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…
