From Sweden with Love
Sweden is a beautiful country. There’s no other way to put it. With its glistening lakes and vast forests, little red houses and wild animals, pretty flowers and kind hearted people - it’s nothing short of picture perfect.
When I moved here 13 years ago this was the sum of my knowledge. I knew nothing of Swedes’ love for classic cars then. I learned of their insatiable need to modify whatever falls into their hands, their enthusiasm to preserve what’s important, and most of all their frenzy about American culture.
You wouldn’t believe the amount of American cars in Hälsingland, the region where I live about 300km (roughly 190 miles) north of Stockholm. You wouldn’t expect a lot from the region north of river Dalälven which divides Sweden into Norrland and the rest. Residents from the north don’t travel southward unless they really have to. Only about 1 million of the 10 million people residing in Sweden live in Norrland or “real Sweden” as we call it here. A sensation similar to the southeast American “mountain pride”.
From my impression almost every third house has a stunning example of American car culture just casually parked on the lawn. There are Corvettes in all shapes and colours. Chevelles are really popular as well. Imagine a particular car from late middle 20th century America and you’ll probably find it at one of the numerous cruises going on every weekend and almost every weekday night in the major villages and towns during summer. The little town of Ljusdal with 7413 inhabitants according to Wikipedia has its very own American car dealer E&S Motor with more than 50 beauties standing and waiting for you at all times.
Over midsummer, we had visitors at the NCCR AB Headquarters. Naturally, we were looking for things to do and visit during their stay. Having known Sweden and Swedes for this long, I wasn’t really surprised when I heard about a 1960’s Gulf gas station in perfect condition in the middle of nowhere. With destination decided we drove in a convoy of Harley Davidsons (anything from shovel head to twin cam), one Suzuki and a VW beetle 1303S to bring the puppies. Once we had arrived we were pleasantly surprised. The oddball gas station is picturesquely located in a little valley called Långby. It certainly is in perfect condition, but mostly due to the fact that the actual building was built less than 10 years ago according to drawings from the Jamtli museum in Östersund, Sweden.
Having grown up in the 60’s, Kent Elmqvist spend the afternoons of his youth and young adulthood with his friends at gas stations just like this one. Kent felt like he wanted to preserve this feeling not only for himself and his peers, but also for the younger generations. He has not only built a faithful replica of a Gulf gas station with his own hands, he has also created a refuge for every nostalgia driven motor enthusiast.
Since its opening in 2015, this seemingly simple gas station has brought together people in all walks of life. Kent fondly remembers an older gentleman who walked passed the pumps and quietly shed a tear in remembrance of a time long passed.
All the pumps and signs, the telephone booth, the cash register, every little design element, even the Durex condom dispenser are all originals recovered, restored or found. Kent has found most of them on Blocket and Tradera (Swedish equivalents to Craigslist and EBay), but some things rather found him. Nice old oil tins or magazines have a habit of magically appearing in front of his garage.
Once on a drive, Kent recognized a familiar silhouette in a kindergarten’s playground. The children were actually using an old two stroke gas pump as a slide. After a fair amount of persuasion, the tank of the pump was dug up and the pump and tank were restored to their former glory for Kent’s station. Another of his pumps is actually not Swedish at all. The middle of the trio, a Tokheim Gulf pump, made its way from the US in 2005.
Years of collecting and building have paid off and resulted in this stunning preservation of an era that most Swedes cherish. Needless to say, our visitors had a great time taking pictures and are taking these memories with them back home. During summer, you can visit Kent’s gas station between noon and six pm. Being Swedish, you just give him a call and he’ll come down from his house to unlock the door and talk you through every detail. You can even preorder “fika” which is Swedish for coffee and a small bite. Just hang out, have an ice cream like Kent did 50 years ago.
