Matti Johansson

Ford 1951 by Matti. Photo courtesy of Anders Dahl

Crown Victoria built by Matti

T-bird built by Matti

Matti Johanson's 1957 Ford Ranchero. Matti's "Ranchero" started life as station wagon.The build was completed in 1965. The same year it was displayed at the first Hot Rod Show in Stockholm.

Matti did a lot of the work on Jonas Qvarnström's 1931 Ford Model A Roadster, before Jonas sold it to Lars-Erik Johansson. Lars-Erik completed the build, and turned it into The Orange Fink show rod.

Bo Sandberg's 1959 Ford Thunderbird of Stockholm, Sweden. Named The Wild Bird, Bo's Thunderbird was completed and made its debut in 1966. Bo ran a customs, paint, and parts shop in Älvsjö, Sweden, called Yankee Customs. Matti helped Gamen build the car.

A photo of Matti with the clone of his 1957 Ford Ranchero as it sat in March of 2015. Photo courtesy of Peter Larsson - Gasoline Magazine.

Matti Johansson (b. 1941, d. 2024), was a Swedish custom pioneer.

He started customizing cars in Stockholm area in the early 1960s. One of the first cars was a Ford 1951.

Beside his own cars, Matti helped several friends with primarily body work. He did much work helping Bo Sandberg in his garage in Örby.
Both Bo and Matti worked at the Volvo-dealer Ernst Nilsson in Segeltorp south of Stockholm, Bo with paint and Matti with body repairs.

He was early involved in Drag racing and competed with a Chevy Nova in the first events.
Matti spent a long time in the U.S. working for many companies. After the return to Sweden, he started to build a clone of his Ranchero and participated in Dragracing at Kjula Raceway.
He had a garage in Skärholmen south of Stockholm.

Matti Johansson's Cars

Matti Johanson's 1957 Ford Ranchero
Matti Johanson's Second 1957 Ford Ranchero
Matti Johansson's 1956 Ford

Cars Restyled or Built by Matti Johansson

Lars-Erik Johansson's 1931 Ford Model A Roadster