Enskedefältet

Bengt Wennergren's 1949 Ford of Enskedefältet in Stockholm, Sweden. When Bengt bought the Ford, the rear end was already restyled by Leif "Grillkorven" Rose. The build was completed in 1963.

Hasse Broberg's Modified of Enskedefältet in Stockholm, Sweden. The build was started by Pelle Karlson, but Hasse, a member of the Sill Drivers, bought it and completed it in 1964.

Bengt Wennergren's 1931 Ford Model A Roadster of Enskedefältet was built by Bengt between 1962 and 1966.

Hans Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1957 DeSoto of Enskedefältet in Stockholm, Sweden was built in the early 1960s. Hans and Kjelle belonged to a little club called Sill Drivers, and they were often called "Sillarna". This photo shows the car as it appeared in 1964.

Order from: Sweden - Norway - Rest of the world

Enskedefältet, located in southern Stockholm, Sweden, is widely regarded as one of the cradles of Swedish hot rodding and custom car culture. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the neighborhood became a vibrant hub for young enthusiasts who began modifying cars in garages, driveways, and makeshift workshops. The group of early builders who gathered around Hans "Hasse" Broberg and Kjell "Kjelle" Gustad would go on to build Sweden’s first dragster and inspire future generations of Swedish rodders.

Early Swedish Hot Rodding

The Swedish hot rod movement took shape in the 1950s, inspired by American car magazines that showcased how ordinary vehicles could be restyled or tuned for performance. Across the Stockholm area, informal meeting spots emerged where young enthusiasts could exchange ideas and parts. Among the earliest were Erik Djurberg’s Ford workshop on Alvägen in Sollentuna, where his son Lennart Djurberg built a 1932 Ford Roadster in 1955, and the Bellander Brothers’ workshop in Betsede, Gustavsberg. In central Stockholm, cafés such as Cupido (“Cupan”) on Roslagsgatan became important gathering places where northern and southern suburban rodders met, including Bosse "Gamen" Sandberg, founder of The Road Devils club.

The Enskedefältet Scene

In Enskedefältet, a suburban district of self-built houses, Stig Broberg lived with his wife Viola and son Hans at Österbottenvägen 10. Hans and his classmate Kjell Gustad began fixing mopeds and cars in the Broberg family’s yard and basement garage. By the late 1950s, their circle had grown to include Arne Lindstrand, Lasse "Junken" Ljungqvist, Lill-Pelle Karlsson, Lill-Hasse Källberg, and Bengt Wennergren of Bägerstavägen.

Despite the noise and street antics, the neighbors were generally tolerant. Stig Broberg encouraged the boys’ passion and even filmed their activities on Super-8. One of their first projects, started around 1957, was a 1937 Ford Tudor “coin-back,” which they began modifying before any of them had driver’s licenses. Once they turned legal in 1959, a steady stream of projects followed, often cars rescued from the woods or imported from Denmark. The garage buzzed with welding torches and grinders while Viola served sandwiches and coffee.

Among their early builds was a 1938 Chevrolet Convertible powered by an Oldsmobile Rocket engine and finished with flames by Bosse "Gamen" Sandberg and pinstriping by his girlfriend Karin "Morris". Later, a 1957 DeSoto was mildly customized with a tubular grille and dark red pearl paint by Gamen.

Sweden’s First Dragster

In 1961, a touring American “Moon” dragster was exhibited at the NK department store in Stockholm, the first dragster ever shown in Sweden. It left a deep impression on Hasse and Kjelle, who decided to build their own. They scrounged together pipes and materials of varying quality and began welding their own dragster frame in the Broberg garage. The first mock-up used a Ford flathead V8, later replaced by an Oldsmobile engine.

The car was displayed under construction in the Sportvagnen & Vi exhibition at Marmorhallarna in 1963. Painted red and completed shortly after, it was test-driven on the streets around Enskedefältet and Vårflodsparken, to the neighbors’ apparent amusement more than alarm.

In 1965, Gunnar Friberg of Teknikens Värld magazine featured the car, personally driving it at an airfield in Norrköping to establish Sweden’s first drag-racing E.T. and top-speed record. Later sold without its engine to Bosse Sandberg, the dragster was repainted and fitted with a Buick Nailhead taken from Junken Ljungqvist's 1932 Ford Roadster. Shown at the Hot Rod Show and raced in 1966 on the unfinished Enköpingsvägen, the car is believed to have been dismantled by 1968 in the Hot Rod Barn in Huddinge.

Sillarna - The Sill Drivers

By the early 1960s, the Enskedefältet crew’s yard was overflowing with cars and visitors. To humor Bosse Gamen, who urged them to form a club with a name and plaque like his Road Devils, they jokingly called themselves “Sillarna” (The Herrings). Wooden plaques were cut from floor tiles, and sweaters were stenciled with “Herring Rodders.” Though meant as a joke, the name stuck.

The group, known affectionately as Sillarna, continued building and helping others. Palle Eriksson built a Chevrolet “bucket” with a Chrysler engine, Göran "Lill-Sillen" customized a 1936 Ford Tudor with elaborate multi-colored flames, and the Sandberg brothers, working in their family’s barn in Gudö, created two famous hot rods: Sven Sandberg's Glowing Coupe and Bosse's Purple Passion, both shown at the first Hot Rod Show in 1965.

Lill-Pelle Karlsson, the youngest admirer, built what may have been Sweden’s first T-Bucket while still too young to drive. With help from Sillarna, he assembled it from parts hauled home on a moped trailer. The car later ran briefly at Skarpnäck field before disappearing. Pelle went on to build one of Sweden’s first trikes and launched a small Trike Factory with Anders Lake.

Pride of the Ocean

As Swedish vehicle regulations tightened in the mid-1960s, inspections and paperwork requirements made hot rod and custom car building increasingly difficult. Some enthusiasts shifted their attention to boats. Around 1965, Sillarna and Arne Lindstrand purchased an old fishing cutter moored at Söder Mälarstrand, renaming it “Pride of the Ocean.”

The vessel, built in Visby and refitted with a 135-hp engine, was converted into a leisure craft with Lindstrand, Hans Broberg, and Kjell Gustad among its owners. After years of repairs and modifications, the group set sail in 1969 for the Mediterranean, continuing to the Caribbean and Bahamas. In January 1971, Pride of the Ocean ran aground at Samana Cay in the Bahamas. All aboard survived and were rescued after a week on the island, but the vessel was lost.

Later Years and Legacy

During the 1970s, several of the Enskedefältet pioneers spent time in Florida, shipping cars home to Sweden and working intermittently for boxer Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson’s hotel. Eventually, family life and careers took precedence, but the passion for cars and the friendships forged in Enskedefältet endured.

The spirit of the Enskedefältet builders, curiosity, craftsmanship, and camaraderie, helped lay the foundation for Swedish hot rodding. Their story, preserved through photographs, films, and surviving builds, remains a cornerstone of Sweden’s early hot rod and custom car history.

Hot Rods of Enskedefältet, Stockholm, Sweden

Hasse Broberg's Modified
Bengt Wennergren's 1931 Ford Model A Roadster

Custom Cars of Enskedefältet, Stockholm, Sweden

Hans Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1938 Chevrolet Convertible
Bengt Wennergren's 1949 Ford
Hans Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1957 DeSoto

Citizens of Enskedefältet, Stockholm, Sweden

Bengt Wennergren
Hans Broberg
Kjelle Gustad
Håkan Lindell