The 'Järnsängen' story (3)

Click here for Part 1 and Part 2 of the 'Järnsängen' story about a rediscovered Swedish Special. Over to Nils Holm for Part 3:

In 2013 Pelle came in contact with the owner and they came to an agreement letting Pelle take over the car to start a massive renovation, now with his son Micke (Mikael Holm). First thing to do was to disassemble it into pieces, renovate part by part and then rebuild it slowly. The work has been going on for a number of years now, and the final result is amazing.

One goal with the renovation was to get it accepted by the 'Swedish Classic Racing Car Assosiation'. In June 2019 it was tested at 'Gelleråsen Areana' in Karlskoga, Sweden during the event 'Karlskoga Velodromloppet Historic GP' and in July 2019 Pelle and Micke got a final notification that it most probably will be accepted and appointed registration in the 'Sport-cars' class as a prototype.

A few things need to be done before the final registration. The cooler – now placed beside the driver seat – need to be moved, and the gas tank has to be replaced to fullfill all security regulations.
These requirements will be maintained as soon as possible.

During the test at Gelleråsen Arena the engine was the renovated 1100 cc from the 1960's. Now to get it back to its originality the engine is replaced with an upgraded 1275 cc Cooper S group 4 with a Weber 45. Next step in the 'Iron bed' story is to get it inspected, approved and finally registered as a Historic Classic Racing car... there will be more to come!

Chassis is fully restored here and in primer paint 

Picture Nils Holm

There is no doubt that this is one particularly low machine

Picture Nils Holm

Mini subframes refurbished, too, and ready for a new coat of paint

Picture Nils Holm

A few steps ahead and a rebuilt 1275 engine to Group 4 spec is back behind the seat

Picture Nils Holm

2016 - time for test drive at the 'Malsta GoCart strip' in Norrtälje, Sweden

Picture Nils Holm

The two drivers are 'Micke' and his grandson 'Albin'… the fourth generation now

Picture Nils Holm

And look at that! Fully restored and ready to go once again after all those years

Picture Nils Holm

This pictures shows very well that the front of an Ogle SX1000 was used as a back!

Picture Jeroen Booij / Nils Holm

At the Gelleråsan Arena in June 2019, when there was a great interest in the car

Picture Nils Holm

And it made it to the track, too. Catching up on the Lotus here…

Picture Nils Holm

Micke back in safety. Now time for inspection and check up, wrote Nils…

Picture Nils Holm

One more message coming in from Nils with some additional information: "I'd like to add a few facts about the modifications to be done before it can be fully accepted. One thing is to restore the radiator as from the early days in the front. When shown at 'Gelleråsen' it was placed beside the drivers seat. But since this is not accepted now, Pelle now puts it back in the front with a different mounting. The petrol tank is today an aluminum high pressure oil tank from an airplane. This does not fulfill all the security regulations and must be replaced. Finally I can tell that the 1275 group 4 engine is back but not with the Weber yet. That's all for now, I'll be back, Nils."

The 'Järnsängen' story (2)

Over to part 2 of the history file sent to me by Nils Holm and known as the 'Järnsängen' story. Click here for part 1. Now over to Nils again:

From 1968 to 2013 the story is a pretty 'dark hole' for us, meaning we don’t know what actually happened to the car together with the new owner (it was spotted by a reader back in 2008 - see here-JB). It was registered between 1968 and 1971 at 'Stockholms Sportvagnsklubb' (The Stockholm Sports Cars Association) and was raced at least once at a club event. The new owner tried to sell it in 1970, according to information given at the 'Maximum Mini' blog, but did not succeed in selling it.

In 2013 Pelle came in contact with the owner and they came to an agreement letting Pelle take over the car to start a major renovation, now with his son Micke (Mikael Holm). First thing to do was to disassemble it into pieces, renovate part by part and then rebuild it slowly. The work has been going on for a number of years now, and the final result is amazing.

But that's for the next time.

The car in 'as found' condition in 2013. More pictures of its discovery earlier in 2008 here

Picture Nils Holm

And here without most of its bodywork. Space frame is well visible here

Picture Nils Holm 

As is the A-series engine at the back. It's still the MG 1100 unit as in the 1970 advertisement

Picture Nils Holm

Radiator is fitted at the front in a steeply raked position. Note air duct behind

Picture Nils Holm 

The front from the other side. Note the angle of the steering set-up here

Picture Nils Holm

The engine used to be a 1275 Cooper 'S' in Group 4 guise before 1100 unit was fitted

Picture Nils Holm

Gearbox lever is redirected to the very back of the engine / car

Picture Nils Holm

The car's history from 1968 to 2013 is still mostly shrouded in mystery

Picture Nils Holm

The 'Järnsängen' story (1)

In March this year I was contacted by Nils Holm of Sweden, who wrote to me: "Hi! My name is Nils Holm, Living in Stockholm, Sweden. Today I got in contact with the blog Maximum Mini and read about the 'Holmbarth 1100' also called 'Automec Special'. I got very excited because this car was build by my brother Per-Henrik Holm (not Per-Erik as in the text - amended now-JB) together with Kjell Andersson in the 1960's. My brother - called Pelle - has now restored it into what I would call 'mint' condition.

