Trafikjournalen: Cars that influenced Swedish car culture (The end!)

Cabrera Boreas COPA


Lore

The midsize car of Cabrera´s lineup, the Boreas wasn´t an innovative car by any means. It proved to be a reliable mean of transport, though. Reliability and low cost were the main points of the car.

But that couldn´t sell cars alone. In Spain, national carmaker SEAT already had a similar model to this, the SEAT 124, which was as reliable but had more appeal thanks to it´s more powerful cousin, the 124 FU, equipped with a FIAT twin cam engine.

So, in 1970, Cabrera released their own “sports” saloon, the Boreas COPA, with a pretty similar (or identical) engine.

While the spanish market was still not ready for large quantities of these models, in Europe people was craving for them, and so, Cabrera exported the COPA

6 Likes

I like that. Which body did you use for it?

Fiat 131 I guess

The All-New TrekMaster Hardtop

lore

The Trekmaster II had been in production since 1960, but '69 was the first year for the hardtop. This example uses the tried-and-true Masterforce 8v motor. With 99hp, the SUV was easily able to handle the occasional trail.

2 Likes

1972 F&S Rattler MKII

12 long years it took for a replacement. Now I’m not 100% on the reasons but I think the big one was sports cars moving to mid engine layouts. Would they follow suit? No, of course not. So after one year of being dominated by the mid engined crowd they ran away. But they couldn’t leave the field of motorsport; they’d get bored. Boredom rots the mind, so to stave off the rabies they shifted to Group 2 and the European Touring Car Challenge in the mid 60’s. And you know what, the endurance skills transfered well and they didn’t do that bad with the MKI.

The other big reason is that they couldn’t decide what the Rattler should be. A soft GT crusier or a hard edged sports car. I was told Gaz and Matt nearly came to blows trying to answer that question. But in 1972 they displayed their answer.

5 Likes

The executives at AMM were left humbled by the complete and total failure of the Lyxig. An answer in search of a question, the car completely tanked. While the company believed that it could handle a failure, they had severely underestimated the degree of failure of the line. The late sixties and early seventies, then, were a time of austerity and pragmatism. The company launched a line of vans, but disaster threatened to strike again when a major contract fell through. Left with an excess of inventory, the company began the work of converting these vans into family-oriented minibusses - somewhat bland affairs, with a 2L inline 4 putting out a barely adequate 55 kW, a ladder frame (galvanised, after the Lyxig debacle), and a 3-speed slushbox. AMM has continued to build upon the one positive of the Lyxig - the crashworthiness - by installing the most modern and advanced safety available. The car boasts eight seats (although the rear three are jump seats for tax purposes and to maintain usable coverage). The converted vans are targeted towards families, hence the name - Familj. These converted vans come in at a very attractive 12,500 AMU - a far cry from the expensive, brash Lyxig and a price that is acceptable to the average consumer. Ultimately, the Familj isn’t fast, or luxurious, or high-tech - but it has three extra seats, and costs close to some five seaters, and that’s what it offers. Enough seats for the whole family, plus all the things you need to carry, and able to get you all there in one piece.

3 Likes

Just so you know - I am quite busy tomorrow so maybe results will be delayed to the next week. Deadline remains though.

6 Likes

note: i was gonna make something like this bad boy for this round but i checked too see how long i had and i had two days. pair this with lots of personal life stuff and the fact that it takes me typically a week or so to make a car due to bad time management and it was clear that it was never going to happen. so, i cannabalised an older project to bring you this. enjoy.

the bad boy in question



The 1973 Maestrum K-50 Luxe (aka the Karuma Sevance B)

In the early 70’s Maestrum expanded their range of cars to include the “C” model series: larger, rear-wheel-drive saloons that were aimed to be affordable and yet comfortable at the same time. Among the most interesting of these was K-50, essentially a rebadged Karuma Sevance (hence the “K” in the name) that had been sent to Maestrum as part of a trade deal that had been going since the 1950’s. Karuma didn’t sell anywhere other than Japan (and in some cases other Asian countries) and Maestrum didn’t sell in Asia.

Maestrum, upon recieving the first shipment of new '73 Sevance B’s took out the original 900cc engine (which was later used in the poorly selling MB55 model) and implanted the 1900cc “crate” motor used for most of Maestrum’s C-Series cars. They also used newer, wider tires and larger brakes.

The Luxe was the top-of-the-range luxury trim, featuring air conditioning, power steering, a 4 - speed automatic gearbox and many other commodities generally expected of a £7000 - £8000 car (roughly £20,000 - £21,000 in AUD), however the Luxe cost just £6600 (£17,100 AUD) making it more affordable for more families.

The K-50 didn’t perform well in the British market, and despite being sold to many private businesses and even the police force it died after just 3 years in production. It was eventually replaced with the K-60, a rebadged Karuma Duvance, a front-wheel-drive hatchback version of the Sevance that had exactly the same amount of cabin space and was significantly cheaper.

More Pics




hopefully i’ll get the next car finished properly.

3 Likes

The Waldersee Ritter T28i


Bold, yet still hiding something

Waldersee, Arlington Automotive’s German rescue division, released the original Ritter - a sporty, American-style saloon - in 1966. Apart from their full-size, Kapitän-fighting Waldersee Kurfürst, the Ritter was the firm’s only car allowed to use a six-cylinder engine, though there were also lower-trim 4-cylinder options.

