 HP. The vehicle which was originally painted gray, had only been extra equipped with an aperture in the roof for air raid warning, The lid with its frame was now taken away, a new sheet of steel fitted in and solded in place. Lead was applied and the suface grinded to smoothness and painted with primer. Finally Original GM Ggray was applied and polished to mirror finish. Both families made several vacation trips with the car. However, it was not easy tkeeping a car at the salary of a subaltern officer and finally we sold it to a taxi ownerat a profit. So large was the demand for cars in the early 50-ties.

Wife Karin, daughter Lotta and Chevrolet 1939.

English cars

My own first car after the war should in fact have been a Volvo PV 444. But the demand was so large, that an early contract after some time could be sold at a profit. I did so and when it was time getting a new car there was a line of foreign brands to choose among. English: the Austin group, Ford, Riley, Standard, Vauxhall and some others. French: Citroën, Peugeot, Renault, Italian: Fiat and German: Ford, Opel, and Volkswagen. I was interested in a 4-door body and it happened that BLMC exhibited an MG Magnette ZA at a car dealer in Gothenburg at a reasonable price.

That will do, I said, and soon enough was the charming cellulose black vehicle with red leather trim mine. It was equipped with a 4-cyl 55 HP OHV engine of 1500 cc with double SU carburators, 4-speed gearbox, hydraulic brakes, all for the facile price of 1060 GBP.

This car became a dependable companion under three years on gravel roads in mid-Sweden. An interesing detatil was that the front suspension and steering only had 5 grease nipples, which made maintenance easier. MG had then a line of cars, the sports models MG TD, MG A, MG B (GT) and MG C. Similar cars to the Magnette was the brand Wholseley, with a variation of models.

The double SU carburators demanded frequent adjustments.

Rusting was no mayor problem at that time. There was no salt sprayed on the winter roads. It was rather the need for reparations after 120 000 kms, and vanity, that 1958 made me change to a brand new right hand driven MG Magnette ZB. We were driving on the left side of the roads at that time, and the right hand steering was just the thing for overtaking lorries on narrow tracks. The ZB was very similar to the previous one, only that the engine was rated to 60 HP and the dashboard was all valnut. he car costed about 1300 GBP.

The heating in the Magnettes was not the best when touring North Sweden in the Winter. It was necessary to sit on a sheep skin in order to keep warm. But road holding with Finnish Hakkapellita winter tyres was good and the traffic not to troublesome with exception of occasionally meetings with elgs and reindeers. The good MG ZB, however, possessed a bad quality. It´s engine consumed oil and one had to keep an eye on the oil stick. I installed a vacuum instrument on the dash board, but it did not help. At a sharp bend the oil level was too low, and an crank shaft bearing cut. The bearing had to be replaced at a shop.

I took up the question of oil consumption with the designers at a visit to the MG Works at Longbridge. After some discussions it become evident that the rear main bearing of the crank shaft pumped out the oil instead of leading the oil back to the crank case. The grinding of the shaft was changed on this point of this type of engine, but it was not much to do at my carthan changing shaft or engine.

Another episode with this car. All MG Magnettes had the Lucas 12 V electric system with which I seldom had any problem. With one exception. I was on my way home from Vienna, and some miles north of Kassel, the engine begun to cause troble, by slowing down and recovering again. So I went in to a Tankstelle, filled some gas, and also filled some oil in the damping cylinders of the SU carbutators. It did not help much, and after a couple of miles on the Autobahn I had to stop. I opened the bonnet, if it was not the gas flow, it must be the ignition: the capacitor. the contact breakers, or the ignition coil. We were soon discovered by the Bundespolizei. a green Volkswagen stopped behind us, and I had to explain our situation. One of the officers offered me a lift to a nearby rural repair shop, the other kept my wife company on the roadside. "Lucas?", sad the repair man, "Ach nein, englisches Erzeugnis, habe ich nicht!" (English product, not available.) "Doch", sagte ich, " ein Bosch 12 V Zündspole genügt!"(A Bosch 12 V ignition coil will do the job.) The man had a Bosch coil, I paid for it, and the police brought me back to the car. The coil was soon installed and the MG engine was fit for the road again.
I will return to the electric systems of cars. However, at this time the gouvernment announced that Sweden should prepare to drive on the right hand side of the roads. This suggestion hurried me to turn in the right hand drive MG Magnette ZB for a brand new MG Magnette Mk III for SEK 14 800.

