Lennart Djurberg

A group of early Swedish hot rod pioneers photographed in the mid 1980s. From left Janne Bellander, Janne Eriksson, Lennart Djurberg, Peter Billing, Bosse Åberg and Roland Larsson. Photo courtesy of Ola Olsson.

Lette with an award from SSRA.

The -32 Roadster still in perfect shape.

The A-Ford Tudor owned by Lennarts father.

Order from: Sweden - Norway - Rest of the world

Lennart Djurberg (b. 1935-09-24), of Sollentuna in Stockholm, Sweden. Lennart is an early Swedish hot rod pioneer.

By many the first in Sweden to establish the Hot rod sport using tuned early Ford V8.

Lennart, born in 1935, is, as most of you already know, something of a Swedish “Rodfather”.
Without him, the interest and hobby would probably not be so great.

As early as 1955, a 1932 Ford Roadster de Luxe from Uppsala was purchased for 325:- when Lennart worked at his father Eric’s Ford workshop in Edsviken.
His father’s advice was: - “Get a light Roadster and put in a hundred horsepower sidecar and you’ll be the fastest in town”!

Said and done, together with hydraulic brakes and a reinforced chassis, it became a sharp street car that challenged the sports cars on the street.
In 1956, the car was put to a real test. A real long trip to northern Sweden, Norway and Finland went without a problem.

New contacts were made in the Stockholm area and encouraged each other.
Names like Roland Larsson, Janne and Björn Bellander, Janne Eriksson, Peter Billing and many others all drove Ford 1932 Roadsters with tuned flatheads that Lennart often had a hand in.
But Lennart probably kept the best tricks to himself because no one drove faster than him!
There is still talk of 200+ km/h over the Västerbron in Stockholm…..hmm.

Together they were a big gang who made trips to the popular “Kanon-loppet” in Karlskoga, among other places.

In 1959, an even sharper engine was made ready when the upstarts began to compete with top vents from Chevrolet in their Fords!
The Roadster was painted white and looked original on the outside so as not to attract too much attention from the police.
The fight died down a bit in 1964 when Palle Eriksson came out with his Hemi-equipped Chevy -24 and heavy right foot and became the fastest.

Lennart, who had just started a family, chose to take it a little easier.

The roadster has been kept throughout the years. In 1989, a thorough overhaul was carried out together with his son Johan,
wearing parts were replaced and the car was repainted in the original colour “Washington blue” with contemporary striping.

Despite its original appearance, this is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” as the engine and chassis are among the worst you can get!

The car was originally sold in Sollefteå in 1932-1933, where several Fords were imported into the country at the time.
These also include the 32a three-window coupe that Lennart bought as a winter car in 1958 and which is now owned by Håkan Lindberg.

When Kustomrama visited Lennart and his wife Eva Margareta’s garage in 2023, we also found the PV with a tuned B20 that the family had
for all these years, as well as father Eric’s A-Ford Tudor that served as a company car throughout the 1950s.

The tradition continues as Lennart's son Johan Djurberg carries the knowledge further in the company Vallby Speedshop.

Awards

Lennart won the price "Lifetime achievement award" by Wheels magazine in 2009.
Lennart was selected as the first member of SSRA 'Hall of Fame' in 2024.

Lennart Djurberg's Cars

Lennart Djurberg's 1932 Ford Roadster