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

[lotto77]

1984 Aim Swallow Mk.IV G6T

Aim was in a bad way in the early 80’s, they’d just rebranded after a bankruptcy in the late 70’s, the ground-breaking new Special was renamed the Swallow and confused consumers, the company had poured millions into said Swallow which caused said bankruptcy, and they’d made enough PR blunders that their international image was thoroughly trashed, most notably the Swedish train debacle.

So what was Aim’s response to all this? Take the bail-out money and spend almost all of it on making the Swallow the most technologically advanced family car out there, naturally! All that money resulted in a super saloon with turbochargers, advanced EFI, multiple ECUs, and a company running on a shoestring budget.

However, our focus today isn’t that sedan, it’s the slightly later G6T (Touring), which got a lot of the bells and whistles from the performance sedan, all rolled up into a sensible station wagon. Aim was laser focused on regaining goodwill with the Swallow, and the G6T (especially the Swedish market version pictured here) exemplifies that, with a smooth and quiet I6 up the front paired with advanced MPFI making sure it was both fuel efficient and powerful, making a solid 106kW, while an all wheel drive system ensured it could get that power down in all situations.

In the middle was a fairly standard interior, but it included very 80’s “cool” touches like a digital instrument cluster, “Aim Advanced Car Status Indicators” (AACSI) and “Aim Advanced Microcomputer Controller” (AAMC) that allowed the driver to check rudimentary system statuses and things like fuel range. It even boasted a serial port in the glovebox to connect to an IBM PC! And finally, up the back was a roomy boot and back seats that could fold flat to make it even larger.

Aim bet it all on the Swallow, and while Sparrow sales in poorer parts of the world could sustain them, they needed the Swallow to be successful to thrive. While they had the tech to make it through to the 90’s easily, only sales would be enough to decide between the 80’s being an era of redemption or another disaster like the 70’s.

More photos

[interior]

MY1985 Schnell LX-6 4x4
The off-roader you wish you had. The off-roader you wanted. This is a offroad machine. It has a manual locker and a Turbo 2.1L i4 making 189hp@180lbft, We all know about the certain off-roader that helped the US millitary and is widely popular over there (for legal reasons we cannot mention the name of the vehicle), but those are not as popular, but there’s more alternatives, We’ve strived to make our car as efficent and least-polluting compared to the competitor’s car It was made to go off-the grid, For the mud, for the worse terrain of a third-world country, Anywhere and it will make it that is not a rock-crawling course.

Lore

The 80’s was a time for them, more tech, and pleasing comsumers. The company went public for 10 years, whilst being owned by a gas and oil company because the founder died and the company went to auction in 1973. At the time among fans, if you owned a share of the company you were rolling about until the value went up.

[Restomod]

Funny the Kaveat also has 4x4, manual locker, offroad suspension, offroad skidtray, and biggest tires I could fit…

[interior]

Yeah, was mostly poking my entry to yours to compete

[Restomod]

Mine has 85hp though, so I wouldn’t say they’re all that comparible.

[interior]

I mean in the off-road scale, not performance

[HighOctaneLove]

MY76 Tack Resande

Pictured: Tack Resande Sport

The third generation 230F and it’s siblings failed to break new ground on the Swedish sales charts. Sales were steady but slow, with most buyers purchasing their Tacks because they couldn’t afford anything better.

So, when the 4th generation Resante was designed, Tack decided to go “all in” on US styling cues in order to attract more customers. The only Resante to retain an A series six was the base model, with the mainstream Family and sprightly Sport models receiving the all new B series V8.

Tack hoped that the new and edgier Resante would attract buyers looking for traditional Tack values of reliability and affordability then convert them to loyal buyers due to the avante garde, USDM inspired, styling.

Pictured: Tack Resande Sport

[AMuteCrypt]

Did somebody say offroad?

Edit: Forgot to swap wheels, oops. Guess we have to wait to reviews to see them.

