Rune Jonsson

Rune Jonsson (b. 1945) from Borlänge, Dalarna county, Sweden, is a well-known car enthusiast from early age.

Early years

There is a lot to tell about Rune. Growing up at his father Einar's car repair shop in Åselby south of Borlänge, he had motor oil in his blood and started riding mopeds at an early age.
In 1959, at the age of fourteen, he fell completely in love with a convertible that was parked at a junkyard in Ornäs.
It was a Hudson from 1935.
The car had apparently been owned by a hotel owner in the fashionable Tällberg area and was very impressive.
With hard-earned money in his pocket and some persuasion from his father, the car could be bought for 75 SEK and taken home.
Now began the intensive work of restoration and finding parts to get it rolling.

The engine, gearbox and rear axle were taken from a 1938 Chevrolet and hydraulic front brakes from Plymouth.

Unfortunately, he had not reached the age for a driver's license, which meant many discussions with the County Administrative Board and the local police when the certificate of suitability was not approved!
It all ended well, however, and in 1963 the car could be driven legally and registered.
A wonderful story about the life of Rune at young age is written by Lars-Åke Krantz, and can be found here (in Swedish).

In 1968, Rune came across a scrapped Ford Fairlane and was able to take the 289 engine, C4 gearbox and rear axle from it. Now it was a real Hot rod!

Over the years, many old Hudson parts have been found and mounted on the body, which looks completely original on the outside. So now it might be classified as a “Resto-Rod” as it is close to original. Nothing was bought on the Internet. Everything comes from outdoor finds, barns, wooden boxes and shoe boxes. Rune asked at the Södertälje market for rims and lights. No one had any, but he got a tip about a Hudson that was standing in the woods. He went there and “damn it, it was a 35”! The axles and wheels had ended up under a forest hut. Rune went home and made two new axles with wheels for the forest hut. Then he could take everything he wanted! -I fixed the door locks but had no keys. I had the car with me and tried hundreds of old keys at markets for several years. One day it happened. The key turned the lock like butter. The radiator ornament was missing. A Hudson friend knew of the old man who had collected radiator ornaments for years. They were in shoe boxes. He went there and found one that he bought for Rune. The car has run like clockwork, driven every year, including trips to the French Riviera and Italy, a total of over 15,000 kilometers. Rune's son Nicklas has inherited the interest and is now restoring one of the few GM Futurlines in existence!

Some of Rune's cars

Rune Jonsson's 1935 Hudson convertible
Rune Jonsson's GMC aircraft BP fuel truck COE
Rune Jonsson's Ford Taunus 17M 1962