REPRINT FROM TRAFIKJOURNALEN #2 2021
CARS THAT INFLUENCED CAR CULTURE
PART 2: THE GLORY DAYS
Let’s continue our quest for the most influential cars we have had when it comes to the car culture of this country. In this issue we mostly look at cars that maybe could be said to come from the glory days of motoring - 1956 to 1965. Before exhaust and safety regulations killed the creativity, but still when most manufacturers had raised out of the ashes from the war.
1962 Moravia Jaka 445 (
@Maverick74 )
The Moravia Jaka is a prime example of how some vehicles won’t be successful among private customers, but still sell in decent numbers. When the vehicle was released, it was a bit more civilized than some earlier attempts at making 4WD vehicles, like the AMM Sarek and the Mara Konyk. The steel top, for example, made for better practicality, comfort and weather protection. It had almost unparalleled off road capabilities, great loading capacity, and it was literally unbreakable.
But one has to keep in mind that the days when a SUV meant status among private buyers were still far, far into the future. The Moravia was a pure work vehicle, a heavy duty one by the standards of the day, and it was probably very hard to convince mr. Average why this should be his vehicle of choice. Instead it found some niches that it could fulfill. One of them was among fire brigades. The Moravia Jaka was almost THE standard fire chief car for a while in the rural areas.
Since the fire departments tend to take care of their stuff, and keep it for a long while, one could have thought that the market in the late 80s / early 90s would be flooded with relatively nice Jakas. And in one way, it was.
But where are they now? Well, most of them were simply exported back to the eastern block by then, where the demand was huge, to say the least. That means that the Moravia Jaka is a very rare sight today. But of course, the remaining few examples do have their following - anything else would be kind of strange.
1965 Ursula F5 240S (
@BannedByAndroid )
Initially, everything was looking promising for the Ursula F5. When it arrived, it was a very modern car in what would probably be called the “executive” class nowadays. A new kind of luxury car that was engineered with people that liked driving themselves in mind, rather than being chauffeured around. It was very modern, both in engineering and in appearance, it was fast and it had great driving dynamics for its era.
Unfortunately, the horizon got cloudy rather fast and the F5 more or less hurt the reputation for the Ursula brand, at least in this country. Frankly, they were lemons. Advanced technology that was a bit ahead of its time meant that it was everything but proven, and many examples of the F5 seemed to spend more time at the repair shop than they did on the road. When we were looking at them in one of our used car reviews when they were some years old, our advice was “avoid at all costs”.
And most second hand car buyers took our advice. Not that we feel guilty, the fate would have been the same in any case. Expensive repairs meant that second hand prices hit rock bottom. In turn, that also meant that cars were scrapped even because of less expensive repairs, because it was simply cheaper to just get another F5. Or for that matter, a completely different car.
That means that the F5 is a rare beast today. Once in a while one of them will arrive at a classic car event. And we have an advice for you then.
Don’t ask the owner how many times he has had the alloy cylinder head welded. He (or she) does not like to hear that question again and again and again. Thanks!
VERY INFLUENTIAL: 1959 Mons Albatros S (
@cake_ape )
The US car culture (OK, in this case Canadian) is very strong in this country as most of us already know. And maybe the Mons Albatros S is the car that symbolizes this the best of them all.
But it has not always been like this. In the 50s, this was something that most people could not even dream of. It was a vehicle for a chosen few, most often chauffeured around, and at the same time, it was at the end of the heydays for the American (OK, Canadian) cars for doing that duty. Even as a chauffeured luxury car, the 1959 Albatros was at the limit of being too big and excessive. Not expensive for what it is but excessive. Most people in higher society really had a bit more modest taste than what was expressed by this barge with its tail fins and chrome.
But the people that were watching them almost jealously had a different view. To them, this was the pinnacle of automobile design and engineering. The ultimate way of experiencing the American dream on wheels. Canada is a North American country so now we have said that once and for all.
Fast forward to the 70s and the oil crisis. In Canada and USA people were cramming themselves into IP Warblers and Tanaka Aventises thinking that now all the fun was over. Not that an used Mons Albatros had anything resembling value there anyway. “The fun has just begun”, the Swedes said and imported heaps and heaps of these cars, that probably would have been hard to trade for an used VW Bug back in its home country.
And ever since that the Albatros has been more or less a cult classic in the US/Canadian car community. And in Canada and USA people regret exporting them now. Some of them have actually been imported back again.
