Höckenström. One of the ones in pursuit of happiness was the locomotive driver Lars Höckenström in Bollnas that started making the car Höckenström. You would know the car was home made by a farmer. Every bolt and screw in this two cylinder homemade engine had its own pattern that only fit in its own place. The engine only had a few hp and the buyers were not impressed by the performance. Horse and wagon actually turned out to be a faster way to travel.
Halsingland-Detroit of Sweden
By Jan Silén. Translation Ellen Kay Krantz.
I thought Sweden only made cars like Volvo and SAAB, but I was so wrong. In the beginning of the 20th century there were many more car models produced in Sweden.
Many car makers searched for luck in this country just like inUSA but very few actually found it. The makers failed because of lack of financing, lack of quality in their products and bad performance outcomes. Who would want to buy a noisy horse wagon with an engine that you had to jump off and push uphill? During this time there were even political forces that wanted to ban cars because of disturbing noise.
"I thought Sweden only made cars like Volvo and SAAB, but I was so wrong. In the beginning of the 20th century there were many more car models produced in Sweden"
The body was for the greater part made by paper material similar like the material in the Unic box. The body then was sprayed with tar. The very first Höckenström was registered in 1910.
In the registration the vehicle was simply named: “Car”. Lars Höckenström passed away in 1928.