Hans Broberg
Hans “Hasse” Broberg (born 1941) is a Swedish hot rod and custom car builder from Enskedefältet, Stockholm, Sweden. A lifelong enthusiast and one of the early pioneers of the Swedish hot rod scene, Hasse is best known for his partnership with Kjell "Kjelle" Gustad under the nickname Sillarna (“the herrings”). Together, they helped define the playful, do-it-yourself spirit of Stockholm’s second generation of hot rodders in the 1960s.
Contents
Early Life and First Cars
Hasse grew up in Enskedefältet, in southern Stockholm. Along with his friend Kjelle Gustad, he became part of Sweden’s second generation of hot rodders, a group that drew heavy inspiration from American magazines such as Hot Rod Magazine and Rod & Custom.
In 2015, Hasse told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama that he and Kjelle began building cars in 1961, hanging around older hot rodders like Lennart Djurberg, who had been part of the first wave of Swedish hot rodders. “Me and Kjelle’s first car was a 1937 Ford Tudor that we cut the roof off, as we wanted a convertible,” Hasse recalled. The year was 1957, and they only drove it a little before they sold it. “After the Ford, we came across a 1938 Chevrolet Convertible in 1962. We installed an Oldsmobile V-8 engine in the Chevrolet.”
Sillarna and the “Sill Drivers”
By the early 1960s, Hasse and Kjelle had become well-known around southern Stockholm for their cars, creativity, and sense of humor. They were often referred to as Sillarna (“the herrings”), a nickname that later evolved into the tongue-in-cheek “club” name Sill Drivers.
According to Bengt "Benke" Wennergren, the name began as a joke aimed at their friend Bo "Gamen" Sandberg, who believed that every car, bike, and gang should have a cool name. “So Kjelle and Hasse founded the mad name Sill Drivers (‘the Herring Drivers’) just to tease Gamen a bit,” Benke told Kustomrama.
To complete the gag, they made their own crude plaques out of wooden floorboards featuring a hand-painted fish skeleton and the text Sill Drivers. The Sill Drivers name stuck, and over time the pair became known for their humor, ingenuity, and laid-back approach to hot rodding.
Vendelsö and Early Projects
In 1962, CG Björk was an eight-year-old kid living in Trollbäcken, near Vendelsö, where Hasse and Kjelle rented a garage. “I stopped by almost every day to see what the boys were up to,” CG recalled. “They were about ten years older than me, always working on something new.”[1]
The duo’s early projects included various hot rods, custom cars, and even unconventional experiments, one of the most famous being their Diesel Thunderbird.[1]
The Diesel Thunderbird
In the mid-1960s, Sillarna came up with one of their most memorable ideas, a long-distance trip to Southern Spain, where Hasse’s parents had a house. They found a red 1958 Ford Thunderbird for the journey, which they believed had been acquired in a trade. With a worn-out engine and limited funds, they replaced the Thunderbird’s V8 with a diesel engine salvaged from a Mercedes-Benz bread delivery van.[1]
The swap was completed within a few days, and the pair drove the diesel-powered Thunderbird from Stockholm to Málaga and back, the car topping out at about 90–100 km/h. The only issue they encountered was a broken generator belt. During one memorable stop in Germany, a gas station attendant ran out yelling that they were putting the wrong fuel in their car, only to be left speechless when the Thunderbird fired up and drove away.[1]
The Skarpnäck Workshop and the Sillarna Dragster
After their Vendelsö period, Hasse and Kjelle moved their operations to a workshop in Skarpnäck, located on a small former junkyard lot filled with unusual cars. Among them was a 1930s Bentley that later ended up wrecked after being owned by Palle Eriksson, another local hot rodder.[1]
In Skarpnäck, the pair embarked on one of their most ambitious projects, building what became known as Sweden’s first dragster. Constructed by Kjelle and Hasse, the car was a simple rail-style dragster built from scratch in their small garage.[1]
According to CG Björk, “A friend called Lill-Pelle was trying it out at the Skarpnäck airfield. We got in there without permission, and Lill-Pelle jumped into the dragster and started a burnout. A guard at the airfield came running, yelling that the car was on fire. We left, and the guard became furious.”[1]
Shortly before the Hot Rod Show in Stockholm, Bo "Gamen" Sandberg bought the dragster. “I remember that Gamen said he wanted to borrow the paint box so he could add some flames for the show,” CG recalled. “He made it all within one hour. It was amazing to see — he was extremely skillful.”[1]
The Boat “Pride” and Life at Sea
In 1965, Hasse and Kjelle sold their cars and bought a 30-meter fishing boat named Pride. They began converting it into a live-aboard vessel and, to finance the project, opened a floating nightclub called Club Batman.[1]
By 1969–1970, the boat was ready for its main adventure, a voyage to the United States. They successfully crossed the Atlantic and spent time sailing in the Caribbean, eventually selling the boat to a group of new owners. The new crew later beached the vessel, which soon sank.[1]
With the proceeds from the sale, Hasse and Kjelle stayed in Florida, buying a Corvette, a Shelby GT500 convertible, and an old Detroit Electric-style car reminiscent of Grandma Duck’s automobile. They stored their cars at Ingemar Johansson’s Motel, owned by the former heavyweight boxing champion, who became a friend of theirs. Around the same time, fellow Swedes such as Palle Eriksson also moved to Florida.[1]
Return to Sweden and Later Projects
When Hasse and Kjelle eventually returned to Sweden, they reconnected with CG Björk at the Navis yacht harbor in the mid-1980s. By then, they were heavily involved in boating and later purchased a wharf in Saltsjö-Boo. The pair had already sailed to the USA three times, further cementing their reputation for adventure and creativity.[1]
After selling the wharf, Hasse returned to his automotive roots and began building hot rods again. He set up a garage in Orminge, where he completed several projects, including a 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe he bought as a basket case in Florida. He assembled the coupe in 1991–1992, and as of 2015, he still owned it.[2]
In 2012, Hasse built a fiberglass 1932 Ford Roadster, and in early 2015, he started another project, a Swedish-built steel-bodied 1932 Ford hi-boy.<ref name="hb">
Legacy
Through decades of cars, boats, and bold ideas, Hans “Hasse” Broberg has remained one of the most inventive figures in Swedish hot rodding. His sense of humor, craftsmanship, and adventurous spirit, embodied in the Sill Drivers plaque and the diesel Thunderbird, capture the heart of Sweden’s early hot rod and custom culture: a blend of American inspiration, Scandinavian ingenuity, and pure fun.
Hans Broberg's Cars
Hans Broberg's Modified
Hans Broberg's 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe
Hans Broberg's 1932 Ford Roadster
Hans Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1937 Ford Tudor
Hans Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1938 Chevrolet Convertible
Hans Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1957 DeSoto
Hans Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1958 Ford Thunderbird
References
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