Bo "Gamen" Sandberg

Bo “Gamen” Sandberg (December 13, 1939 – December 15, 1994) was a Stockholm-based hot rod and custom car pioneer. A visionary force in Sweden’s postwar car culture, he founded The Road Devils car club in 1957, launched the country’s first dedicated rod and custom magazine Colorod, and co-founded the influential parts and body shop Yankee Custom Parts. Known for his flamboyant personality and early adoption of American styles, Gamen became one of the most important figures in the development of the Swedish hot rod and custom movement, inspiring generations of builders and enthusiasts.

Bo “Gamen” Sandberg’s first car, a 1951 Hudson purchased in November 1957 for 2,300 SEK. After earning his driver’s license in January 1958, Bo quickly gave the Hudson a custom look with a purple roof, purple panels under the side moldings, and a set of hand-painted flames. Believed to be the first flame-painted car in Sweden, it marked the beginning of Bo’s lifelong passion for custom styling.

The Road Devils was a legendary late-1950s car club from Stockholm, Sweden. Inspired by the 1957 American movie Hot Rod Rumble (Vägens Djävlar in Swedish), the club became infamous for its wild attitude, stylish cars, and notorious parties that shook up the local car scene. Club founder Bo "Gamen" Sandberg had a number of aluminum club plates made to hang on the rear bumpers of members’ cars. Each plate was numbered and distributed to selected members. Bo’s own plate carried the number 0, symbolizing his leadership role. Plate #11, pictured above, was inherited by Bo’s son Lee Sandberg, who has proudly preserved it as a piece of Swedish hot rod history.

An early photo of Gamen, as he is checking out Roland Larsson's 1932 Ford roadster. One of the first channeled hot rods of Sweden. Photo courtesy of Leif Hultdin.

A photo of Gamen and Pilen with a third unknown fellow.

A young Gamen at a snackbar in Stockholm. The girl to the left is Karin "Morris" Andersson.

A photo of Kalle Rundkvist and Bo Sandberg.

In 1961 Gamen bought this 1932 Ford 5-Window coupe from a junkyard in Norway. He sold the rusted body to his brother Sven who used it for his Glowing Coupe build. Photo courtesy of Sven and Maude Sandberg, from Spoca.se.

Bo Sandberg's 1959 Ford Thunderbird. This version of Gamen's first Thunderbird was completed in 1962.

Gamen painting flames on Hans Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1938 Chevrolet in 1962. This photo was taken in Gamen's garage in Flensvägen in Örby. Photo courtesy of Sven and Maude Sandberg, from Spoca.se.

Custom by Paint! Three Stockholm customs painted by Bo “Gamen” Sandberg outside Henry's Fik in 1963. From right to left: a 1939 Ford Special flamed by Gamen for Robert Bodin of Stuvsta (Kjell Åkerlund of Kungsholmsgatan purchased it in 1962), Bo’s own 1956 Mercury, and Hans Broberg and Kjell Gustad's 1938 Chevrolet Convertible, known among friends as Sillarna’s Chevy. Furthest to the left is a 1957 Dodge owned by “Leffe på slottet”, who lived near Karlbergs slott. Known as "Panel Rake," Gamen's Mercury is known as the first panel painted custom in Sweden. Photo from The Broberg Family Collection, courtesy of Lisa Broberg.

The front bumper on Gamen's Mercury came from Hans Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1957 DeSoto. The photo was taken outside Henry's Fik. In 1998 it was published in Nostalgia 2 1998.

The Surfin Bird version of Bo Sandberg's 1959 Ford Thunderbird was completed in 1964.

Sven Sandberg's 1956 Ford Sunliner convertible of Stockholm, Sweden. Sven's Sunliner was completed in 1964, featuring a Burgundy Mist paint job by Gamen.

Bo Sandberg's 1923 Ford Model T Roadster, Purple Passion. The build was completed around 1965.

Sven Sandberg's 1932 Ford 5-Window coupe of Stockholm, Sweden. Sven started the build, known as the Glowing Coupe, in 1961. The first version was shown in 1965, featuring a paint job by Gamen.

