Roland Larsson's 1932 Ford Roadster

The roadster as it appeared in 1950, photographed in Värmland before it was sold to Torsten Manby of Karlstad. This image was later provided to Leif Hultdin, who acquired the historic hot rod in 1996, by an older gentleman who recognized the car from his family’s photo collection. The car had belonged to some relatives of him before Torsten bought it. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

When Leif Hultdin bought the roadster, it came with a lot of paperwork and old receipts dating back to when Rustan Haeger owned it. Haeger owned the car from 1953 to 1958. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

A September 1954 invoice from Bilfirma Harry Est in Karlstad, documenting Rustan Haeger’s upgrade to hydraulic brakes from a 1948 Ford. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Nineteen-year-old Roland Larsson with his newly acquired roadster in the summer of 1958. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

The engine as it appeared when Roland acquired the roadster, featuring a homemade dual-carburetor intake manifold attributed to Gunnar Berger of Norway, twin Stromberg carburetors, and a Scintilla magneto distributor. Torsten Manby and Folke Carlen raced this setup in the Nordiska Specialvagnsklassen in 1952. The chromed air cleaners were added by Roland after his short stay in San Francisco in 1958. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

A lineup of early Swedish hot rods on their way to Kanonloppet in Karlskoga in 1959. In the front row, from right to left, are Lennart Djurberg's 1932 Ford roadster, Janne Eriksson's 1932 Ford Ford roadster, and Roland's roadster. In the back row, from right to left, are Peter Billing's brother’s 1930 Ford Model A Roadster, Peder Lundgren's Ford Model A Roadster, and Peter Billing's 1932 Ford Cabriolet. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Roland’s roadster parked alongside Peter Billing's 1932 Ford Cabriolet and Peder Lundgren's Ford Model A Roadster. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Roland’s roadster in the summer of 1959, with the running boards and front fenders removed and the rear fenders bobbed. This marked the first stage of its transformation into one of Sweden’s earliest channeled hot rods. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

By late summer 1959, Roland had added motorcycle-style front fenders, repurposed from 1936 Ford spare-tire rings, and the Moon discs he purchased in San Francisco in 1958. Note the Moon and Mobil “flying horse” stickers on the firewall, reflecting American hot-rodding influences. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Roland’s roadster drawing attention at the 1959 Kanonloppet in Karlskoga. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

In the autumn of 1959, inspired by Hot Rod Magazine, Roland began converting the roadster into a fully channeled hot rod. Here, he is cutting out the floor in preparation for lowering the body over the frame. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

In this photo, Roland measures the firewall to determine how much he needs to remove for the channeling process. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Roland lowered the body eight inches over the frame, creating the distinctive low-slung profile that defined this pioneering Swedish hot rod. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Order from: Sweden - Norway - Rest of the world

Roland’s Roadster side by side with Peder Lundgren's channeled Model A. These two are widely considered among the very first channeled hot rods in Sweden. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

A rolled rear pan routed the exhaust, and the license plate was neatly recessed. A pair of 1954 Ford taillights was installed, with the large reflectors included to meet legal requirements. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Another Swedish hot rod pioneer, Bo "Gamen" Sandberg (on the right), admiring Roland’s roadster, which by then featured a 1954 Ford steering wheel and 1946 Mercury gauges. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Roland enjoying a vacation on Sweden’s west coast in his roadster, now sporting a hood as the next step in its evolving hot rod style. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Mats Lindahl with the roadster in the summer of 1965, after Roland had sold it to Hans-Erik Larsson. Photo courtesy of Norrlands Motorhistoriker.

The roadster as it appeared when it was featured in the "Axat & Saxat" section of Wheels Magazine Oktober 1982. According to the story, Hans Erik Larsson, who still lived in Stockholm took the car out for a little spin each summer. It had been 12 years since it last was driven legally though. Notice the blackwall-tires and 1947 Ford steelies. Photo courtesy of Wheels Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Wheels Magazine.