As a car that filled a distinctly muscle-style role and had a rather American appearance, the Ritter quickly became known as the “Yankee Waldersee”. The second generation, sold from 1971, retained largely the same styling as the original, but got a very curious gift from the recently-updated Kurfürst limo: An independent semi-trailing arm rear suspension. This very suspension would later appear across the entire Arlington brand; For now, it would just gain the Ritter entry into previously inaccessible racing series. An exclusive fuel-injected Ritter B30R homologation special became available, and quickly made a name for itself.


The B30R: Basically a German GT350, but not the hero of this story

But the B30R was a coupe-only brute with a spartan interior and the lumpiest cam on the road. Everybody loved it, but it was impossible to like. So in 1973, with the advent of a cheaper K-Jetronic injection system, the 28i-series Ritter appeared, with a smaller 2.8-liter engine and sane cams good for 165 horsepower. The T28i - the car you see before you - was the station wagon version of this car, as T stands for Touring.


As close as you’re ever going to get

Ritters were not cheap, but station wagon ones were usually slow, as most tended to forgo the big six-cylinders to cut gas spending. But be it in Germany, Italy or Sweden, any man unlucky enough to face off with a T28i - with its four-wheel disc brakes, fuel-injected engine, 195mm radials and capable of outcornering anything else front-engined - they would learn humiliation, as the literal station wagon would leave them in a cloud of smoke and proceed to do 0-60 in 8.3 seconds. And that’s with the heavier and more expensive 8-track and leather seats. Too bad Waldersee had to castrate and then drop the 28i line when a 1975 German law crippled 98-octane fuel availability.

5 Likes

In the later years of the dictatorship, regulations started to loosen, Spain started to open up, and tourists started to flood in. Citizens found themselves primed with new and foreign ideas, and began to think in ways some of them had never even heard of before. But that fascist government, founded on ideals dating almost to the middle ages, wasn’t open to change like everyone else.

El CADE 900 (1973)


What are you talking about it’s a completely different car

Story Time! :D

Released in 1964, the CADE 900 was the company’s first truly unique invention. Based on the 700, Cade found a way to extend and modify the chassis to allow for a rear row of doors- which the Italians they stole from never did. It may not seem like much, but it was the first thing CADE ever really did on their own. First steps are always small.

That’s not to say it was extraordinary. In fact, the public wasn’t even sure it could be considered a different car; it looked just like an extended version of the 2-door 700. But because a broader lineup is better for image, CADE repeatedly insisted that the 900 was a completely separate, higher-trim car.

To make it stand out, many trim options that were optional on the 700 became standard on the 700, such as the chrome trim along the roof and the passenger side mirror. They also added some chrome accents along the doors and in the grill after 1966, and made automatic transmissions available as an option for the first time. But by far the biggest difference was an upgraded engine; now 900cc instead of 700cc. And in the late 60’s, they converted the bigger engine to run on higher-grade 91-RON fuel, making the car more efficient, more reliable, and 12hp more powerful than its smaller cousin! (12hp sounds small, but the original 700cc engine made only 26!)

Still though, innovation was quickly proving to be the exception, not the norm. CADE was a government owned and government run company, and its limited resources were being managed by people who were already old when the company started, and who just didn’t see the point in change; heck, these people still believed in absolutist monarchy, for pete’s sake. They just weren’t looking forward, and consistently allocated as little resources as they could to “improving” the cars.

Plus, what capacity for change the company did have got tied up trying to meet other country’s safety regulations. I mean, they want two wipers on the car? And water squirters too?? Fuel tank access on the outside of the car?!! RUST protection!!! And… hey, what the heck is this “seat belt?”

With changing regulations across the continent, those cats got so tied up with their commitment to the export market that they almost stopped innovating entirely; and as the Spanish public was getting access to more and more options from elsewhere, predictions of CADE’s future kept getting darker and darker.

4 Likes

OK, no more submissions now, results and rules for next round will be up later, I am so tired now and have been busy the whole day.

9 Likes

REPRINT FROM TRAFIKJOURNALEN #3 2021

CARS THAT INFLUENCED CAR CULTURE
PART 3: THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

The period we are going into starts with all fun and games, but quickly goes a bit shaky and in the end we wonder what really happened. 1966 to 1975 was really a period where everything we knew about cars were turned upside down. From the chariot of freedom, to a polluting deathtrap. To top all of it off, the oil crisis came. So, before all the fun was killed off, what did we really get?


1973 Suzume Kaminari 22G (@VicVictory )

Enter 1973 and a completely new brand for the Swedish market - Suzume. Another brand that “Skandinaviska Automobilimporten” was building their empire on. While they were aiming a bit more “upper class” with their Ardent brand and to “mr Average” with the IP models, Suzume was kind of a more sporty, more technically advanced alternative to the IP. Their more youthful asian brand, maybe. The Kaminari was about the same size as the IP Warbler, but had a six cylinder engine, which you could only get in the bloated Lily 6 “America”, or if you wanted a more sporty alternative, the larger and more expensive IP Celestia. It seemed like the right brand to complement their programme with at the time. And at least to start with, the Kaminari seemed like a bargain. Despite being faster and having 20 hp more, it was significantly cheaper than an AEKI S69 “Skeva”, as an example. And the sporty characteristics appealed to an audience of younger drivers.

Soon there were dark clouds on the horizon, though. The Kaminari was not really the most relaxing vehicle to drive in the slippery conditions during a Swedish winter. If you are old enough, you might remember the scandal where a man that had skidded of the road with his Kaminari contacted Trafikjournalen about it, which in the end lead to the road safety department doing an investigation about if the Suzume had more dangerous driving dynamics than other comparable cars. And they found nothing that could prove that, some people wondered if he was trying to be some kind of Swedish Ralph Nader, but failed completely. Some damage was clearly done to the Suzume brand in this country that took some time to repair, though.

