The Ola Olsson Photo Collection

Around 1971 Ola and a buddy went to the West Coast of Norway to hunt for old cars. The trip went from Hønefoss and over Hardanger. They figured that while many Swedish enthusiasts had been hunting old cars in the Eastern part of Norway, not so many had found their way to the West Coast. They met this Dodge in Grimstad on their way back home. Photo by Ola Olsson.

A group of cars that Ola and his buddy came across on their trip to the West Coast of Norway. Photo by Ola Olsson.

A four-door Lincoln that Ola came across on a junkyard close to Drammen circa 1971. Photo by Ola Olsson.

A Mercury coupe that Ola bought at an auto repair shop at Fjeldsgård in Finsland, Norway in the Easter of 1975. The auto repair shop was owned by Hans Aasland, and Ola remembers that he picked the car up on Easter Saturday; "The whole family helped me get the old car up on the road." Photo by Ola Olsson.

A 1941 Ford woodie wagon that Ola picked up in Ossdal, a little north of Kristiansand, in 1976. The owner gave Ola the car, and he even sent with him an extra engine and a radiator. He offered to tow the car up on the road with a tractor, so Ola gave him 100 NOK for the service. The seller was very satisfied with that, so he asked Ola in for a cup of coffee. In 2016 the woodie was back in Norway, awaiting a restoration. Photo by Ola Olsson.

A photo taken behind Jon Braathen's Gulf station in Minnesund, Norway in 1976. Photo by Ola Olsson.

Another photo from Jon Braathen's Gulf station in Minnesund taken in 1976. Photo by Ola Olsson.

Ola Olsson of Sweden. In 1964 Ola bought a stock 1936 Ford cabriolet. He took the car to Kanonloppet in Karlskoga, where he met several Norwegian hot rod enthusiasts. Ola remember that most of the Norwegian teenagers drove 1946 - 1948 Fords. One of those cars, a blue convertible, was packed with drunk Norwegians that shouted and made a terrible noise. Everyone were looking at these fellows as you could hear and see them from a long distance. Later on they were stopped by the police as they were so many people in the car. Ola also remembers a Norwegian youngster with a hand-painted red 1934 Ford 5-Window Coupe. The guy in the '34 brought his wife, he was nice, and Ola remember that his car was a right-hand drive. Two years later, on a vacation, Ola came across a red 1934 Ford 5-Window Coupe in a barn in Lillehammer, Norway. The owner wanted 250 NOK for the old car, but Ola had no money, and had to pass the offer.

In 1965 Ola went into the military in Stockholm. In Stockholm, he met several Swedish custom pioneers, such as Bo "Gamen" Sandberg. Bo showed Ola around town, and he met several of his friends. Ola was impressed by all the custom cars they had, but he was surprised that there weren't any more hot rods. From his trip, he remembers around 4 or 5 hot rods. Back home, Ola decided to hot rod his '36 Ford, and he began to install a 1955 Buick 322 engine in it. The project stalled when Ola started to study, and he ended up installing a 59AB flathead engine in the car instead.

In 1967 Ola started visiting Norway, looking for old American cars. He remember that at the time there was a major junkyard about 5 miles north of Oslo, where the highway ended. Placed in a valley,it was the biggest junkyard Ola had seen in Norway. It was about 200 x 200 metres filled with old cars. One area of the junkyard hosted Model T and Model A Fords. In 1970 the junkyard was gone. Ola remember that there were very little interest in old American made automobiles in Norway in the 1960s and 1970s. Ola bought several cars from Norway. As late as 1974 he bought a 1946 Ford Coupe for 1500 NOK. The car was running, and he drove it back home to Sweden.