MG Magnette Mk III, 1500 cc and 65 HP.
The neighbour´s son watches me polishing the black car.

The MG Magnette Mk III of model year1961 was quite a different vehicle compared to the sporty ZA:s and ZB:s. It was a typical saloon with its pontoon body with large hang and soft suspension. Olny the twin carbutarors differed from other Austin and Morris models.

MG Magnette Mk III 1961.
Junior beaming besides.

BLMC had taken over, and of the charm remained only the red leather trimming. The body was roomy, yes there was plenty of luggage room, bur road holding and simple maintenance routines were lost. 21 nipples had to be greased regularly. However, the car served me well for more than 75 000 miles.

MG II00. Coloured in British racing green. The steering wheel was of mahogany.

Mr Issigonis of BLMC had designed the Mini Morris, which became immensly popular, and he had now develloped a somewhat larger model called MG 1100. The concept consisted in front wheel drive with the engine placed across between the front wheels. The suspension was also assisted by hydraulic links, connecting movements of front and rear wheels on each side. As I did not travel so much across the country for the time being, I decided to test this new MG model. The designed suspension system could never hide than one was driving a smaller and lighter car, good enough on smooth summer roads, but hopeless on bumpy winter roads, The grey plastic trim was stiff in cold winter and nasty wet in hot summer weather, and after half a yer I had have enough. However, I know that friends of mine owner of the more expensive variant Princess equipped with real leather trim were very satisfied with this type of car and toured Europe for many years in it.

Rover vs. BMW

Now I was in the market for a new car again, and I made intensive studies of the market. A list was made: rear drive, 4-door body, about 2 litre OHV engine, 4-speed gearbox, good road holding. Rover 2000 represented an alternativ, so I tested it. But the rather heavy car had poor engine prestanda. The engine was then equipped only with one carburator, later should twin carburators and also a 3500 cc Buick V8 light alloy engine be available as alternativ. Paying frequent visits to Britain at that time, I had far-reaching plans to import a Rover. when I met a man who had sold the first MG Magnette to me. He was now a representative for BMW.

As a consequese I stared looking for BMW:s, and a couple of days later, I received an offer for my MG 1100 in exchange for a BMW 1800 which I could not resist. There was only one drawback: the BMW was at Malmö and I in Stockholm, so we decided to go half the way each. We met at Motala and in a flash I was owner of a BMW 1800 with 1,8 litre 4-cyl OHC engine, 100 DIN HP, servo assisted disc brakes around , independent spiral spring suspension and a divided rear axle. Trimming was grey cloth. But instead of the 12 volt systems of my English cars, I now had got a car with an old-fashioned 6 volt system, and tha t was a weak point.

The BMW 1800 was roomy and comfy, had good roadholding and served well for many years. A weak point was the rust protection. The fist thing I did was to have the car body treated with rust preventives according to the the popular ML method. I helped in some respect, but some parts rusted more than others . This the Svensk Bilprovning (Swedish Car Testing Institute) soon found out, and put a screw driver through the steel sheet on the left hand side of the front suspension.

The engine compartment of BMW 1800.
Rusting started at the top fixation point of the front wheel suspension.

The German engine pulled very well, the gearbox was smooth and the servo assisted disc-brakes safe and dependable. The divided rear axle, however, was not the ideal support for slippery, snowy winter roads. Tracks on the surface made by road-hobbers made the nonassisted steering a tiresome work. I left the car at the shop in Stockholm, and they found it necessary to change one of the rear spring, with little or no result as far as roadholding concerned. The leaking cooler was a problem, the 6 volt electric system another. After four years with the car it was time for a successor. At that time my employée asked us to drive some Swedish cars, aand as most of the representatives drove Volvos, I engaged myself inte SAAB models.

