Still Doin' It

After a hard working life, three engines and two restorations, you’d think this Pick-up had earned its retirement. Not quite

- Ulf Forsberg

This colourful Single-Cab Pick-up was originally bought new by a florist in Umea, Sweden. You’d think that having belonged to a florist it would have settled in to an easy life, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. That’s because not long after they took delivery of it, said flower-seller managed to bury a telephone-pole smack bang between its headlights.

The mangled Single-Cab was towed to the firm of Petterssons Bil & Traktor at Anaset town, which is situated between Umea and Skelleftea, and the insurance company made it clear that it was not going to be cost effective to repair it. They paid the florist off and sold the then almost brand new Bus to the garage were it sat.

This was back in 1971, and if the front end of this Bus is confusing you somewhat, all is about to become clear.

Face lift Fredrick Petterssons, who runs the garage today takes up the tail. “My father, Stig thought it was possible to save the Bus. He had seen the upcoming ’73 year model and ordered a complete new front end.”

With the new models higher indicators, altered ventilation intakes and chunkier bumpers for the switch from Early, to Late Bay, this explains the early rear and later front ends.

Even when the replacement front end finally arrived, the guys at Petterssons Bil & Traktor weren’t able to crack on with the repair straight away. The Pick-up had to be slotted in as a project between regular paying jobs for customers.