Roland's old roadster as it sat while Hans-Erik Larsson owned it. These photos were taken by Leif Hultdin before he bought the car. Notice the whitewall-tires and wire wheels, Leif sold these to Hans-Erik. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

After buying the roadster in 1996, Leif Hutdin went over the engine and replaced a rod-bearing. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Roland's old roadster back on the road again in 1996. Leif decided to swap Roland's old Moon discs with a set of 1947 Ford hubcaps. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

In 1998, Lennart Djurberg built a new engine for the roadster. The new engine was fit with Eddie Meyer heads and intake, bigger valves and an Iskenderian camshaft. The old Scintilla magneto distributor was kept. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Roland reunited with his old roadster in 1999, 35 years after he sold it. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

After visiting Roland with the roadster, Hultdin got boxes of old Hot Rod Magazines from Roland. Amongst those magazines was an old Moon catalog from Brödrerna Kasby Bilversktad in Älvsjö. These two brothers, Bosse and Ove were amongst the first in Sweden to import parts from the United States. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Amongst the magazines were also some Ardun OHV sales brochures. Maybe Roland was playing around with the idea of installing a set of Ardun heads on the roadster? Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Leif's roadster on the cover of Gasoline Magazine September/Oktober 2011.

This rare intake, was bought from Gunnar Berger of Norway was installed on the car when Roland bought the car from Rustan Haeger. It is believed that Gunnar made the intake himself. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Roland installed a 1954 Ford steering wheel in the roadster. The gauges were taken from a 1946 Mercury. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

1932 Ford Roadster owned and built by Roland Larsson of Hammarö, Sweden. The Roadster stands as one of Sweden’s pioneering hot rods. Originally sold as a 1933 Ford, its storied history spans legendary modifications, daring races, and a succession of passionate owners who each added their own touch. From its early days with dual Stromberg carburetors to its groundbreaking channeled transformation, this classic car not only revolutionized Swedish hot rodding but also continues to captivate enthusiasts with its rich legacy and enduring charm.

Early Years

Although the car was built in 1932, it was sold new in Sweden in 1933 and is therefore registered as a 1933 Ford. In 1958, Roland Larsson acquired the 25‐year-old roadster from Rustan Haeger, a resident of Karlstad and Stockholm who famously drove the car year-round—often wrapped in a wolf fur coat during the winter. Notably, Swedish hot rod pioneer Lennart Djurberg recalled seeing the roadster in 1953, where he was impressed by its two Stromberg carburetors and the Scintilla magneto visible through the hood vents. According to paperwork accompanying the car, when Leif Hultdin became its owner in 1996, the engine had already been boosted to 130 horsepower by 1950.

Racing Preparations and Modifications

In the spring of 1952, the roadster was purchased by Torsten Manby of Karlstad. With assistance from Folke Carlen, Manby prepared the car for racing in the open car class of the Nordiska Specialvagner race. A rare, homemade dual-carb intake manifold, believed to have been crafted by Gunnar Berger from Norway, was installed, along with shaved valve heads and an increased compression ratio of 10:1. Running on Bentyl, the car was reputed to produce about 150 horsepower at 5000 rpm.

By August 1954, Haeger had taken the roadster to Bilfirma Harry Est in Karlstad, where significant modifications were made. The installation of hydraulic brakes from a 1948 Ford was combined with an overhaul of the transmission, straightening of the front axle, and the fitting of a new windshield. Ready for delivery by September 23, 1954, the car later received NOS fenders from the local Ford dealer. It was then repainted light grey with contrasting dark grey fenders. Despite these extensive modifications, Haeger’s paperwork confirms that the original engine remained—albeit upgraded with a 1936 Ford camshaft, Scintilla magneto, aluminum heads, a 1948 Ford transmission and brakes, hydraulic Gabriel shocks, Marshall lights, and three signal horns, among other features.

