Halvor Moland Spesial 1947

A photo of Halvor and his wife Ingeborg with their sporty special. The 1947 Halvor Moland Spesial represents a unique chapter in Norwegian automotive history. Conceived and constructed in the post-war period, this one-of-a-kind sports cabriolet designed and built by Halvor Moland in Bø i Telemark stands as a testament to innovation and craftsmanship. Photo courtesy of Gudmund Amundsen.

Halvor's original design for the car. Employing a 1927 Willys Overland Whippet frame and a BMW engine and drivetrain, Moland's creation was to become a beacon of automotive excellence. The design, inspired perhaps by the sleek lines of Alfa Romeo's 6C, featured an aerodynamically modern front and distinctive fender profiles reminiscent of BMW designs emerging in the 1950s. Photo courtesy of Gudmund Amundsen.

The Halvor Moland Special was built at MIL Auto at Bøgata 33. "All his life, Halvor had a fondness for elegant, fast, sporty, and compact cars," Gudmund noted. Moland's final automotive love was an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, a fitting tribute to his passion for refined engineering and design, as the founder of Bø Auto in 1959. Photo courtesy of Gudmund Amundsen.

A photo of Halvor with two employees at MIL Auto taken in 1947. Halvor is the fellow to the left in the photo. Photo courtesy of Gudmund Amundsen.

The construction of the Moland Special was a testament to Moland's mastery over metal. With no existing photographs of the build, the tales of those who witnessed the car's creation are invaluable. Tormod Roalkvam and his twin brother Kjell, at the tender age of 14, often visited MIL Auto to watch and assist Moland. "Especially impressed were they over how Moland formed fenders, front pieces, and other body parts out of flat metal sheets using an English wheel," Gudmund recalled from Roalkvam's accounts. The car's sleek body and intricate details were born from Moland's skilled hands and a clear vision of automotive artistry. Photo courtesy of Gudmund Amundsen.

"Gudmund, you should have seen the fine sports car that Halvor Moland built in 1947 and for which I made the radiator." These words, recounted by Gudmund Amundsen, first alerted him in 1973 to the existence of the 1947 Halvor Moland Spesial. More than thirty years would pass before Gudmund received new information about this special car. "But then one spring day, the well-known fellow villager Arve Egenæs stops by my office and tells me that he has some pictures that will surely interest me and that these are of the car that Halvor Moland built right after the war at MIL Auto." The interest in finding out more about this car was now truly awakened for Gudmund. During his research, Gudmund came across this paperwork from Notodden Trafikkstasjon that documents that H 9719 was sold to Nord Møre on 12.10.1948. Photo courtesy of Gudmund Amundsen.

Registration documents on the Halvor Moland Special. Owned by Per Torkildsen of Vestnes, the car was now running T 8210 license plates. Photo courtesy of Gudmund Amundsen.

In the spring of 2018, Paul Hofseth, alongside his brother and a friend, ventured to find what was left of the Moland Special. Their expedition led them to Vatnefjorden and Hofseth, where they found metal scraps, the final tangible pieces of the long-lost Halvor Moland Special. It's likely that the car was dismantled, and whatever couldn't be used was thrown into this pile down by the sea. Photo courtesy of Gudmund Amundsen.

The Halvor Moland Special is more than a car; it's a symbol of post-war resilience and creativity. It reflects the spirit of an era and the passion of an individual. While the physical car may no longer exist, its story continues to inspire and captivate those who appreciate the art of automotive craftsmanship. "After the war, there was a shortage of almost everything, and Halvor had to make do with both design and technical solutions that he could have possibly done differently today with sufficient resources. With the knowledge that we have about Halvor and his creativity, it would be natural for us to call the sports cabriolet that he would design today the HM-Spesial 1947 MK 2," Gudmund explains while sharing a drawing of a car he has designed as a tribute to Halvor and his Moland Special. Photo courtesy of Gudmund Amundsen.

The 1947 Halvor Moland Spesial represents a unique chapter in Norwegian automotive history. Conceived and constructed in the post-war period, this one-of-a-kind sports cabriolet designed and built by Halvor Moland in Bø i Telemark stands as a testament to innovation and craftsmanship.

