Per Erik Olsen

Per Erik Olsen's 1933 Ford Tudor of Kongsvinger, Norway. The Danish-assembled Ford, originally powered by a four-cylinder engine, was found abandoned by the roadside in 1968 and became one of the early Norwegian hot rod projects inspired by American car culture. Per Erik joined Nor-Way Custom soon after and became part of the pioneering group of builders working to bring hot rodding to Norway in the late 1960s. Photo courtesy of Per Erik Olsen, from www.olsens.no.

In the late 1960s, Per Arne Knudsen of Oslo built one of Norway’s first hot rods, a 1934 Ford Convertible body mounted on a 1936 Ford frame and powered by a hopped-up Chevrolet 283 V8. In an effort to get Per Arne’s 1934 Ford approved for road use, the car was temporarily “sold” to fellow Nor-Way Customs member Per Erik Olsen in 1969, who lived in the countryside outside Oslo. Hoping that rural inspectors might be more lenient than the infamous Mr. Neslein in the city, Per Erik brought the car to Kongsvinger for inspection. “Here I was just trying to impress my future father-in-law as we took the real Hot Rod made by a friend of mine in Oslo for a spin,” he recalled. “This one really could spin!” Photo courtesy of Per Erik Olsen, from www.olsens.no.

Per Erik Olsen of Kongsvinger, Norway was an early hot rod and custom car enthusiast. Olsen was an early member of Nor-Way Custom, one of the first organized hot-rod clubs in Norway. In the late 1960s, he took part in one of the most significant attempts to have a home-built hot rod legally approved for Norwegian roads.

Early Interest in Hot Rods

Riding his 150 cc Vespa back to college one weekend in 1968, Per Erik spotted a 1933 Ford Tudor abandoned by the roadside. The car had thrown a connecting rod through the engine block on the way to a showing of Bonnie and Clyde. Per Erik bought the wreck and began dreaming of building his own custom street rod.

Through the previous owner, he discovered a growing community of Oslo enthusiasts who were passionate about American cars and hot rods. These enthusiasts soon became Nor-Way Custom, led by Per Arne Knudsen.

Nor-Way Custom and Per Arne Knudsen's 1934 Ford

When Nor-Way Custom was founded, Per Erik joined the ranks of young builders and dreamers meeting in garages, workshops, and even borrowed kindergartens near Ekeberg. “Some of the guys had girlfriends who worked there,” Per Erik remembered, “so there we were — grown men sitting on tiny toddler chairs, talking about V8s and horsepower.”

The club’s president, Per Arne Knudsen, had built a 1934 Ford Convertible body on a 1936 Ford frame powered by a hopped-up Chevrolet 283 V-8. It became one of the first genuine American-style hot rods in Norway, and the center of a now-legendary battle with the authorities.

The Kongsvinger Attempt

After Oslo’s vehicle-licensing department, led by the strict Mr. Neslein, refused to approve the car, Nor-Way Custom decided to try a creative workaround. The car was temporarily “sold” to Per Erik, who lived in Kongsvinger, far from the city inspectors. “We worked on it for a week trying to make it pass,” Per Erik recalled. “When the inspection sheet came back, every single box was marked negative. They wanted to make sure I wouldn’t bother to try again.”

Per Erik drove the Ford for three unforgettable days. The Kongsvinger attempt failed, but the event became a symbol of the challenges faced by Norwegian rodders during the 1960s, when official approval of home-built hot rods was virtually impossible.

After Nor-Way Custom

As members drifted in different directions, Per Erik moved away from cars and toward vintage motorcycles. “Some of us went racing, some went into bikes, and others kept the dream alive in other ways,” he said. “But it all started with Per Arne’s Ford.”

In 1973, he founded what would become the Norwegian Veteran Motorcycle Club, helping to establish the country’s classic motorcycle movement. While others from Nor-Way Custom went on to form the Early Ford V-8 Club of Norway or motorcycle clubs that evolved into the Bandidos MC, Per Erik kept his focus on preserving mechanical heritage through legal, road-worthy vintage machines.

Legacy

Per Erik Olsen’s recollections provide a rare firsthand look at Norway’s pioneering hot-rod scene — a time when enthusiasts fought bureaucracy and built culture from scratch. His experiences connect the country’s earliest hot rodders with later generations of builders and restorers who continued the fight to “Keep History Alive.”

Per Erik Olsen's Cars

Per Erik Olsen's 1933 Ford Tudor