That did not stop the Kaminari from being a sought after car on the used car market, though. For people that could handle it, it was known as exciting and fun to drive, which has made it a classic in its own right today. If you find one that has not been hooned, it’s not a bad investment.


1968 AEKI S69 “Skeva” (@conan )

The success of the 100-series would not last forever. And with the 200-series being a larger, “clumsier” car, while the Krabba was too small and primitive, the hope for repeating the success with a compact, family oriented sports sedan was to be found in what had started as a project of a new larger Sten-Sil, that now instead became the smaller AEKI.

But a spiritual successor to the 100-series was something that the “Skeva” never became. AEKI fans saw it as a “fake” AEKI, featuring Sten-Sil engineering and being built in Lund instead of Malmö. No, it rather resulted in Sten-Sil fanboys following the brand loyalty into the fusion.

But fanboyism is rarely anything positive. If we looked into the S69 “Skeva”, it was actually a quite interesting car. To start with, it was not really a sports “sedan”, not a coupé or wagon either for that matter. The hatchback shape should combine the sportiness of a coupé, the passenger and luggage space of a sedan and the flexibility of a wagon into a well working compromise - and it kind of did. An OHC V6 might have been sounding impressive in the class, but at only 1.7 litres it was probably done to save some space up front with the longitudinal FWD layout. Critics were questioning the advanced technology, though, to get an 80 hp power output that hardly did beat the old AEKI pushrod 4-cylinder.

All in all, however, the S69 was kind of too modern, too good and too practical, ironically enough, since they were no more than daily drivers well into the 00s, meaning that most examples were run until they were in terrible condition. That means that if you have a chance to get that well-maintained barnfind, take it. You will be kind of alone in driving one to a vintage car meet in a sea of 100-series cars, while getting a pleasant driving experience at the same time.


1973 Mara Irena V 1.3 (@AndiD )

In 1969, many people were in sorrow when the venerable Volvo Duett was discontinued. That left a hole in the market that more than one car tried to fill. One of them was the panel van variant of the Mara Irena. If it succeeded? Well, at least partly.

Like all Maras, the Irena offered some excellent value for the money. It had a cargo compartment that swallowed over two cubic metres, and was surprisingly passenger car like to drive. Now, we are of course talking about a simple passenger car. Like the Mara Irena that it actually was based on, which hardly was a luxury car, but still. Yet it sold for only $9970. But the 40 hp engine meant that you should not be in a hurry, especially not when loaded with heavy cargo. The performance was disappointing, to say the least. On the other hand, that was also the only obviously weak point, especially considering its low price.

Now, it was more or less seen as a disposable van, meaning that even though many examples were sold, not many of them survived for almost 50 years, despite the build quality being better than anyone expected. It was not really the cockroach that the Volvo Duett was, but then again, very few vehicles were. And it is kind of forgotten nowadays, at least outside the Mara enthusiast community (yes, they do exist). Fact is, most people would question the reason behind choosing one as an enthusiast vehicle. But if you like to march to the beat of a different drummer, why not? It is not without its charm after all.


VERY INFLUENTIAL: 1970 Moravia Jestrab 1600 DCS (@Maverick74 )

The Jestrab looked like yet another version of a common and trendy, albeit enjoyable, concept that you saw everywhere in the 60s and 70s. A compact, sporty sedan. But there was a huge difference to most of the other ones. The Jestrab 1600DCS introduced a new sound to the automobile landscape, the sound of the 5 cylinder engine. Five was a number that was largely unheard of in the era - and it was maybe questionable if the reason behind the choice was anything more than bragging rights, because the displacement was a modest 1600 cc. But to get almost 100 hp out of such a small engine was quite an accomplishment in 1970, and the engine in general was a little jewel. Peppy, smooth, durable.

That, combined with for its time excellent driving dynamics led to the Jestrab being almost an icon in many classes of motorsports. Both as a rally car in the woods, and on the track. Not to mention rallycross. Unfortunately it did not last as long on the roads. The scandinavian climate was very harsh on the subpar eastern european steel in the body. So, when they became too rusty for street use, they got patched up and ended up in another, less glamorous motor sport.

On the folkrace track.

There was many rusty examples, but still good enough to patch up on the market, and for a relatively cheap price you got a durable car that could take the abuse while the competitors was eating its dust. The Jestrab 1600DCS for many years became THE folkrace car to have, almost a symbol for the sport in itself.

That’s the reason that you won’t find many of them on a regular car meet today - but go to the folkrace track and there is probably still a couple beat up examples still rolling around, wrinkled and crumpled like raisins but still competitive.

Not the most glamorous way to become an icon, but nonetheless very remarkable.


VERY INFLUENTIAL: 1969 Mons Astral C (@cake_ape )

For almost any kid that grew up in the 70s, the Mons Astral C was a real dream car. Not only did it have looks that were beautiful in the eyes of most people, it also packed in brute force while it actually, unlike many other muscle cars, had great driving dynamics even by modern standards, and certainly for 1969. That also lead to a sort of impressive racing pedigree with the R model, that is a story for a completely different time though. A certain trucking movie from the 70s is also said to have contributed to its popularity. It is simply something of a pop culture icon from the era. And despite its good driving dynamics and mind blowing performance, it was actually not terribly expensive to buy. To run, yes, that was a completely different matter, and lead to the Astral C still being just a player in the margins when it came to sales figures.