A native of Sweden

My first job as an engineer was at the Swedish Aeroplane AB at Linköping. There was a rumour that they planned to build a small Swedish car, so I applied for a job. But I was too early out and I was placed as draughtsman in the engine installation group of the J29 jet fighter department. Firstly we planned for installing a D.H. Goblin, then a D.H. Ghost engine, and then after having extended the aircraft with one meter, a Rolls Royce Nene jet engine was installed. My main task was the fire-wall of stainless steel, and all its T-shaped throughputs. The plane was designed according to Swedish Standard (SIS or DIN), when the British engine required couplings with BSF threads, and the American auxillaries UNC windings. Guess if mix-ups confused the fitters, when someone tried to screw a BSF nut on an UNC thread.

The jet fighter SAAB J 29,
The first Swedish all metal military plane.

In the meanwhile we saw gimpses of a hand-made small car growing up. The 2-dorr 4-seater prototype, desigend by Sason, was streamlined and propelled by a 2-stroke 2-cyl engine. I happened to have an old mate working with testing the engine which I recognized as an 18 HP DKW on the test stand. I liked the car concept, but a two-stroke oil smoking engine..., it was not my cup of tea. However, the whole project was moved to Trollhättan, and the first production series SAAB 92 car was presented to the publik about 5 years later.

SAAB 92,
Painted dark green, the only color in which this model was sold.

The SAAB 92 had a two cyliner two-stroke engine of 764 cc and 25 HP mounted across, 3--speed manual gearbox with free wheeling. The seldsupported body had two rearhinged doors, but lacked a luggage lid. I costed 6 625 SEK.
In 1955 SAAB released a new model with a 3-cyl two-stroke engine of 748 cc and 33 HP mounted along the vehicle. The body still had two dorrs hinged at the rear, but also a luggage lid. First in 1959 the body was develloped that far that the doors were hinged in the front end. This year also a an estate car was develloped, called SAAB 95 with 841 cc and 38 HP three cyl two-stroke engine.

SAAB 93.
The picture shows the wellknown rally driver Eric Carlsson, in his SAAB 93,
winner of the Monte Carlo rallyt in 1963. Foto: SAAB Scania.

Environmental authorities, however, disliked exhausting of blue smoke in the traffic. SAAB then begun to look around for a suitable 4-stroke engine to put in the car, and in 1966 a Ford V-4, 4 cyl four stroke engine of 1498 cc and 65 HP (DIN) was installed. Devellopment however, forced SAAB to stake on a new larger model, and in 1969 SAAB marketed the SAAB 99. This car had from the beginning a 1709 cc 4-cyl Triumph engine with OHC develloping 80 HP (DIN) and 4 speed gearbox with free wheeling. The body was a two door fiveseater with folding rear seat convering into a kind of combi.

SAAB 99,
advertised as "a native of the North".

When I joined the Swedish Aircraft AB, my thought was soonest possibly move over to the car devellopment, but the management was pressed to deliver aircrafts to the defence, and I was not released for Trollhättan. As I was tired of drawing T-nipples for the fire-wall, I quitted SAAB for Volvo, and landed up on the drawing office for truck design. The chassi of the heavy truck LV 245 was my first task. But this is a story beyond the subject, and I will continue telling about my private cars with which I worned the roads in the 70-tiesand on.

I had just left the rusted-through BMW 1800 in the last chapter, when I was offerd testing the new SAAB 99. I had my doubts for a beginning, because the car had only two doors. But after having tested the car under a weeks snow storm in north Sweden, I was rather satisfied with the driving properties, the road holding, the comfort, the heating. As my employer had decided that we should drive Swedish cars, and most of my fellows rode Volvos, I was prepared to buy a SAAB 99. It become three copies during the years and almost 312 500 miles together.

My first SAAB 99 model 1969 .
Here loaded with a sailing dingey for a trip with friends.

