Highway 37 Revisited
What unites Bob Dylan, the Greyhound Bus Line and the architect Frank Lloyd Wright with a 1966 Chevrolet Impala shipped to Per Svensson in Sweden? Not much, you say? Well, they have more in common than you might think.
After having visited forty-four states in the U.S, and bought over four hundred cars there, the country does not seem big anymore. Nowadays when different places are mentioned on the news they often sound familiar to me. It could be a town I passed through or visited in search of a classic car for a client. Hibbing in northern Minnesota is one of those remote locations that keeps attracting my attention. Clients often ask me where in the U.S. do I look for cars. Well, they can be found anywhere. There is no location
Anders Dahlgren started Door2Door CarBroker in 2004. The business concept is to assist Swedish buyers in finding their dream cars in the United States. Up till now Anders Dahlgren has purchased more than four-hundred cars in forty-four states for clients in Sweden and elsewhere.
Starting August, 2015 Anders Dahlgren will contribute to Usabil.nu and Worldkustom with roadside memories from his American encounters. With a father and grandfather who drove American cars you could say that Anders Dahlgren was destined to become a car buff.
The family travelled around Europe in several Ramblers, a 1964 Ford Country Sedan and a 1968 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, all station wagons. The American cars attracted attention in Europe long before they became classics. Anders ́ grandfather had a green 1955 Chevrolet 210, assembled in Stockholm. As a young boy
Anders dreamed about owning his
grandfather ́s Chevrolet one day. However, the
dream was shattered a December day in 1977
when the car was wrecked in an accident.
Luckily no one was injured but the car was
gone. In Swedish magazines Anders read
about importing cars from the US. And a few
months after the accident Anders had set his
mind on buying another Chevy from the US
and decided to visit a friend in Montgomery,
AL. In spring 1978 a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air became the first car he owned and also imported to Sweden. Anders Dahlgren currently owns four classics; a 1966 Pontiac Catalina Convertible, a 1957 Chrysler Saratoga with only 10,000 miles and a 1959 GMC pick-up, all imported from the United States. But the favorite car is a green Chevrolet Bel Air. It was discovered in a barn in the vicinity of the Stockholm International Airport and just like the family Chevy it was assembled at the GM plant in Stockholm. The deal was completed on April 17, 1994, the same day Anders' grandfather would have celebrated his ninety-fifth birth day, if still in life. The 1955 Chevy was commemorated on a Swedish stamp in 1997. Anders Dahlgren is a member of the Classic Chevy Club of Sweden and was the editor of the club magazine between 1998 and 2002. ¨ Mr. Dahlgren resides in Sollentuna, Sweden.
too remote to inspect and buy a car in, neither is shipping it an obstacle. When planning a vacation in the U.S., Hibbing might not be the first town that comes to mind unless you have relatives or business there. It is located more than 1,300 miles from the port on the east coast. Nevertheless, Hibbing is definitely worth a visit, especially for the Minnesota highways and if you are looking for a 1966 Impala. One person who came to Hibbing is Bob Dylan. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota, but grew up in Hibbing. Bob's classic album and song "Highway 61 Revisited" are inspired by Highway 61. It began in Duluth and took Bob to the American South. Blues from the beginning to the end of the road. Driving from Minneapolis to Hibbing makes you realize what inspired Bob and others to sing about roadside America. Although many things have changed since the classic album was recorded there is still