But like with some other Mons models (see our previous issue), it all changed in the 70s. The fuel crisis made prices drop overnight in the US and Canada, and we took advantage here. Slightly used Astrals were imported in heaps. Mostly from the south-western states since the rust problems were massive in states like Maine. And an Astral was the car to have for the hip people in the 70s. Often they were modified with stuff like air shocks, mag wheels and fibreglass acessories molded to the body. Something many people started to regret in the early 90s, when the pendulum had turned the other way and restored original examples were what people aimed at.

Of course, the Mons Astral is still one of the most popular muscle cars in the country, if you haven’t noticed that, you probably have spent the last 50 years or so on the moon. And it has almost turned around again. Arrive at a car show with a 70s survivor that has the period correct accessories and you will probably get some looks.


1966 Tack 230F (@HighOctaneLove )

The Tack 230F was a quite typical Tack. That meant an inline six without sporty ambitions in a compact sedan, as most models had looked for the past 20 years. But the difference was that the 230F actually was on par with much of the competition and not a pure price fighter. Brakes were fair, handling was fair, performance was kind of frisky. It was by no means the most comfortable or refined car on the market, but you got a smooth and quiet powerplant under the hood for a fair price, and both design and engineering of the car was more or less up to date. It actually sold kind of well until it got some competition from the AEKI S69, a more refined, more modern Swedish built compact 6 cylinder vehicle. But it was by no means a Tack 230F killer - a $3600 price difference made some people question if the S69 really was worth all its money. And that probably was a sane question even though the S69 was a more modern car.

The 230F sold in great amounts, but were generally considered a bit “soulless” and uninteresting, cheap on the used car market and often neglected by its owners, buying another one was cheaper than fixing the one you already had up. Since the late 90s that has been changing, however, the interest is steadily growing for the 230F and nowadays it is as appreciated and accepted in the vintage car community as any other car from the era.


1974 KAI K1 Mk2 (@abg7 )

Sometimes more of the good stuff is exactly the right thing. The KAI K1 was an early adopter of the modern formula that almost every supermini uses nowadays - one wheel in each corner, transverse engine and a hatchback body. But the timing was the difference. The Mk1 established the concept, but it was the Mk2 that spread it to the masses. The Mk2 was placed high at the sales charts for its entire lifespan, it was exactly the supermini that was needed at the time. It took everything the Mk1 did - and did it a little bit better.

But the original is always the original and maybe the Mk2 has always been in the shadow of the Mk1 when it comes to how enthusiasts look at the car. Yes, it was better at everything. Yes, it outsold the Mk1. And frankly, it only carried over the spirit to a more modern body, it still was there, and very obvious. But if it was a bit hard for the Mk1 to receive the cult status it deserved, it took even more time for the Mk2. 10 years ago, this was still just an economical second car for many people - nothing that you were running as an enthusiast car. But times do change, and raising prices on the Mk1 has led to an increased interest for the Mk2. It is a cheaper way to get what is basically just more of the same thing - with equal amounts of charm.


1968 ITA Corbeta 2500 GT (@Prium )

Now, we are seeing one of the sales flops from this era. The ITA Corbeta really failed to attract the customers, the reason mostly being that it managed to be too futuristic and too primitive at the same time.

To start with, the market for a huge 2-door coupé was not gigantic. It should be said, though, that with the Corbeta you got lots of metal for your money - but since this was not America, it was hard to sell a car on that alone. And the styling was futuristic, on the limits to being a flying saucer on wheels, which was simply too much for most people at the time. But under the futuristic shell, it was all tried and true technology. A bit too tried and true - on the limit of being ancient. A body on frame construction with a leaf sprung rear axle and a pushrod inline six with a modest 108 hp was not really state of the art technology in the late 60s. And if one should be a bit harsh on the Corbeta - it didn’t really excel at anything.

But times they do change, and what was lame yesterday may be hot today. Nowadays, it is completely accepted that a 60s vehicle does not fulfill the expectations we have on a modern car - simply because it’s not even a modern car anymore. And the design that did put buyers off in the 60s are all the rage today. It is jet-age futurism at its best, which is appreciated by many people. And the fact that not many were sold to start with, makes this a sought after and expensive piece of automotive history nowadays. In fact, more than one has been imported from countries where they sold better than they did here.

Revenge is sweet, at least if your name is ITA.


1971 AIM Sparrow A-3 (@lotto77 )

You know the old saying about how female shoes should be? Larger on the inside than on the outside. And an automotive equivalent would maybe be the AIM Sparrow then. Despite a length of only 309 cm, it was actually roomier inside than a larger Tack 230F as an example. But for mr. Average, bigger still was better, so this was not a car that made regular people make a switchover to small cars. Fact is that it got a quite bad start. The “clever” advertising (in the eyes of the importer) rather caused a small uproar, being called “tasteless” by the train workers on strike, caused kind of a backlash in AIM sales for a while. Of course, they did get back to normal, eventually, but as Sweden is not a “small car country”, it still kind of were a player in the margins.

But for the most part, it was a good car, sold at a low price. Maybe not the safest on the market, but then again, neither was its competitors back then. And the 3 cylinder engine, uhm, well… It was economical and had enough power output for the little runabout but it was refined like something that belonged to a garden tool. But then again, what could you expect for that price? Since it was also reliable and well protected against rust, it held its value quite well, there har always been buyers for used superminis and many people knew that an AIM Sparrow would just run and run.