“Malmo Gives You More”. That was the advertising campaign for the Avstånd. AMM’s adverts highlighted all of the things which AMM could have done to cut costs, but didn’t. In their television adverts, a serious presenter highlighted the fact that, as a light duty truck, AMM didn’t need to provide safety equipment in the Avstånd. Legally, they didn’t need to provide lap belts, or air bags, or a collapsible steering column, or intertia switches on the engine and fuel pump. They didn’t need to meet emissions requirements either, and they could have made the Avstånd put out as many pollutants as possible. According to the lawyers, a light duty truck could, from a purely regulatory standpoint, be a smoggy deathtrap, and AMM would be immune from litigation. Of course, Malmo Gives You More - so those safety features are all implemented as standard in every vehicle sold by AMM, including their light duty trucks. Their entire fleet features certifications of emissions standards, as well. Now, AMM’s lawyers prevent this serious presenter naming any competitors or making claims about other trucks on the market - but would you really want to die in a crash, because your cheaper truck didn’t have to comply with safety rules?

Malmo continues its habit of safe, driveable vehicles. The Avstånd is an offroad-oriented, work-focussed car available in both single and crew-cab variants - although the crew variant is shown here. Hypereutectic pistons on the inline six keep emissions well under control, while a 4x4 system with manual locker and an offroad skidplate allows the truck to be taken just about anywhere. The suspension is soft enough for bumpy offroad trails, but stiff enough to have a 2 tonne (metric) load capacity. It certainly doesn’t come cheap, but it’s probably worth it. Probably.

The Fate (or should that be F8?) Of The Familj

The Familj was considered a somewhat surprising success for AMM, and one which they took a lot of notes from. As a pleasant and somewhat desirable passenger car, AMM decided to continue production in somewhat small volumes, keeping a couple on-hand in most dealerships just in case. Once the van craze hit, AMM largely… ignored it, in all honesty. The official position was that these were truly wonderful vans, and that they were happy for their cars to be enjoyed, but that custom vans were, well, custom. They certainly couldn’t compete and make unique cars - instead, they just kept selling the vans, and making spare parts available. Sure, some spare parts became a little more available, and some schematics “accidentally” leaked to the public, but AMM never really tried to compete or imitate those custom vans - and they were probably all the better for it.

[Knugcab]

What? No adult toys from AMM?

[Restomod]

Is this the last round?

[Edsel]

No, the original post cites 2 more after this (and a potential 3rd)

[voiddoesnotknow]

1978 Maestrum 1850 Princess 2.0 GL

fuck this was painful to make

After the failure of not only the K-50, but most of Maestrum’s other rear-wheel drive saloon cars during the later part of the 1970’s Maestrum was left stuck between a rock and a hard place. To avoid going bankrupt they had two choices: they could just re-release an existing car again with some new trim level, or they could release an entirely new car. Maestrum, being Maestrum, released a whole new car. The 1850.

Affectionately titled the “Princess” by it’s designers, the 1850 combined sleek, elegant looks with all-new technologies developed specifically for the car, such as hydropneumatic suspension, and headlight wipers. It also featured a brand new powerplant - the old, antiquated inline 4 used in the old C and K series was removed and replaced with a new, more powerful 2.0 litre (an option, the base model had either a 1.6 or a 1.7) DOHC engine with a reliable cast block.

It was a hit in Britain, racking up sales and becoming the image of the traditional British “Family Car.” The suspension was smooth and comfortable, but the engine still provided enough power to propel the car to 115 mph. A catalitic converter was optional, but until the 80’s not many chose to have it fitted.

The GL model, arguably the rarest due to it’s sunroof and lack of vinyl roofing, was the second-of-the-range model, coming in at £3,550, second only to the GXL model, which featured a turbocharger and more sporty rims.

More Pics

note: i love the Austin Princess, specifically the '78 Princess 2. i’ve loved it since i was a kid, seeing James May buy one on the Top Gear British Leyland episode. i wanted to do it justice in Automation form, however the body was old and difficult to work with. i hope that it will be updated soon, and that one day i will be able to drive this wedge of British Motoring history for myself.

[TheYugo45GV]

IVERA 122 GTB

The IVERA 122 GTB was one of the more significant cars in IVERA Motor's history as it was intended to be a competitor to the Mercedes E Class. The first car from IVERA to be designed by Swedish designer Hugo Nilsson. It's design was an homage to the original Mark I which had the signature sloping rear. The 122 instead of having a separate trunk like the Mark I, was a liftback sedan which offered better cargo space. For Government and police roles the 3L inline 6 was swapped out for a 4L V8 for better low end power.