Gudmund Amundsen and the Hunt for a Local Legend

"Gudmund, you should have seen the fine sports car that Halvor Moland built in 1947 and for which I made the radiator." These words, recounted by Gudmund Amundsen, first alerted him in 1973 to the existence of the 1947 Halvor Moland Spesial. Amundsen had just turned 18 years old and bought his first car, which turned out to have a leaky radiator. Fortunately, professional help was not far away, as his neighbor, Hans Myrha, was a tinsmith and a virtuoso with the soldering iron. While Myrha was working on Gudmund's radiator, he told him about the car that had been crafted in Bø i Telemark just after World War II. The sports cabriolet was the brainchild of Halvor Moland, a man whose passion for automobiles knew no bounds.

The Artisan and His Creation

Halvor Moland, an esteemed figure in Bø i Telemark, embarked on creating the Special with a vision of elegance and performance. Employing a 1927 Willys Overland Whippet frame and a BMW engine and drivetrain, Moland's creation was to become a beacon of automotive excellence. The design, inspired perhaps by the sleek lines of an Alfa Romeo 6C, featured an aerodynamically modern front and distinctive fender profiles reminiscent of BMW designs emerging in the 1950s.

Craftsmanship Unveiled: The Build Process

The construction of the Moland Special was a testament to Moland's mastery over metal. With no existing photographs of the build, the tales of those who witnessed the car's creation are invaluable. More than thirty years would pass before Gudmund received new information about this special car. "But then one spring day, the well-known fellow villager Arve Egenæs stops by my office and tells me that he has some pictures that will surely interest me and that these are of the car that Halvor Moland built right after the war at MIL Auto." The interest in finding out more about this car was now truly awakened for Gudmund. "Once again, a few years would pass before I received more concrete and interesting factual information about the car built in Bøgata, which I choose to call the HM-Spesial 1947." This time, it's the retired civil engineer Tormod Roalkvam who can tell that he and his twin brother Kjell, who were 14 years old at the time, would go to MIL Auto in the evenings and "assist" Halvor when he built the car. "Especially impressed were they over how Moland formed fenders, front pieces, and other body parts out of flat metal sheets using an English wheel," Gudmund recalled from Roalkvam's accounts. The car's sleek body and intricate details were born from Moland's skilled hands and a clear vision of automotive artistry.

The Legacy and Its Journey

After its completion, the Special began a journey through various owners. In October 1948, it was sold to a veterinarian in Bø i Telemark who was moving back to Vestnes in Nord Møre, marking the beginning of its life beyond Moland's workshop. The car then got registration number T8210 and was listed on the vehicle registration card with the factory brand Overland Whippet. Veterinarian Per Torkildsen had the car until June 1952. Over the next few years, the car changed owners several times and was sold on September 28, 1955, to Otto Hofseth in Vegsund. According to information from his sons, he used the Whippet until 1958 when it was replaced with another car. The Moland Special was then purchased or taken over by Alfred Hofseth, who was too young to drive at the time. For this reason, the car was rolled into the family's barn for storage and remained there for a couple of years.

Bjørn Sjøholt is a well-known "car man" in Sunnmøre and has been a nestor in the Storfjorden Automobil Klubb for many years. In his younger days, before his interest in vintage cars came about, he was involved with fast speedboats and had heard that at Hofseth there was a car with a six-cylinder BMW engine that could probably be used as a boat engine. In 1959 or 1960, the Moland Special was rolled out of the barn, and Sjøholt took out the engine and left with it. He clearly remembered that the car was built on an Overland Whippet frame and could tell Gudmund that it was a sports cabriolet. A couple of years later, Bjørn was at the neighboring farm to pick up a T-Ford and could no longer see any sign of the sports cabriolet at Hofseth.

The Search for Remnants

Decades later, the allure of the Halvor Moland Special prompted a quest to uncover its remains. In 2018, Paul Hofseth, alongside his brother and a friend, ventured to find what was left of this legendary vehicle. Their expedition led them to Vatnefjorden and Hofseth, where they found metal scraps, the final tangible pieces of the Halvor Moland Special story. It's likely that the car was dismantled, and whatever couldn't be used was thrown into the pile down by the sea.

Halvor Moland: The Man Behind the Wheel

Halvor Moland's life was one of dedication to the automotive world. "All his life, Halvor had a fondness for elegant, fast, sporty, and compact cars," Gudmund noted. Moland's final automotive love was an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, a fitting tribute to his passion for refined engineering and design, as the founder of Bø Auto in 1959, Moland's influence and legacy in the automotive world continued long after the Special left his hands in 1948.

In Conclusion

The Halvor Moland Special is more than a car; it's a symbol of post-war resilience and creativity. It reflects the spirit of an era and the passion of an individual. While the physical car may no longer exist, its story continues to inspire and captivate those who appreciate the art of automotive craftsmanship.