Its smallness has given it kind of a cult status today, combined with the advertising that we laugh about today. And probably even the train workers would do it nowadays. 50 years can be helpful when it comes to forgiving things. So, arriving at a car meeting today with an AIM Sparrow will maybe make you laughing stock, but for all the right reasons.


1970 Zerve TrekMaster II PS99 Hardtop (@Restomod )

There might be a time and a place that is right for everything, unfortunately for the Zerve TrekMaster II the early 70s Sweden was neither.

What you have to keep in mind is that 4x4 vehicles still were kind of niched. Long before the SUV boom, nobody bought them for any other reason than the sole need for 4x4. And there was simple 4x4 offroaders on the market, and ones that were a little bit more refined, and maybe the problem was that the Zerve TrekMaster II was neither of them. Sometimes slotting into the middle simply is not the right thing to do. The 99 hp 2.6 litre inline 4 with its agricultural character may have given it adequate performance, but it really was nothing to write home about when it came to refinement. Comfort could not keep up with anything except the most rudimentary passenger cars and it was not cheap enough to treat as a disposable article. It should be said that it was maybe not a bad offroader, in fact, when it came to doing pure offroading stuff, the TrekMaster was one of the best in its class. But it filled a niche that nobody really had asked for yet, and among the offroad enthusiasts that were starting to appear, it was questioned what a TrekMaster could do that not a beat up old surplus AMM Sarek could do. And well, maybe it was not that much after all.

Today is a different story when old school offroaders are all the rage. The Zerve TrekMaster is a very sought after and attractive vehicle. But maybe mostly for restomodders. You will most often find them on chrome wheels with knobby tyres, with glaring paintjobs and lots of offroad accessories.

And most often with the powerplant replaced with something more modern - after all, the large inline 4 got a reputation of being “shaky” already as new.

Flip the page to continue reading…

17 Likes

I find it rather fitting that the Jestrab would wind up becoming an icon on the folk-racing circuit, since the inspiration for it was the Blocker from the original Flatout series. It too was an Eastern bloc car powered by a revvy inline five. It’s my favorite car in the game.

5 Likes


VERY INFLUENTIAL: 1972 Cabrera Boreas COPA (@Petakabras )

Moravia gives you five cylinders - Cabrera does a counter-attack with dual overhead camshafts. Cabrera was already known for building some quite spicy sedans, and the Boreas COPA was no exception. Released as a counter-attack on the Moravia Jestrab, it was faster, cheaper and more civilized. Besides, it looked more up to date and, also important, had much better rust protection. What it didn’t have, though, was the superior driving dynamics of the Jestrab. That meant that the most hardcore sports sedan enthusiasts still was choosing the Jestrab, which also got a more rich motorsports pedigree.

But for street use, many people seemed to prefer the Boreas, which also was showing in the sales charts. And - thanks to the superior rust protection - the Boreas seemed to survive on the streets instead of ending up on the folkrace course (even if many examples of course ended up there, too). When getting a little bit older and cheaper, first time drivers often looked at the Boreas as a fun to drive alternative with frisky performance to a relatively low price. The Boreas COPA was a quite typical “first car” in the 80s, and thanks to good build quality and also rust protection, even in the early 90s. Also, the “blank canvas” looks invited to modifications, just like the AEKI 100 did once upon a time. Look into any car magazine from the era and you will probably find at least one Cabrera Boreas with some more or less tasteful modifications.

Luckily for the enthusiasts, that era is over now and most people seem to enjoy the Boreas “au naturelle”. Prices have risen significantly during the last years, and one could absolutely call the Boreas a kind of “cult automobile” at least in its own kind of way.


1972 F&S Rattler MkII (@Tez )
With the second generation Rattler, F&S cured the criticism the Mk1 had received for being too “soft-hearted”. This was a full blown sports car in all its own rights, with some advanced technology like double wishbone suspension all around, aluminium body panels, and once again a SOHC inline six, now with 220 hp. The question was, however, if time was running away from the british sports cars?

Compared to, for example, the Mons Astral, the F&S did hardly have any performance advantage, neither at a straight line nor through the curves. Yet, it was a much more expensive car to buy, as well as being harder to live with. Because something that it had inherited from the first generation Rattler was the notoriously bad reliability. Or as people use to say, “The F&S Rattler MkII went like a stink - when it actually went”.

But of course, nothing of this did matter in the end - as the exclusive car it was, it ended up being only a player in the margins in the sales statistics. And a dream car for many people. Because in your dreams, your engine will never have a complete meltdown. And it really had the image of being THE sports car to have, the one that made a dweeb look cool. Being featured in some spy movies of the time really boosted its image, too.

And today it is of course an icon of the 70s, and maybe a dream car more than ever, and exactly as in the 70s, you won’t be able to afford one anyway, so just keep dreaming since dreaming is still free.


1975 Schnell New C-1600 (@interior )
If there is one vehicle that Schnell has ever built that is nearly forgotten, it is the New C1600. It is the only pickup truck that Schnell has ever built, and most people don’t even recall that, due to the rarity of the vehicle. As so many times before, it was the result of aiming for a market that didn’t seem to exist. If we compare it to the Mara Irena V, for example, it was worse at everything when it came to doing “light truck things”. Sure, they are a panel van vs. a pickup truck and can’t be directly compared, but the Mara was cheaper, much more economical to run and much more durable. It was not as fast as the Schnell (or schnell as the Schnell, do you get the joke?) but it was on the other hand nothing that anybody asked for in this class in the 70s. It had higher payload than the Mara, but on the other hand, the brakes were not up to the task, despite being 4 wheel discs and not drums like on the Mara. And despite using fuel injection, the engine of the Schnell was thirsty without offering any hilarious amounts of power.

