Hans Broberg and Kjell Gustad's Dragster

Photo courtesy of Fyndbörsen.se

The famous Mooneyes Dragster on display at Nordiska Kompaniet in Stockholm in 1961. Built on a Dragmaster kit chassis and powered by a Chevrolet small-block engine with a Potvin front-mounted supercharger, the car had previously run an 8.97 ET in the United States before going on a European tour sponsored by Revell and Wentzels Hobby. The appearance of the Mooneyes Dragster in Sweden left a deep impression on local hot rodders such as Hans Broberg and Kjell Gustad, inspiring them to build their own dragster shortly after. Photo from The Broberg Family Collection, courtesy of Lisa Broberg.

A photo of the dragster taken at an indoor car show. Photo from The Håkan Lindell Photo Collection.

A photo of the dragster as it appeared after Bo "Gamen" Sandberg had bought it. This photo was taken at the 1966 Masthugget Hot Rod Festival. Photo by Ryde Brundin, courtesy of Maths Pålsson.

Order from: Sweden - Norway - Rest of the world

Early Swedish dragster built by Kjell Gustad and Hans Broberg of Enskedefältet, Stockholm. Known among friends as “Sillarna,” the dragster is widely regarded as the first dragster in Sweden. Kjelle and Hasse constructed the car in their workshop in Skarpnäck after being inspired by the American hot rod scene and the arrival of the Mooneyes Dragster in Stockholm.

Inspiration

In 1961, Sweden saw a dragster for the first time, the famous Mooneyes Dragster, built on a Dragmaster kit chassis and powered by a Chevrolet small-block engine with a Potvin front-mounted supercharger. The car had previously run an 8.97 ET in the U.S. before touring Europe, sponsored by Revell and Wentzels Hobby. The Kasby brothers helped bring the dragster to Sweden, where it was displayed at the Nordiska Kompaniet department store. The event was a massive success and left a lasting impression on the young enthusiasts who saw it, including Hans and Kjell.

Deeply inspired, the two friends returned to their workshop in Skarpnäck, determined to build one of their own. They sourced pipes of various sizes and qualities, and an intense period of welding and fabrication began. A Ford side-valve V8 was first fitted into the handmade frame, but it was soon replaced by an Oldsmobile engine for more power.

Construction and Public Debut

The dragster first appeared publicly under construction at the “Sportvagnen & Vi” show in Marmorhallarna in 1963, displayed alongside a few English dragsters. After the show, the chassis and engine were painted red, and the car was prepared for testing. Early test drives took place on the roads around Enskedefältet and Vårflodsparken, much to the surprise (and apparent tolerance) of local residents who didn’t report the noise.

In 2015 CG Björk told Kustomrama that he remembered when a friend called "Lill-Pelle" was trying it out at the airfield at Skarpnäck; "We got in there without permission, and "Lill-Pelle" jumped into the dragster and started a burnout. A guard at the airfield came running, yelling that the car was on fire. We left, and the guard became furious."

Press Recognition and Record Run

Sweden’s first dragster attracted attention in the national motor press. In 1965, Gunnar Friberg of Teknikens Värld magazine made a feature story about the car, personally piloting it during a test session at an airfield in Norrköping to establish a Swedish E.T. and top-speed record for drag racing.

The Gamen Era

Later on, the dragster was sold without its engine to Bo “Gamen” Sandberg. Gamen repainted the car and installed a Buick Nailhead V8 that had previously powered Junken's 1932 Ford roadster. The engine was tuned to deliver just over 400 horsepower. CG Björk, who was present when Gamen picked up the car, recalled that Gamen asked to borrow the paint booth before the upcoming Hot Rod Show in Stockholm: "I remember that Gamen said that he wanted to borrow the paint box so he could add some flames for the show. He made it all within one hour. It was amazing to see it, he was extremely skillful."

Gamen’s version of the dragster was exhibited at the Hot Rod Show and later run in 1966 at an unofficial drag race outside Stockholm, held on the unfinished Enköpingsvägen. According to later accounts, the car was dismantled in 1968 at the Hot Rod Barn in Huddinge when Sweden’s first official drag race was run in Anderstorp. What happened to the remains of the dragster after that is unknown.

Magazine Features and Appearances

Teknikens Värld Nr 26 1965