Arne Lindstrand's 1955 Chevrolet of Stockholm, Sweden. Arne's Chevrolet was restyled in the early 1960s. This is how it appeared at the Hot Rod Show in Stockholm in 1966, featuring a turquoise paint job by Gamen.

Göran Silfors' 1936 Ford Sedan of Sweden as it appeared in 1965, featuring a flame paint job by Gamen.

Bo Sandberg's 1959 Ford Thunderbird of Stockholm, Sweden. Named The Wild Bird, Bo's Thunderbird was completed and made its debut in 1966. Bo ran a customs, paint, and parts shop in Älvsjö, Sweden, called Yankee Customs.

Bo Sandberg's Cool Cat. The Cool Cat was a customized Jaguar E-Type built by Gamen. The build was completed in 1967, featuring a a red and pink Metalflake paint job.

The blue Metalflaked 1962 Ducati 125cc in this photo from the 1968 Hot Rod Show belonged to Ted Westerfors. The four stroke motorbike featured a custom seat, custom tank, and sparkling Metalflake paint job by Bosse "Gamen" Sandberg. "Also a lot of polished aluminum," Ted told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2019. Photo from the P.A. Flink Photo Collection.

Bo, Mette and Lee Sandberg on the Trike 'Monsieur de Paris'.

The first issue of Colorod, Sweden’s pioneering rod and custom magazine, launched by Bo “Gamen” Sandberg in the mid-1960s. Published from Bo’s home workshop at Flensvägen 27 in Örby, Colorod became the country’s first magazine dedicated entirely to hot rods and custom cars, capturing the spirit of Sweden’s growing American-inspired car culture.

Gamen and Ludmila together with Sven and Joakim Sandberg and Göran Silfors in Norrtälje, 1976. Photo by Mats Wallander.

A greeting card from Gamen's 50 year birthday. Photo courtesy of Bengt Wennergren.

Order from: Sweden - Norway - Rest of the world

Bo “Gamen” Sandberg (December 13, 1939 – December 15, 1994) was a Swedish hot rod and custom car pioneer from Stockholm, Sweden. Remembered as one of the most influential figures in the history of Swedish rod and custom culture, Sandberg helped introduce American custom trends to Sweden in the 1950s and 1960s. He founded the Stockholm-based club The Road Devils, launched Sweden’s first dedicated rod and custom magazine Colorod, and operated one of the country’s earliest custom parts shops, Yankee Custom Parts.

Early Life and Background

Bo was born in Stockholm in 1939. His father, Ewert Sandberg, ran a forwarding company and frequently chartered planes to the United States, occasionally bringing young Bo along. These trips exposed him early to American life and car culture.

The Sandberg family lived in an apartment at Svarvargatan 8, Kungsholmen, where Bo and his younger brother Sven Sandberg grew up. Both boys developed a deep interest in mechanics and custom cars, strongly supported by their parents, Ewert and Astrid Sandberg, who provided financial help and assisted at car events.

As a child, Bo was fascinated by birds, a passion that earned him the nickname “Gamen” (Swedish for The Vulture). Among friends, he was also simply called “Bosse.”

Early Interests and First Custom

At age 14, Bo began buying, restoring, and later customizing mopeds to give them his own personal touch. His first car, a 1951 Hudson imported from the U.S., was purchased in November 1957 for 2,300 SEK. He obtained his driver’s license in January 1958, and according to friends, immediately went cruising downtown with a big smile.

Before long, Bo had customized the Hudson—painting the roof and panels purple and adding flames. Though perhaps rough by later standards, it is believed to be the first flame-painted car in Sweden.

The Road Devils

In 1957, inspired by the American movie Hot Rod Rumble (released in Sweden as Vägens Djävlar), Bo founded The Road Devils, a Stockholm-based “Raggar Club.” The Road Devils quickly became infamous for their wild parties, flashy cars, and rebellious attitude. Bo had a series of numbered aluminum club plaques made for members’ cars. His own was #0, symbolizing his leadership role.