All of this meant that buyers were looking at other commercial vehicles and quickly forgot about the New C1600, and maybe that’s why Schnell never made another pickup truck. It is appreciated for its rarity today among Schnell enthusiasts, but that’s about it too. In fact, this example has been imported lately, which explains the lack of headlight wipers. Finding a good enough survivor that was sold new in Sweden for a photoshoot was close to impossible.


VERY INFLUENTIAL: 1970 AMM Familj (@AMuteCrypt )
The AMM Familj was challenging the popular Hessenburg as the most popular passenger van sold in Sweden. It never really succeeded, the Hessenburg probably had established itself as the leader too early, but for most of the time it was at least in second place. Keep in mind, though, that this was before anyone had heard the word “MPV”. Buying a van was nothing a private buyer did unless it was needed, so they were still kind of niched vehicles. But the AMM was a quite pleasant experience for its era, surprisingly passenger car like in its characteristics, considering that this was the 70s.

But fast forward some years into the 70s and we had the van craze in the US. And this was when most of the trends in the automobile customizing business still had its origins over there. People were reading American magazines, as well as articles from the USA in Swedish magazines, and they saw the van craze. And naturally, most people wanted an US van but they were costly. The AMM Familj was a cheaper alternative, and the extended nose made it more “american” in its appearance than the forward control Hessenburg. So, well, more than one example was to be equipped with captains chairs, shag rug, porthole windows and waterbeds. And yes, we had a couple of them on our centerfolds in the 70s and 80s.

Custom vans have been “dead” among the public for a while now, but there is still van clubs around, and we are seeing the interest for them grow again. Mostly US models but maybe the customized AMM Familj will regain some kind of cult status?


1973 Maestrum K50 Luxe (@voiddoesnotknow )
It seems like there was a never ending stream of compact sporty and semi-sporty sedans in this era. One of them was the Maestrum K50 Luxe, and maybe it is one of the more forgotten ones. Despite the engine being a relatively large DOHC unit, it was not stunningly fast. The automatic transmission ate up most of its power, and fuel economy suffered greatly. Was it good at doing anything? Not really, on the other hand it was not really bad either. But what it was, was relatively expensive for its class, despite having competitors that beat it in most ways possible.

Among Maestrum enthusiasts, it was also seen a bit as “not a real Maestrum”. The reason was that it was actually a badge engineered japanese Kamura. And the image is still more or less stuck on it. Enthusiasts of British cars are generally not very keen about the Japanese ones. Not very many K50s were sold to start with, not many of them survived, but the surviving examples haven’t really gained any large interest yet. If you really like it, though, save one before it is too late.


VERY INFLUENTIAL: 1973 Waldersee Ritter T28i (@Texaslav )

Swedes do love their station wagons, no question about it. The Waldersee Ritter was one of the most popular examples. And the Waldersee Ritter to have was, without any doubt, the T28i.

It was one of the first really powerful wagons on the market. 165 hp does not sound like much today, but fact is that this was a wolf in sheeps clothing back in the day. To beat the performance of the T28i, you had to get a “real” sports car. But if you stop and think for a while, isn’t it a bit more cool when you can have all that performance in a wagon? Especially one from the early 70s.

But performance is of course far from everything. It was actually a really good car too, offering all the regular qualities of the Waldersee Ritter - a roomy, comfortable, reliable family wagon. Yet, neither the costs of buying nor ownership was too shabby, considering what you got. There is no question about why the T28i became a very attractive car, and why it has stayed that way ever since. In fact, even though it was a strong seller for what it was, there simply is not enough of them. Most Ritters sold were of course just regular models. And many of them, in turn, has ended up as T28i replicas - so popular was the T28i. Fact is, that it is almost kind of hard to get a lower spec Ritter wagon in original condition nowadays - it seems like most of them has turned into T28i replicas.

But of course, the original will always be the original and the value differs remarkably between a T28i and a replica. But if you only want the features of the T28i and is not a collector, there is hope for you too, if you understand what we mean.


1973 CADE 900 (@Edsel )

The CADE 900 was cheap, just like the smaller 700 had been some years earlier. That was its main advantage, it also had low costs of ownership. But in 1973 most people were looking for more. It was still built on the aging platform of the 700. Its looks was kind of ancient and the same was true for its driving dynamics. Maybe it was no coincidence that CADE dealers often seemed to be ex-backyard used car dealers that were trying to become a tad more serious, selling CADEs was a kind of hard task in Sweden back then and the importer probably didn’t deny anyone that actually wanted to sell the cars. The fact that there was much talk about boycotting spanish products back then didn’t help (but surprisingly enough it didn’t seem to affect Cabrera sales very much).

And still today, the 900 is kind of the red headed stepchild. In the classic car community it seems to be much less appreciated than the smaller, more charming 700. But sure, if you find a CADE 900 it can be a cheap entry ticket into vintage car ownership. Expect the experience to be a bit “meh” though.

EPILOGUE
Now we are in the middle of the dark ages, the next time we are kind of coming out of them and into the more joyful 80s when cars were allowed to be fun again. Stay tuned until then!