1961 AEKI 121S (
@conan )
Sometimes, when customers like what you give them, the right thing to do is to give them more of the same thing. At other times it becomes boring and repetitive and just gives a backlash. When it comes to the AEKI 121S, we land somewhere in the middle, in a pretty good compromise though.
The AEKI 100 platform proved to be too good to just leave it alone. AEKI introduced the stylish 121S on the same platform as their “halo car”, and it was met with kind of mixed receptions, both good and bad. Some people did not really see it as a true sports car, it was too much of just a normal AEKI, too civilized. 100 hp was not totally convincing for a sports car even back then and it was said to be “driving like a family car”.
Some other people protested against that view. It was simply the answer to all the questions. A good looking, sporty, fast car with all the reliability and refinement of the AEKI 100.
And the truth? It was somewhere in between. It had decent handling, good brakes and went surprisingly fast - not that it was anywhere close to the exotics of the era. On the other hand, the “sporty” tuning of the engine took its toll on the reliability which didn’t really reach the levels of the AEKI 100, and the platform was coming close to being a decade old by then. The competitors were really catching up and the 100 was not as competitive as it had been in the 50s anymore, even less so for building a sports car.
But it was a good looking compromise, it became a hit among the “hip” people in the 60s and prices today are reaching levels that some of the more exotic competitors haven’t seen yet.
1960 F&S Rattler Mk1 (
@Tez )
The F&S Rattler is proof that making things overly complicated is not always the answer. The A-3500 had been a strong seller for its class, as the down-to-earth, honest sports car it was. The Rattler introduced lots of new technology like an all-alloy SOHC 176 hp inline six and independent suspension all around. And on paper, it looked like the sports car to have, and the racing pedigree somewhat boosted its image.
But reality was that the performance just barely exceeded what the A-3500 could offer, and many people saw it as too soft-hearted in comparison. Even the AEKI 121S offered better driving dynamics at a much lower price, the weak brakes and understeering characteristics of the Rattler was not really what people expected in a sports car.
Also, it was seen as notoriously unreliable, and the amount of modern technology meant that most mechanics of the era didn’t really appreciate or understand wrenching on the Rattler. Used examples was most often avoided as the plague among sports car enthusiasts. It has always been “accepted” but to put it this way, the general consensus has been that you have to be of “a special kind of breed” to be able to handle a Rattler.
But today, when a korean supermini has technology that is 10 times as advanced and they are mostly a “good weather” car that’s rolling a few miles per year, the bad reputation is kind of washed away and the surviving examples are getting quite pricey.
1961 AIM Special C-6 (
@lotto77 )
There was no reason for the AIM Special C-6 to NOT be a strong seller when it arrived. It could be seen as an early example of a compact sports sedan with its 121 hp 2.7 litre inline six, that offered frisky performance for its era with a top speed of 188 km/h and a 0-100 time of 7.2 seconds. It was mated to a slick close-ratio 4 speed manual that had a short shifter and was a joy to handle, and its driving dynamics were competitive with some of the sports cars of the era. Yet, it didn’t cost too much - $17000 gave you not only all of this, but also a well-appointed interior with comfortable wool upholstery and some walnut inserts and thick carpeting, as well as a push button radio with reverb.
For the family man that didn’t want to give up on sports cars, the AIM was the ultimate compromise, and it was attractive on the second hand market for many years. Of course, most cars have a period in their life when the value will be hitting bottom, but the AIM never really crashed that hard, it has always been a sought after car.
So also today, since buying a nice example won’t really be friendly to your wallet, but it will sure attract people’s attention, whether you’re driving down the road or attending a car meet. Its sporty dynamics also meant that it is quite popular among the historical racing crowd.
1956 Tack 23F (
@HighOctaneLove )
Price fighters have always had their place on the market, so also the Tack 23F. When it arrived, it promised a six to the price of a four, and that was also true. It should be said, however, that what you got also was a kind of simple car that felt kind of old fashioned already as new. It was built on a separate frame, the six was a kind of lazy 70 hp affair and the interior was very rudimentary. Thanks to the simple construction it could take some beating, though. It also could handle bad roads relatively well for being a regular, rear wheel drive passenger car. That means that it was a relatively strong seller in the rural parts of the country. But despite the six cylinder engine, it was never seen as a prestige car at all, due to its cheapness and simplicity.
