My last summer as a street racer came to be a real roller coaster. Back in Norrtull, it started with driving away from a -71 Challenger with 383 six-packs. The owner said he missed a gear change. Among the notes, it states that it was a bad start for myself.
This was followed by a famous race in Norrtull where the Professor was finally publicly run-off.
The story spread throughout the land,
That I had been beaten by a faster hand…
In a way, it came down to failing in one’s own grip against a Pantera. Johan Wallenborg, who did not belong to the ordinary guys at the liar’s bench, had bought himself a really nimble car with an estimated 13 seconds capacity. Although the start felt a bit weak (maybe just in my mind), the Pantera was clear in the rearview mirror when we reached the hill where everyone normally turned off. My newfound opponent was obviously not of the same opinion, but steamed past and calmed down only after almost a kilometer with a rather wild slalom through over-taken traffic. While disappointing, it was just about accepting a loss. If nothing else, history gave the lesson to always anchor the distance before claiming a race.
The next opponent was a turbo-tuned (maybe someone remembers Accel’s early kit) small block -71 Camaro that seemed to work quite well. That car still fell behind.
After that race, a challenge came from a real wild ‘brain’ on two wheels. Lonny had excelled with his tuned Suzuki 1000 cc and the stories of police hunts and other things were colorful. This was probably about a 12.0 or faster bike, but on the street anything can happen, right? The Silver Gray came barely a meter off the mark before the now reinforced differential suddenly exploded. Another lost race and, for the second time, a journey home with roadside recovery.
The repair this time included new parts to give additional reinforcement of the differential housing with some custom solutions.
Back on the street, I was again challenged by a bike. This guy had a -69 Honda CBX 1000 and we uncharacteristically raced on Årstalänken, which for me was the first and only time. In the 80’s, we would see many dramatic street races on this stretch. The feeling of falling behind and slowly, slowly seeing my opponent stretch the distance was completely new. The experience gave the impression that it went very slowly until it was time to turn off and only then did the feeling of speed come back like a jolt pulling one back to reality. Later that night, we had a developing conversation where the bike guy finally proposed whether it was possible to make The Silver Gray go any faster. It was, of course, entirely possible. But, admittedly and regrettably, it required a better and hungrier talent behind the wheel. But, in my mind, it was like adding insult to injury.
After losing twice in a row, the next attempt would not end as planned either. One of the major street race profiles from the city Borlänge, Jöran Persåker, appeared in the capital. In time, he would change the street scene by starting the famous street race Stockholm Open and becoming a name that everyone knows. His yellow -69 Plymouth GTX with 440 and manual transmission looked very fast with scoop, decals and rear tires that really filled up. The place where we were to meet was Örbyleden and it was quite late. The section of this traffic route is a bit tricky because after the “finish” comes a slightly obscured bend. The actual run ended with a win, but after the bend, the surprise awaited: the law. We were placed in a back seat of an unmarked police car, scolded and told that the driving licenses would be revoked for a long time. In any case, a rather heated conversation soon developed about, among other things, the status of our cars especially Jörans. For a moment, it became really physical between him and one of the policemen in the front seat. Personally, I thought mostly about what would happen to my future career as a taxi driver.
Eventually, everyone calmed down as the scene unexpectedly changed shape. Of course, many (probably more than 50 people) who watched the race wondered what happened when we didn’t return. Quite logically, they drove forward and soon there was a ring of curious people who wanted to see the show in the police car. When the officers became aware of the crowd, they panicked and threw themselves on the radio. The call “colleague at a disadvantage” resulted in something surreal. In a few minutes, the relatively calm night was torn up by sirens and blue lights in the sky were reflected from all directions. Several police patrols, including a picket force, arrived almost simultaneously while the gang of curious spectators calmly stepped aside. Questions from the police colleagues were, of course, very embarrassing for them: nothing had happened. When everyone calmed down, we got our driver’s licenses back, followed by something like, “disappear and do not do it again!” The moment I got my license, a memorable remark was made by one of the officers in question: “We know you, at least you’re serious!” Maybe it was time to retire?
My participation in the magazine Bilsport’s initiative “Street SM 1981” in Mora was the end of my career. It was the second time I was involved in daytime racing and the first time to be drawn in a ladder.
In the class of Street Tires, there was an impressive 57 car-strong starting field from all over the country. Only eight chose to race with slicks, which gives a picture of what street racing looked like back then. The competition distance was somewhat oddly set to 250 meters after a decision by the Motorsport Association.
Before the actual competition began, there was the opportunity for test driving. I came for the second time to drive against Janne Lundin’s Midnight Blower Amazon, which quickly fell behind. According to information, he had some problems with the car.
The second test was driven against Göran Persåker’s -69 GTX. This time with open headers, but still losing. Shortly afterwards, a funny thing occurred that was etched in my memory. Before the competition started, I stood and talked to someone some distance from the car. Then a couple of young guys came forward to take a closer look and one of them exclaimed, “I thought it was nice!” Pictures in newspapers are seductive and I had on a few occasions refused to exhibit considering the car’s, shall we say, business-like finish. The silver lacquer had been sprayed outdoors in parts with a borrowed, very simple paint sprayer. The result was not very good especially when the neighbor simultaneously burned garbage in an old oil barrel.