The first one was the 1969 model. It was equipped with a 1709 cc Triumph engine and free wheel. The free wheel was a weak point and had to be exchanged three times. The engine had an overhead camshaft (OHC) which was driven by a rather weak chain, like that of a bicycle. And it was necessary to watch the wear, and if necessary replace the chain, as in other case the chain could be too long and decog., with broken valves as a result. It was what happened one of my collegues. We were on our way home a friday night, and he was driving a couple of hundred yards in front of me when his engine suddenly stopped. I stopped behind him, and we soon found out that the chain was broken. We towed his car to a shop where the damage was proved. The extended chain hade caused the stretching device to leave its guides, the chain cogged over and the open valves were hit by the pistons etc. We also checked my car. I had some millimetres left of the movement before the same thing had happened to me. Then my 99 had gone over 80 000 miles. It was time for another one.

For economic reasons it had to be a new 99 of the model year 1973. SAAB had just come out with a new engine of 1854 cc and 95 HP(DIN). It was an improved model with a heavier chain. The car i got was manufactured in Finland for SAAB and I drove it for the usual 75 000 miles before it was time for a new. This time I got the mewly develloped EMS with 2 litre engine and electronic injection of 110 HP(DIN). With this car I drove an oil test for SAAB. The test was made to determine if it was possible to run the engine 50 000 miles without an oil change. New oilk was filled in and i drove 25 000 miles, only periodically changing oil filter. Then the oil was then drained and analyzed, and the engine stripped for inspection by SAAB:s own personell. Then the engine was put together again, the old oil filled in, and I drove another 25 000 miles. After 50 000 miles on the meter it was time to drain the oil and strip the engine again for checking cylinder wear. The oil was in good condition and all engine checks were to SAAB:s satisfaction. I had this EMS for several years, it went almost 156 000 miles.

SAAB 99 of 1973 and 1977 models,
the red one of the type EMS.

White cars

For some reasons white cars became popular. Nice and cool in summertime, perhaps not so practical in snowy winter. Stll it happened to be so that a white Ford Escort Ghia 1982 came in may way. The Escort had four doors and a run roof, details I had been wishing quite a while. The engine 1,6 litre, overhead camshaft and 80 HP gave the front driven, 5- geared car good qualities on the road. The Ghia model had weak suspension giving a tendency to bend over at sharp bends compared to the muck stiffer SAAB EMS. It had also an other thing in common with the first SAAB 99. The OHC was driven by a rubber belt guaranteed for at least 40000 miles. it broke after 26 000. Ford took the costs for the repair.

I had an other accident with this car. I was standing still in front of red traffic lights when a fellow in a SAAB hit me from behind. It was very icy indeed at that place due to the frequent stops by all vehicles, but the smach in the rear of my car damaged the left part of the luggage compartment. Ony a headlight glass was broken at the SAAB. After repair by the assurance company of the opponent, the Escort was no longer in good condition and I traded it in for a Toyota Camrt Combi Coupe.

Volvo 740 vs. Toyota Camry.
Father and son comparing their cars.

About the same time my son got a new company car and we had to compare the two. Had I had to go long distances on the roads at that time, I would also have bought a Volvo 740 at that time. I was very satisfied with the well equipped Camry, the only brawback was the low indoor ciling heigt, too low for an elderly gentleman. So when I after 16 years decided to change car, it had to be against one with enough space in the cabin.

The golden one.

I begun with readig car tests in motor magazines and l started to haunt car test reports on the web. And I made up a six column diagram of the most important features of small cars on the market. Measurements outside and inside, number of doors, engine power and gas consumption, transmisson type. There was a number of cars to be taken into consideratin, but finally a few ended up as priceworthy: Renault, Peugeot and Toyota Yaris. The latter has a total length of 3,6 metre, easy to park. Is roomy for four persons with som luggage space. If only two persons ride, an enormous lot of luggage can be installed. It has four doors, everyone has his own door. The engine is a low consumption power plant just under 1 litre with electronic fuel injection, double OHC, 16 valves and 68 HP. I choosed an semi automatic 5-speed gearbox Free-tronic without a clutch pedal. The colour is yellow metallic, some call it mustard yellow. For me it is the golden one.
And then we are at the end of this essay: What the modern man demands is a modern combi car, in fact, "a motorized overcoat".

The picture illustrates what you need, a roomy and convertible van that accomodates anything.
Toyota Yaris is handy in city traffic, yet convertible for all kinds of luggage, but also comfortable for a week-end trip.