Sweden's Power Big Meet: hub caps, hair grease, and 'Happy Days'
Published: 10 Jul 12 10:26 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/41936/20120710/
The Power Big Meet car show in Västerås is an annual tradition for Swedes with a passion for 1950s-era Americana cars and culture. Contributor Nathalie Rothschild offers up a stunning photo essay of this year's event.
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The three-day event attracts 17,000 American car owners from across Sweden and from around the world.
They gather to swap, admire and drive cars.
Clich here to view the 2012 Power Big Meet photo essay
The event is tied to the "raggar" subculture, which emerged in Sweden in the 1950s and was inspired by the American greasers.
"Raggare" are mostly small-town gangs known for their love of rockabilly music, leather vests, pomade and, of course, cars - the raggare's mode of transport, sleeping place, chick magnet and party venue.
Thanks to the raggar culture, there are more restored 1950s American cars in Sweden than in the entire US.
At Power Big Meet you'll find Street Rods, Customs, 50s cruisers, 60s muscle cars, Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros - you name it.
The sometimes surreal scene feels like a throw back from the era depicted in the US television show "Happy Days" or the film "American Graffiti".
For 28-year-old Niklas Berggren, the event is a time to wax nostalgic about the good old times.
"I would rather have lived back then. Everything seemed so easy. You just took life as it came. Finding work was not a problem," he tells The Local.
67-year-old Beril Johansson makes 1950s-inspired bird nesting boxes and drives a Fiat 500 with a trailer attached comes here every year to get a taste of genuine vintage car handicraft.
"I've been interested in cars since I was born. But today all the cars look the same. They're all plasticy and awful. And you have to take your car to the workshop for every little thing," he says.
See more from scenes and descriptions from the 2012 Power Big Meet by clicking on the photo gallery link below.
Nathalie Rothschild is a freelance journalist. Follow her on her website www.nathalierothschild.com and on Twitter
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This is borderline criminally false. Never understood the need to try and one up a different country with lies. It seems to be an accepted norm here.
Prove your claim, please!
I have worked directly or indirectly with the auto industry and been involved with the old car hobby for 48 years. I currently advise a company involved in the promotion of these shows and motor sports events. So I have spent more time with this than anyone probably should.
At an early age I was amazed that Swedes had a passion for older American cars when I spent the summer with my Uncle in Karlskoga in 1966. It was when I first heard the word "Raggare" when spoken with disapproval by my aunt.
Over the years I have been to at least 20 car shows in Sweden not limited to American cars. The passion is very much alive. The Västerås Show is the largest American car event outside of the US. Not as big as the Woodward Dream Cruise but probably second to it. Who cares if it is second or fourth.
I found the photos amusing. I suspect they were carefully selected to make fun of the participants. Nevertheless, they all appear to be having fun.
Clearly, the show is not a snooty show intended for the rich like Pebble Beach in California or Villa d'Este in Italy.
It represents a hobby that ordinary people can enjoy.
http://www.summernats.com.au/
car show for the aussie rev head, its pretty big
These people are not a bunch of goof-offs—they are a throwback to when Sweden had such an advanced industrial culture, these incredible mechanical skills were harnessed to make Sweden VERY rich. Too bad this power mostly manifests itself in outbreaks of nostalgia.