After the encouraging comment, it was time to start the competition. The first race was against a rather radically built Opel GT with nitrous oxide tuned 350 Chevy engine. Despite a wild look, it was not enough against The Silver Gray.
The next opponent was Hazze Lindholm with the fantastically discreet light blue -71 VW 1302. The construction can probably be considered one of the more different street cars I have ever encountered. The machine was professionally built with tube frame, front-mounted nitrous oxide tuned 327, Ford nine-inch rear axle suspended in ladder bars and the driver in the rear seat. It seemed to be purpose-built to kill everything on the street. But, despite some large-scale statements in newspaper reports, Hazze also lagged behind.
In the next round, it was time to take on another -71 Charger 440 with a respectable high rise intake, double four barrels and 4.88 rear. In the round before ours, the Charger had beaten the Pantera that in turn had previously beaten me in Norrtull. Interesting, how it can all work out. But, the Charger pulled the shortest straw in the run against The Silver Gray.
Unfortunately, by this time, I had problems. Since overhauling the gearbox and clutch in the middle of the summer, the car had gone around ten runs. The clutch began to chop and thus the smooth starts disappeared. The plan for the round of 16 was to try to save what was left of the performance. The next opponent, Hasse Lundström’s -71 Camaro with 427th did not feel unbeatable and the idea was to try starting from idle. But then the clutch bit so hard that the engine almost stopped. A new attempt was enough to almost catch up and then miss a gear change for the first time in my career. Thus, it was only to accept the loss against a somewhat surprised Camaro owner. My hopes of eventually winning in semi and then meeting Mats Backlund’s very well-developed Corvette (previously owned by Tony) in the final disappeared. That car won the race and had most likely also killed The Silver Gray. The combination of Corvette, strong big block, high rear axle gear ratio (4.88) and the new grip-friendly M&H street tires became style-forming on the street in the coming years.
During unloading from a truck after returning from Mora, the clutch release bearing broke into parts and the engine had partially shaken loose in its mounts. When it was taken apart for the winter, there were both cracked piston rings, damaged valve guides and a worn-down cam. The differential also showed damage.
Looking in the rearview mirror, I should have had the car in better shape before the competition in Mora. Especially since the stopwatch at the last timing showed a worse time and the engine had started to smoke oil. But, after five racing seasons and countless hours in the garage, a certain saturation had arisen.
One month after the competition, I got married and we were expecting our first child. Life entered a new phase even though the plans for Karmann Ghia were still there. A couple of years later, it was actually approved with the engine and transmission transferred from The Silver Gray. The harsh reality, however, was that the Ghia was a half-hearted seafarer and successor in comparison to others in her class. Progress on the street racing scene had continued with much faster cars. What used to be mostly about talking late nights and racing just for the fun, street racing had developed into stalwart seriousness and goal-oriented competing on slicks with a 10-second car, or even faster. The Karmann Ghia was duly mothballed until the 2000s when a slow renovation began.
Finally, someone might wonder what ever happened to The Silver Grey. Except for the drivetrain, some other parts and the engine lid, the main bulk of the beloved racer was sold on with a tuned VW 1600 engine. Eventually, new enthusiasts took over and acquired, among other things, a Corvair engine. Today, the car sits in storage far up in the North of Sweden while parts are gathered for an ambitious plan to restore it to its former glory.
Before it’s time to round off this tale, a little story worth telling pops up. It is about the drag racing team Redin and Hermansson from Borlänge with the nine second Hemi Dodge Dart. They were colorful guys that have given rise to many stories. For example, the driver Hermansson is said to be ‘faster than time’ itself: the only drag racer who started a thousandth too early and didn’t get a red light.
Earlier, I thought this story was partly about me, but it apparently all took place after my career ended. Anyway, the guys went all the way from Borlänge with the plan to challenge Stockholm’s fastest street racer. The race car was reportedly stuck behind an old Volvo for the 200 kilometer journey to the capital and Norrtull, which was a coincidental feat in and of itself.
Once there, the matter of the desire to race Stockholm’s fastest was explained and someone had to borrow the phone from the gas station and called for Mats Backlund with the Corvette. How did it end? Well, the Corvette took off like lightning while the Dart burned up street tires in a cloud of smoke. Why brought racing slicks never came into place does not tell the story and it was a long tow back home.
Anyone who has read all this has gained an insight into my memories while other people’s versions are sure to spin on. A big thanks must go to those who made the project possible. Nicklas who lent an address and server location, Anna who edited, and like Maria and Stefan, gave life to damaged, pitch-black images and everyone else who contributed from their image collections.
Before I end, just a small and final appeal: Do you have any pictures of your own that belong to this context? Please email them, if you want to share.
Thanks for your interest.