BINS:
None since I was overly nice this time. Or rather, that I saw that I had missed the fact that @Restomod sent in a car new enough to require dual mirrors and wrote a review before that. So, I let the entries from @interior (no headlamp cleaning equipment, no windshield washers), @Texaslav (no windshield washers) and @AMuteCrypt (no windshield washers) slip through this time. But the next time I would recommend everyone to read the rules, because I will probably not be mr Nice guy anymore when it comes to violations then!

12 Likes

ROUND 4: 1976-85

A short summary of the era:
From a turbulent era, we are entering a brighter future that looked less and less dark for every day. The economy is getting stronger, so is also the hope.

What happened during this era? (OOC: Including this as it might reflect society as a whole, important to consider in this challenge)

1976: The childrens book writer Astrid Lindgren causes an uproar when she has to pay taxes of 102%, leading to the taxation rules being changed. King Carl XVI Gustaf marries Silvia Sommerlath. Björn Borg becomes the first Swede to win Wimbledon. The social democratic party loses the first election in 40 years. Torbjörn Fälldin from the centre party becomes the new prime minister.
1977: The Swedish krona is devalued, first by 6% and later by 10%. The crown princess Victoria is born. It becomes a large scandal when 140 barrels of toxic waste are found hidden underground at BT Kemi in Teckomatorp. The Landvetter airport outside Gothenburg is finished. The Swedish steel industry is in a deep crisis.
1978: Most of the steel industry is fusioned into SSAB. Ronnie Peterson dies from his formula 1 accident at Monza. The liberal Ola Ullsten becomes the new prime minister of Sweden.
1979: SVT introduces teletext to Swedish TV. Corporal punishment of children is banned. Ingemar Stenmark wins his 10th world cup victory in slalom. After the election, Torbjörn Fälldin once again becomes the prime minister of Sweden. Homosexuality is no longer classed as a mental illness. Stig Bergling is sentenced to a lifetime in jail for Soviet espionage.
1980: 8 people are killed when 7 cars drives off the bridge to Tjörn, that was damaged when the ship “Star clipper” collided into it. The decision is made to build the JAS 39 “Gripen”. After an election, it is decided to gradually end the use of nuclear power in the country.
1981: The Swedish Krona is devalued by 10%. The green party is founded. The Soviet U137 submarine runs aground in Gåsefjärden, Karlskrona. Production of the plastic bicycle “Itera”, which becomes a flop, is started.
1982: A heatwave causes forest fires to spread quickly in Sweden. The Social democrats are once again elected and Olof Palme returns as the prime minister. The Swedish Krona is devalued by 16%.
1983: Sweden gets its first case of death caused by AIDS. The stock market is shut down for a week due to computer trouble.
1984: The first successful liver transplant is done in the country. Women are now allowed in all kinds of military duty.
1985: Karin Söder becomes the leader for the Centre party. That means that she is the first woman to be leader for a political party in the country. Former prime minister Tage Erlander dies.

CAR RULESET:
Model year - 1985 or older
Trim year - 1976 - 1985
Engine family year - 1985 or older
Engine variant year - no newer than the trim year of the car

Banned parts:
Racing intakes
Racing tubular headers
Semi slicks
Catalytic converters (yes! and I will explain why later)

Restricted parts:
Alu or fiberglass bodies not recommended except for sports cars. May result in binning, if you are unsure, ask first. Partial alu is always OK.
Lockers are only allowed on 4x4 vehicles. LSDs are always OK

Fuel type: In reality unleaded gas was not available in Sweden at this time. However, since most engines in this era could actually run on unleaded, and to simulate the emissions regulations of 1976 that is complicated and can’t be implemented in the game, regular unleaded fuel should be used. To somewhat simulate the “leaded gas” dilemma, NO CATALYTIC CONVERTERS!

EXCEPTION: If the engine is smaller than 800 cc, or if the weight + maximum load capacity of the vehicle exceeds 2500 kg, you are also allowed to use the leaded fuel types…

Emissions/loudness: A maximum of 6000 engine emissions, which should be met without the addition of a catalytic converter. At least one muffler required. Maximum engine noise level is 46.

EXCEPTION: If the engine is smaller than 800 cc, or if the weight + maximum load capacity of the vehicle exceeds 2500 kg, no emissions regulations apply.

Safety: Since there was some more stringent standards on seatbelts introduced, the requirements are stepped up a bit. If using 60s safety, it has to be “Advanced”. 70s safety has to be “Standard” or “Advanced”. All types of 80s safety allowed.
EXCEPTIONS: Light duty trucks from 1983 and older did not have to comply with the regulations, which means that vans and pickup trucks are excepted. A SUV is classed as a light duty truck only if the last row of seats that can be used in the body is either empty or jump seats. So, if it’s a 2 row body, the second row can’t contain full seats. If it’s a 3 row body, the second row can, but not the third row.

Light duty trucks from 1984-85 has to use at least basic 70s safety.

Lights:
At least one pair of headlights required - can have any shape since Sweden never had any sealed beam regulations. White or yellow lenses forward. One pair of white or yellow parking lamps required - though they may be integrated in the headlight fixture. If using separate parking lights they has to be white or yellow though - not amber/orange.

Until 1983: Turn signals required front and rear. The exception is that one side mounted turn signal can be accepted, IF the lens is visible from both front and rear. Lenses should be orange.

1984-85:Turn signals required front and rear, as well as at least one side mounted turn signal. Lenses should be orange.

At least one pair of taillights and one pair of brakelights. They can be combined in the same fixture. One or two backup lights optional, not mandatory.

