The Björn Ramsten Collection

An early shot from 1964 shows Tore Ström's 1954 Ford Sunliner alongside Björn Ramsten's 1957 Chevrolet. Tore’s Sunliner was the first car in the club to undergo customization that year. Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

A construction photo of Björn’s Chevrolet taken around 1966–67 in the small garage he built with his father at their summerhouse. Although it was his only form of transportation, Björn made the trip by bus to work on it, teaching himself to weld and shaving the bumpers, emblems, moldings, and door handles. This iteration still featured the first scooped hood. Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

A construction photo from September 1966 shows the Chevy’s rear fenders extended to accommodate 1960 Plymouth taillights. The deck lid was also shaved and fitted with a sunken, asymmetrical license plate housing. Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

By spring 1967, Björn had completed the major modifications to his Chevrolet and drove it in grey primer before sending it off to Älta Billack for paint later that summer. Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

Freshly painted in 1956 Chrysler Hunter Green Metallic, Björn’s 1957 Chevrolet was ready for the road by fall 1967. “When it came to the color, I went with Hunter Green Metallic,” Björn recalled. Custom accessories included open-wheel spinners from Cal Custom mounted on the original rims. Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

A close-up of the asymmetrical hood scoop and perforated mesh grille inset on Björn’s Chevrolet. “Tube grilles had become too common in Sweden by then, so I thought, ‘Nah, I’m gonna make my own in perforated mesh instead,’” he explained. After purchasing the mesh at a hardware store, he had it chrome-plated at Qvarnströms on Kungsholmen. Matching chromed mesh was also installed behind the dual headlights, further echoing the style of Bill Cushenbery’s Limelighter. Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

In 1967, Björn upgraded the Chevy’s tired 235 inline-six to a 283 with a four-barrel Carter carburetor. Still craving more power, he soon acquired this 327 short block—complete with high-compression pistons and a Z28 camshaft from Bosse Kasby at BoMac Racing. “It probably came from a Corvette or a Camaro,” Björn recalled. He loaded the short block into the trunk and drove it home to install in the car. Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

Björn fitted the 327 with Corvette “Musse Pigg” heads, an Offenhauser high-rise intake manifold, a Holley 800 cfm 4-barrel carb, and Hooker headers, then gave the engine a copper spray-can paint job before installing it in the car. “I started out installing the original 3-speed transmission with a Hurst Mystery floor shifter,” he recalled, adding that he later upgraded to a 4-speed Muncie. Traction bars and airbags reinforced the rear end. Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

Björn credited a restyled Ford by the Alexander Brothers in Michigan as the inspiration for his Chevy’s asymmetrical hood and scoop. “I didn’t copy theirs, but I made my own version of it,” he explained. Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

A view of the rear, where chromed mesh was added to the grille opening and the license plate was inset on the driver’s side of the deck lid. Björn fashioned the plate as a milk-white plastic box with an internal light, then glued on black letters and numbers. Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

By 1969, Tore Ström's 1955 Chevrolet convertible had undergone a mild restyling that included dual stacked headlights, shaved trim, a custom grille, and an antenna mounted on the windshield frame. This version of the car represented The Flintstones at the 1970 Hot Rod Show. Tore went on to become a well-known upholsterer, and the Chevy was reportedly restored back to its original form—another lost Swedish custom. Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.

Customs were a common sight at dragstrips in Sweden during the 1970s, as seen here with Björn Ramsten's 1957 Chevrolet racing against Lard Flodman’s Ford Fairlane Victoria at Mantorp Park in 1971. Photo courtesy of Björn Ramsten.