Sixten Persson's 1932 Ford 4 Door Sedan - Black Power

The frame is blastered and in primer. Photo by Arne Pontán

Photo by Arne Pontán

At the first Hot Rod Show 1967

Photo by Arne Pontán

Sixten at work. Photo by Arne Pontán

Inspection protocol from 1968.

At Hot Rod Show 1969. Photo by Arne Pontán

Photo from Colorod 1/1970

At Street rod nats year 2000

New name

2014

Gunnar at the car

In Gunnars garage with his 92 years old mother-in-law, she is also a big car enthusiast!

Photo from 2022 by Mats Wallander

1932 Ford 4 Door Sedan owned and built by Sixten Persson from Handen south of Stockholm, Sweden. BA257. OOR665.

Hot Rod Center

In the mid-60s, Sixten, the owner of Hot Rod Center in Handen, embarked on a project to build a hot rod. As one of the first shops in Sweden dedicated to hot rod and custom parts, Sixten saw this build as a way to both promote his shop and have some fun experimenting with the products he sold. He found the car through an ad in the local newspaper.

Renovation and modification

A full story of the building of the car (written by Sixten and his partner Stig Brohlén) was featured in Start & Speed no. 5/1969.
The article took form as a "How-to-build-a-Hotrod" instruction for the readers, trying to get more people to start do something similar.
Arne Pontán, himself a customer at Hot Rod Center took the photos.

The frame was blastered and modified for automatic transmission and engine mounts for Chevy smallblock.

Sixten used a 1958 Chevrolet 283 ci equipped with Duntov 310 camshaft, Scintilla magneto and an Edelbrock manifold with dual 4port carbs.
The headers were handmade by Sixten and painted white. Powerglide transmission also from Chevrolet.

The front end is an I-beam with split wishbone. Rear axle were updated to one with hydraulic brakes from a Lincoln 1947.
The same brakes are used even on the front wheels.
A 1957 Ford truck contributed with a steering box, with less play than the original.

The wheels got chromed and equipped with 6.40x15 tires.

The fabric roof were replaced with blue plexiglass giving a very special blue light over the interior.
Sixtens wife helped him with the sewing machine to finish the panels.

Sixten painted the car himself in gloss black. The name of the car was "Black Power". Maybe inspired by the movement in USA?

The total cost ended at 7 500 SEK.

To Show and Go

The car was first shown at Hot Rod Show April 1967 Marmorhallarna and later at Hot Rod Show April 1969 Marmorhallarna.

It was a lot of driving the summer of 1969 but the car was put away in a barn next year, probably because of the new regulations in 1970.

Gunnar sent a copy of the car inspection protocol from July 24 1968 with demands for a new control a month later. This was probably never done.

Reborned and kicking

In 1991, new owners at last succeded to properly register and license the car! Thanks to SFRO and new regulations 1983.
In 1994, Christian Sjöström in Hägersten is the owner for a short while, until present owner Gunnar Lindström from Ärla buys it.

Gunnar has since then gradually done a very fine overhaul of the car keeping the historic touch.
The transmission is changed to a TH700 and the front end a bit lower.
The scallops on the front fenders were inspired by Ed Roth's car "Little Jewel", built in 1959 and featured in several magazines. Ed_Roth's 1930 Ford

Gunnar also changed the name of the car to "Hot Rod Boogie" from an old '60s song.
Pekka Mannermaa did the nice striping and texting for Gunnar.
All the work took about 4 years and Gunnar could proudly show his historic Hot Rod at car meetings!

We are happy that this car is still alive out there!

Ownership history

1963-_-Norway. Gunnar is trying to find the first owners in Norway.

1964-_-_ unknown person in Stockholm. Took the car to Sweden as junk, the frame was cut. No registration papers included.

1965-01-_ Bo Lagerholm in Sollentuna buys the car for 300 kr. Got the frame welded together.

1965-02-20 Sixten Persson buys the car for 1000 kr. Together with Stig Brohlén they built the Hot Rod ”Black Power”. Registered and controlled in Jordbro 24 juli 1968 with seven remarks. The car is registered with a chassis number that is stamped on an aluminium plate 60x60 mm, located on left door body panel. After the frame been blasted and cleaned, the real chassis number was found on three different places! It shows it was a B-Ford with 4-cylinder engine.

1969 -_-_Bert Lehnberg (Jansson). He kept the engine and transmission for himself. Sold the rest to: .

1970-__-__Robert Hammarström, who had it in a barn in Bollmora. Later the car was moved to Tyresö gård.

1990-03-12 Erik ”El-Anders” Strömberg buys it. He mounted a 283 ci V8 with Corvette-heads and Powerglide transmission. Succeeded to get the car approved using a copy of the original registration papers from 1968.

1991-10-04 The car goes to Leif Westin, member of the Wishbones club. He traded the Ford (regretfully) for a Corvette with car dealer Robert Aftén.

1993-09-23 New owner=Otto Huszti using a box address! This was a dummy identity that Robert used. The car was advertised in Wheels Magazine Dec 1993.

1994-02-21 Christian Sjöström. He was a friend of Aftén. The car was for sale in a SAAB store. Gunnar saw the car for the first time. The price was 100 000 kr, but he gave them an offer of 80 000 that was accepted! The car was driven home to Ärla.

since 1994-03-15 Gunnar Lindström. In the garage there is painted on the wall: ” ”Home of the one and only HOT ROD Boogie”, the new name of the car!