The IVERA was not known for its fuel economy or its interior comfort but for its unparalled safety. The 122 was one of the first cars to feature proper crumple zones and in 1977 standard driver side airbags.
The 122 was also the first IVERA to feature an automatic transmission as most of their products had been manuals up to that point. Catalytic converters were standard on US market models while in Europe, they were optional.

[AndiD]

1982 Mara Kanyon

Mara developed the Kanyon in the early 1980s as an offer in the emerging Archanan ‘sport utility’ market (albeit with a small ‘s’ and a capital ‘U’) and also sold the car in selected export markets after the initial pre-orders were fulfilled. The early export models could usually run on 85 octane fuel as the engines were only tuned specifically for the export markets from the mid 1980s onwards.

The 4x4 Kanyon: (Almost) uncompromising off-road capability

Engineering-wise, the Kanyon borrowed heavily from other Mara products of the past and present. The 4x4 drivetrain was moderately modernised compared to the Konyk, and the Konyk and Tovarish also had a ladder frame chassis.

Many other characteristics are shared with the Irena: a 2.4m wheelbase, double wishbone suspension at the front, a coil-sprung solid axle at the rear, and a 4-speed manual gearbox (although geared for towing capacity rather than fuel economy or quietness). The 2.5l Perspek I4 engine mounted longitudinally was also similar to the one in the sporty Irena SX or base model Kavaler but here in a much milder tune again focused on low-end torque.

The Kanyon’s externally mounted rear spare wheel dominates the look for the rear

The interior also carried over many parts from the Irena and even the Kavaler, giving the Kanyon a more regular car feel inside the cabin and behind the steering wheel, but without compromising on the off-road prowess (or cost efficiency, for that matter). Notable was also the Kanyon’s low dry weight of around 1.1 tonnes while still having a certified load capacity and towing capacity of more than half that in both regards.

OOC: I briefly thought about submitting the ute version of this in direct response to the AMM above, but the sUV fits better I think.

[Petakabras]

Cabrera Avispon COPA 2

The road is yours

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Lore

The 70s were a complicated time for Cabrera. The Spanish market started transitioning to a more open market one, and so competition got increasingly stronger in Cabrera´s home market and main source of revenue. Francisco Franco´s death and thus the end of the dictatorship in 1975 also meant that the government aid got axed suddenly.

To face all of this, Cabrera started a rationalization program in an attemp to become more competitive. To reduce spend, most of Cabrera development programs were stopped. Among them, a new FWD platform that was considered too much of a expense at that moment.

Meanwhile, the Golf was a sale success in Europe, and so Cabrera hurried to get a compact car to the market. But instead of the trendy FWD it used, Cabrera built their compact car on a shortened 2nd gen Boreas chassis, and so it retained the RWD architecture but also a independent rear suspension that turned it into a much better handler than the first gen Boreas.

The COPA 2 would be an attempt to move slightly upmarket, sitting above (obviously) of the normal COPA, it featured twin Weber carburettors and a much improved interior, with luxuries such as bucket seats and a tachometer. Cabrera didn´t know how the market would react to a more expensive Cabrera…

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[GassTiresandOil]

1978 KESSEL LP22

Sold in the United States as the Armor Tyke, the LP22 (for leichte Pflcht) was manufactured in West Germany by Kessel. A formal merger of the companies would come later, but the relationship had always been friendly, as Kessel used Armor’s 2.2 liter 4-cylinder engine for the truck. Though it made decent enough power and fuel efficiency with it’s carburetor, fuel injection would be available in 1981, and a Chevy Blazer-esque 2-door SUV body would come in 1987.

Kessel’s mainstay was building utility equipment like forklifts and such, but, with the help of other companies such as Armor Motors, they weren’t afraid to offer light-duty work vehicles for Europe.

[Edsel]

@Knugcab

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.

Random question: Could the front-facing turn signal bulbs double as parking lamps, then, if they are integrated into the larger headlight? Or would I need to have 3 total bulbs?

[Knugcab]

Good question.

Some composite lamps actually integrated the turn signals too, already before this era.

I would say that I won’t be so harsh that I demand 3 bulbs since all of that is really more a matter of game limitations that should not kill of the fun completely. As long as at least one bulb/lens in the headlight is set to amber/orange and another one is set to white, I will accept integrated turn signals into the headlights.

[TheYugo45GV]

I just realised I have no parking lights on my car. This may be a problem.

[Knugcab]

I see at least 3 pairs of fixtures with white lenses up front, I would not have noticed…