Transformation Into a Hot Rod

On November 6, 1958, after acquiring the roadster from Haeger, Roland Larsson set off for San Francisco with HMS Älvsnabben during his military service in the Swedish navy. In San Francisco, he purchased two chromed air cleaners and a set of Moon discs to enhance his roadster project. Returning to Sweden on April 4, 1959, Roland initially drove the car in its original configuration. However, modifications soon followed: the front fenders and running boards were removed, and summer photographs from 1959 show the car with bobbed rear fenders. Later that summer, motorcycle-type fenders, crafted from 1936 Ford spare-tire rings, were installed at the front.

In the autumn of 1959, Roland dismantled the car to transform it into a fully channeled hot rod inspired by examples in Hot Rod Magazine. After lifting the body off the frame, he cut out the floor and lowered the body by 8 inches. The gas tank was relocated to the trunk, and a rolled-rear pan was installed where the tank had been, allowing the exhaust to be rerouted through the new pan. The bobbed rear fenders were then molded directly to the body, a recessed license plate was added, and a pair of 1954 Ford taillights were installed. The windshield was chopped about the height of a matchstick box, and inside the car, Roland fitted a 1954 Ford steering wheel and a set of 1946 Mercury gauges. Although the original 1932 engine block cracked due to a water freeze, forcing him to replace it with a block from a 1934 Ford, the completed build, finished in the spring of 1960, secured the car’s place in history as one of the first, if not the first, channeled hot rods in Sweden. During this period, Roland worked for a company in Solna, Stockholm, and became an active member of the local hot rod gang, frequently racing and taking trips with fellow enthusiasts.

Change of Ownership and Restoration

In 1964, Roland sold the roadster to Hans-Erik Larsson of Stockholm. The following year, Larsson brought the car to Skellefteå to attend Guldruschen and subsequently stored it in a warm garage at his grandparents’ home. In 1978, Leif Hultdin from Skellefteå spotted a photo of the iconic hot rod and contacted Hans-Erik with an offer to purchase it. Although Larsson initially intended to pass the car on to his son, his friendship with Hultdin eventually led to a change of plans. In 1996, with his son’s interests elsewhere, Hans-Erik sold the roadster to Hultdin, who became the proud owner of one of Sweden’s pioneering hot rods on May 27, 1996.

That same year, on July 16, after replacing the brakes, tires, and a rod-bearing, the roadster passed inspection and received a new set of Swedish license plates. Hultdin also replaced the original red wire wheels with the car’s original 1947 Ford steel wheels and swapped Roland’s Moon discs for a set of 1947 Ford hubcaps. Two years later, in 1998, when the engine required a rebuild, Hultdin enlisted Roland’s old friend, Lennart Djurberg, to construct a new engine based on a 1936 Ford block. This new engine featured Eddie Meyer heads and intake, larger valves, and an Iskenderian camshaft, while retaining the original Scintilla magneto distributor. The roadster’s renown was further cemented in 2011 when it graced the cover of Gasoline Magazine September/Oktober 2011, sporting 5.50x16 whitewall tires on the front and 6.00x16 whitewall tires on the rear.

Legacy and Recent History

On October 31, 2011, Hultdin listed Roland’s legendary roadster for sale on the SSRA Forum with an asking price of 400,000 SEK. Since 2014, the car has been owned by Jan-Olof Ödahl in Höganäs, who actively drove it, including taking it to Pendine, England for racing events, and featured it in the film Pionjärerna by DeOn Productions. As Jan-Olof’s collection of classic cars grew and preparations for a move to a new house in Skåne began, the roadster was eventually put up for sale again.

In 2024, the car changed hands once more when Anders Åslund of Linköping purchased it. Anders had previously admired the roadster at the Gasoline event in Grängesberg and expressed his interest to Jan-Olof, thus continuing the car’s rich legacy.

Magazine Features and Appearances

Wheels Magazine Oktober 1982
Gasoline Magazine September/Oktober 2011