Wiper/washers: At least one windshield wiper required. If using only one wiper, it has to be mounted close to the centre so it can sweep most of the windshield. Real life examples: Mercedes 190 or Fiat Panda. At least one windshield washer nozzle required.
Wipers and/or washer nozzles for the headlights are mandatory. If using dual headlights, it is enough to have it only on the low beams.

Mirrors:
Two outside mirrors required

License plate:
One up front, one in the rear. The wide “euro size” plates has to be used, not necessarily this one but the ones that is close in size to this:

Gas cap: Has to be mounted on the outside of the vehicle.

Tyres: Crossplies or radials, but keep in mind that except for budget cars at the start of this era, crossplies were on their way out. Maximum rim diameter 17 inches. Minimum tyre profile 50 - but keep in mind that even at the end of this era anything below 60 was kind of “extreme”.

Others: Hard, protruding hood ornaments are banned.
Bumpers are required front and rear, though no requirements regarding size or strength. Exception: Light duty trucks.

Naming:
Model/Trim : SCCR4 - Your name / The name of the car
Family/Variant : SCCR4 - Your name / The name of the engine

DEADLINE:Tuesday the 2nd of November, 6 PM CET
Before this, I want the car file sent to me via PM, and also a presentation, ad, or similar of the car in this thread.

(Feel free to ask any questions!)

8 Likes

Can the nozzle(s) be mounted on the windshield wiper (i.e. not on the bonnet/in front of the windshield)? If so, does it have to be modelled with 3D (could be tedious), or do you accept a mention of it?

I’m thinking about this:

Multi-point EFI is available from 1982 in-game, but it was quite rare in real life back then, although it was becoming increasingly common by 1985. With this in mind, will you allow its use on cars from 1982-85? Also, are you going to mandate (or recommend) the use of catalytic converters, given that we should use regular unleaded fuel?

There’s nothing in the rules saying no MPFI, and indeed in real life even some cars in America used MPFI in ‘85, especially those with intermediate engines.

I am not sure about Sweden in particular, but I don’t think most European markets mandated cats till the late 80s - early 90s, and the 6000-emission rule suggests that we don’t have to use them.

Well, to be honest, if you are not against this, @VicVictory had a suggestion to actually ban cats, to make it harder to cheat the strange emissions regulations. The only one that has sent in a car (@conan ) is allowed to resubmit in that case if he has a cat, I haven’t checked out his car. So, what do you all think about this? Since we had only leaded fuel, no car would have had a cat anyway?

MPFI was available even on some not very high end cars in the early 80s (mostly german ones using Bosch L-jetronic) so that’s allowed.

Yes, I know some Peugeots had nozzles in the wipers so sure, if that’s a feature you’re going to incorporate, you can just mention it, like if you’re running parking lights inside the headlight.

But is anyone opposing the “no cats” regulations? If not, I am going to do a last minute addition of it.

1 Like

The Turbo Era

In 1978, after years of development, AEKI release their first Turbocharged car, the AEKI S69 Turbo.

The “Skeva” went through a thorough minorchange in 1975, the main change is the completely new Sten-sil developed engine dubbed the S4. After the complications of the earlier V6 it was deemed more sensible to do a 1.6 and 1.8-litre Inline 4 that’s still mounted longitudinally. At the same time there was an experiment in Turbocharging this new S4 engine, specifically the 1.8-litre variant.

Suddenly, the dowdy S69 Skeva was a fast, 150hp hot hatchback. It launched to a great fanfare in 1978.

The experiment was so successful that it was decided then that the new AEKI 400 series which has been in development since the mid-70’s which was to have a complete new engine and chassis design from the 300 series which was a thorough minorchange of the 200 series, will have a turbocharged variant.

1982 AEKI 451 2.2 Turbo Executive Automatic

Launched in 1982, the new AEKI 400 series was a complete change from the previous 200-300 series. The “Lådor” and the “Lådor 2”. This time it was nicknamed the “Bodar” as in, container.

You see, during the 1970’s, people really started to get into buying flat pack furniture from that one famous shop with name similar to AEKI, and so the new AEKI 400 series was to feature a more practical approach to car design.

It was even more angular than the 200/300 series, and considerably larger. With the 450/451 station wagon variant featuring the largest cargo area AEKI ever offer. It was really like a container, or shed on wheels. With such a theme, the outside isn’t much other than a literal box.

But not only practicality is given priority, it was also more comfortable, with the luxurious 401 series car having rear independent double wishbone suspension. This gave the car a better ride along with superior road holding compared to the 400 series live axle.

The engine is also entirely new, it’s still an inline 4 with capacity of around 2.0-2.3 litre. It’s named the “Gold-4” as every camshaft cover is painted gold. It features overhead camshaft and in many variants, fuel injection. Also, as I’ve mentioned before, there was a turbocharged 2.2-litre variant which produces 160hp. This can be combined with either 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission and limited slip differential.

If, however, you’re not keen on modern technologies, the AEKI 451 was also available with the ASTV6 3.0-litre which produces about 150hp. This was mainly for the American market and usually only came with 4A/T.

It’s also still as safe as a brick, and fuel economy is not bad either. All in all, pretty much a perfect luxury family car. If you get one with manual transmission of course, but automatic will do just as well.

Also, during this time, AEKI was aiming to be more environmentally conscious, so pretty much all of the 400 series apart from third world model featured catalytic converter along with lambda sensor and hypereutectic piston to reduce emission.

The 400 series got a minorchange in 1991 to match the new styling direction of the new, smaller 500 series. It was produced in various form until 1998.

5 Likes