Eventually, most of them needed expensive overhauling of the engine, even if reliability was vastly improved over the 20F, which rarely was seen as worth it, and they ended up as scrap. But remaining examples are still seen as kind of a remarkable part of Swedish automobile history, even if it doesn’t really carry the cult status of, for example, the AEKI 100, which is also reflected in the pricing nowadays.
1962 Mara 1300 Pickup (
@AndiD )
Maybe the Mara 1300 pickup was a little bit too niched when it arrived on the market, and that the reason for the lukewarm success can be found somewhere in there. In itself, the idea of a cheap, compact pickup truck is never wrong. But the high ground clearance to cope with the bad Archanian roads was not really needed here - not for the kind of buyers choosing to opt for a pickup in this class. The ones really needing offroad capability probably rather looked at a larger capacity pickup truck instead, maybe even with 4 wheel drive even if that was much more rare in the 60s compared to now. Also, the strange looks of the Mara 1300 made it kind of laughing stock, “the Mara on stilts” as it was called. Still, it managed to find its share of buyers. And maybe it has never really been sought after, but still something happened in the late 80s and early 90s. With “the ironical generation” came something else too, “love for the unloved”. And the silly looking little Mara 1300 really became something of a poster child for that. The remaining examples were dusted off, and they gained kind of their own cult. Sure, it is still a player in the margins, as it always has been, but certainly not forgotten either.
VERY INFLUENTIAL: 1964 Cabrera Monzon COPA
Before the days of the hot hatch, this was what we had. The Cabrera Monzon COPA. One of the first small sedans engineered for performance that really was a lucky strike among the buyers and sold like hotcakes. Yet - it may not be a very impressive car on paper - featuring an 1 litre 53 hp inline 4, though in a car weighing only 730 kg, the performance is mediocre by the standards of today, with a 15.5 second time to 100 and a top speed of 144 km/h.
But everyone that bought one knew that this was just a diamond in the rough. With sticky radial tyres and a sporty suspension tune, this car could outrun almost anything in the corners - if you could drive one. The rear engine layout meant that more than one got wrapped around trees or poles, when the drivers got a little bit too brave and the oversteering became too much to handle. There was lots of potential to be found in the little inline four, and probably almost none of the Monzon COPAs were rolling around in original condition in the 60s and 70s. This was a rally winner for the road. Pure fun on wheels. It really became THE car to have for many young drivers back then - and a price of $13400 meant that it was an affordable dream too. Sure, you had to skip on some luxuries, to keep price and weight down the interior featured nothing more than the most necessary stuff.
Unfortunately, not many are left today. We have said earlier that many of them were crashed beyond repair, not an uncommon fate for cars attracting a “certain kind” of drivers. They also tend to be hard on the mechanical parts, even though the Monzon COPA wasn’t really fragile. But what killed most of them was probably the rust. There was not an ounce too much of undercoating or paint, once again to keep the weight and price down. Not really a success in our Scandinavian climate though.
Nice examples are going for almost silly prices today, the historical rally or racing crowd is sharing their interest with people that were around back then that wants to realize the dream from their youth. Also, since there was hardly any original examples rolling around, they are generally accepting period correct modifications more than many other classic car owners. Minilite wheels, souped up engines, 60s racing seats, everything can be seen in Monzon COPAs and are also fully accepted in the crowd.
1962 Courageux Mille Deluxe (
@mart1n2005 )
The Cabrera Monzon might have been a success on the RR type platform, but it still became clear that it had its heydays behind it in the 60s. While the Cabrera had shown that it still could be tamed with a good work on the chassis, the Courageux was a more mediocre example that had a kind of lukewarm reception when it arrived. Sure, it was not without its points, it was comfortable and roomy for being such a small car, but while the Ambronay 15 years earlier had lots of charm and was the right vehicle at the right time, the Mille was more of an “also-ran” in the Swedish market. It didn’t have much of an advantage over the competition, it was known for being kind of a challenge to drive in bad weather conditions, wanting to come tail first through the corners, and it was generally seen as a bit bland and soulless compared to some of the older Courageux models. That also means that it was generally seen as a cheap throwaway car. And threw away them was also what people did when the rust had eaten them up completely in just a couple of years. The protection against rust was absolutely non-existant.
Now, it sounds like if we are mean to the Courageux, but we are not. It might not have been the right car at the right time in the 60s, but seen as an enthusiast vehicle nowadays it can be quite charming, like any small 60s car. If you find one with its floorboards in place, we can’t blame you if you happen to fall for it.
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