Professional Career and Yankee Custom Parts

By the early 1960s, Bo had established himself as one of the driving forces behind Sweden’s emerging hot rod and custom scene, often referred to as part of the “second generation” of Swedish rodders.

He worked for a period at Ernst Nilsson, a Volvo repair shop in Stockholm, before launching a custom parts business around 1964–1965 with Göran Silfors. Originally called Yankee Junk, the shop later changed its name to Yankee Custom Parts after American partners reacted poorly to the original name. The shop specialized in imported U.S. speed and custom parts and became a hub for Stockholm’s custom crowd.

When he was old enough, Bo moved from his parents’ apartment in Kungsholmen to Flensvägen 27 in Örby, Älvsjö, where he built a home workshop and continued customizing cars.

Colorod Magazine

From his shop at Flensvägen, Bo launched the Swedish rod and custom magazine Colorod, which became an important voice for the growing scene. The publication documented Swedish and international hot rods, customs and motorcycles, further cementing Bo’s influence in spreading American hot rod culture across Scandinavia. He ran the magazine from his shop at his home at Flensvägen 27 in Örby.

Personal Life

One of Bo’s early girlfriends, Karin "Morris" Andersson, assisted him with paint and upholstery work on several projects.

In 1965, Bo married Mette Njös. The couple had two sons, Lee Sandberg (b. 1966) and Leo Sandberg (b. 1969). They separated in April 1973, after which Bo met Ludmila. The two lived briefly in England before returning to Sweden, settling in Spånga, where Bo maintained a garage at Rinkebyplan.

Bo was also listed as an Associate Member of the L.A. Roadsters, a prestigious California car club, a rare honor for a European enthusiast at the time.

Later Years and Legacy

In his later years, Bo continued customizing vehicles, including a well-known trike that became a neighborhood landmark. In 2020, Mats Lilja told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama that he lived near Bo’s shop in Örby as a teenager: “Me and some of my friends used to hang outside his workshop, and I particularly remember the trike that he had. Gamen had made a poster of him and his wife posing on the trike and I got one of those from him. I was very proud—it was a big thing for a 13-year-old boy.”

According to Lilja, local rumor had it that Gamen’s trike was the first one ever built in Sweden. Around this time, Bo’s father was running Vasa Päls, the largest fur dealership in Stockholm.

Death

Bo “Gamen” Sandberg passed away unexpectedly on December 15, 1994, after suffering a ruptured artery during a dinner at home. He was 55 years old. Following his death, his son Lee Sandberg inherited Bo’s T-23 Hot Rod.

Legacy

Few individuals have had as lasting an impact on Swedish hot rodding as Bo Sandberg. Through The Road Devils, Yankee Custom Parts, and Colorod Magazine, he helped define the Swedish interpretation of American custom culture, leaving a mark that continues to inspire builders across generations.

Some of Bo Sandberg's Vehicles

Bo Sandberg's 1923 Ford Model T Roadster - Purple Passion
Bo "Gamen" Sandberg's 1951 Hudson
Bo "Gamen" Sandberg's 1956 Mercury Convertible - Panel Rake
Bo Sandberg's 1959 Ford Thunderbird - Surfin Bird
Bo "Gamen" Sandberg's 1959 Ford Thunderbird - Wild Bird
Bo Sandberg's Cool Cat
Monsieur de Paris. Trike with VW engine
Project Trans-Am. Trike with Porsche engine

Cars Painted by Bo Sandberg

Sven Sandberg's 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe - The Glowing Coupe
Göran Silfors' 1936 Ford Sedan
Hans Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1938 Chevrolet Convertible
Robert Bodin's 1939 Ford
Arne Lindstrand's 1955 Chevrolet
Sven Sandberg's 1956 Ford Sunliner Convertible
Hans Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1957 DeSoto

Motorbikes Painted by Bo Sandberg

Ted Westerfors' 1962 Ducati 125CC