The Jonasson Merc

During my school years, I spent my summers in the community where I was born. The day after the semester ended I was on the bus up to Rättvik, where my grandparents lived, and I would stay up until a few days before school started again. I loved that place. That's also where I got into cars.

In '76 they held a small car show in their exhibition hall. The first I saw when entering the show was a jet black '60 Coupe De Ville, and it was the coolest car I had ever seen. Now, american cars was and still is very popular in that part of the country, and even to a higher degree in Rättvik, so my new-born interest in cars was fueled every day with impressions from the local streets. One, for instance, was a brown Dodge Tradesman van I passed everyday on my way to my friend's house.  It had a porthole window and panels painted on the side in contrasting colours. It was the total opposite to the Coupe De Ville, but it was still incredibly cool in the eyes of that 12-year old kid.

Shortly after, we moved back to Rättvik. I befriended others who shared my interest in cars, and got to learn that the van had been owned by Karl Jonasson. I got to hear about all his cars and choppers, both the ones he had while living in Rättvik and the ones he had brought over from his new home in Los Angeles. As most stories were told in second or third hand, Kalle turned into an enigmatic and mysterious character. Amongst our peers, he was highly admired as he had achieved what we all dreamed of: he was a local who had managed to find work as a skilled mechanic in southern California.

One of his cars was a '39 Merc, an old custom purchased from Early Times' member Dennis Maniter. First it was featured as a restoration (1, 2) in Wheels Magazine, and later as a finished car. It hit me hard. With its too-much top chop and taildragger stance it had the appearance of a deep sea fish, the kind that lures you with a beckoning glow and eats you in one bite when within range.

I especially liked the fact that it incorporated hot rod elements, something menacing and evil, something that I still appreciate in customs today. Customs that are named after a popular tune from the fifties, or those becoming cruise night accessories with a drive-in tray hanging from its window, or the ones displayed at lawn shows with an open hood and a lazy owner in a pop-up chair; they are all an easy prey for that deep sea fish.

Comments

[Wolf]

Toppbetyg på denna sida ! Tack för en härlig samling bilträff bilder ! ställer in siktet på sommarträffarna en stormig dag som denna januari 2008 !!!
Mvh Wolf

[Christer Ehrling]

Tack så mycket! Vad skoj att du gillar den. Det kanske inte blir så mycket nytt här nu under vintern, det ska bli ändring på det till sommaren.