He and his son Mikael (Micke) are working on the 'Holmbarth' making it even better and trying to get it accepted again as a veteran racing car. I tried to find out how to add a post on the blog... but could not. Therefore I write this mail to you, hoping you can tell how my brother Pelle can get in contact with someone interested in the 'Holmbarth' status today. I talked to Pelle and he is very interested giving more information about the 'Holmbarth' and what has been done last years. I have asked him put together some info we will send to you as well as some pictures.

Fast forward a couple of months and Nils' message arrived just before I went on my holidays (to Sweden). He added: "I apologize for the long story about the 'Holmbarth' (a name Pelle does not prefer), and I hope it can interest you what has been done. Since the car now has become a 'family interest', we will continue to add more facts and data about coming events. My best regards, Nils"

So that's the introduction to what Nils now calls - The 'Järnsängen' story.
Here we go:

The racing car build by Pelle Holm (Per-Henrik Holm) and Kjell Andersson, later on called the 'Holmbarth 1100' and / or 'Automec Special', was build during the 1960's. Pelle started in 1962 and did most of the work on his spare time at BMC in Södertälje Sweden. Due to some personal circumstances the work was delayed and the car got into a mode as the 'sleeping beauty' for a couple of years mid 1960's.

Pelle and Kjell ended their employment as mechanics at BMC racing competition department in Södertälje and started the company 'Automec' in Bredäng, Stockholm in 1967, and continued the work from there. The working name Pelle and Kjell used during the process was 'Järnsängen' (the iron bed). 'Holmbarth 1100' was a name given much later and not made up by Pelle and Kjell.

First test when it had to confess its power and performance was held at Uppsala airport somewhere around 1966 / '67, and it went well. Most of the components were from the BMC Mini, in Sweden called 'Hundkoja' (the Doghouse)… and at first it was equipped with a 1275 cc Cooper 'S' group 4 engine, later on replaced with an 1100 from an MG.

Pretty soon it got a bit crowded at the Automec garage. They also had a Cooper Formula 3 standing in a corner, earlier bought from Rolf Skoghag, who in his turn had bought a F3 Tecno from Ronny Peterson, later on our great Swedish F1 driver. Pelle and Kjell decided to sell the F3 Cooper, but when a buyer came up and showed more interest for the 'Iron bed' they sold it to him 1968.

Pelle and Kjell split up in 1971. Pelle left Automec and started his own business now with excavators and construction machinery instead of racing cars, while Kjell continued with Automec for a couple of years. The Cooper Formula 3 stayed with Pelle for a few years but was later on sold due to lack of time for it. Where it is today is hard to say.

Up next: part 2 about the rediscovery of the car. Thank you very much Nils!

The Holmbarth 1100 / Automec Special before it was called that. 

At this stage it was only known as the 'Järnsängen' or 'The Iron Bed'

Picture Nils Holm

The boy in these pictures is 'Micke', now the owner together with his father 'Pelle'

Picture Nils Holm

Pelle and his mate Kjell had been mechanics at BMC racing competition department in 

Södertälje but started on their own in 1967

Picture Nils Holm

It used a 1275 Cooper 'S' group 4 engine originally, which was later replaced by an MG 1100 unit

Picture Nils Holm

The car seen at an unknown racing venue in Sweden somewhere in the 1960s

Picture Jeroen Booij archive / Claes Boreus

This ad shows the car for sale in 1970 when it was known as the Holmbarth 1100

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Holmbarth / Automec Special - did it race?

This old picture of a Swedish racing car was posted on a board for Swedish historic racing by Claes Boreus earlier this week. He asked if somebody knew what the car was and reader Eddie Fitzgerald sent it over to me. Well, well, this is in fact the Holmbarth 1100 that is also known as the Automec Special. I wrote about the car not too long ago (here and here) and am happy to hear that by this time the car is supposedly fully restored - although I haven't seen it in that state as for yet. 

The picture is interesting as the car appears to be parked in a race setting and I wonder which one that could be. Some years ago Bjorn Bellander wrote to me 'The Holmbarth never succeeded in racing and I never saw it on the track'. Apparently it did get entered at least once, as also one of the pictures in an earlier post seems to show. Who knows more?

The Holmbarth 1100 / Automec Special in what seems to be a racing setting

Picture via Claes Boreus

Holmbarth / Automec Special fully restored

Thanks to reader Martin Andersson we know that the Swedish Holmbarth 1100 survived at least until 2008 and was actually known as the Automec Special using the front end of an Ogle SX1000 as a rear... (click here). If it remained largely intact for such a long time, it shouldn't be a surprise it exists to this day. And it does. Martin as well as fellow-Swede Micke Pettersson both sent me an article that was published in the December 2015 issue of The Mini Times - the magazine of the Mini Seven Club of Sweden.

My Swedish is not particularly good, but Martin was kind enough to sum up the contents, from which I also lifted these images. He wrote: "In the article I sent to you, it says apart from the story I told you earlier, that Per-Henrik Holm together with another BMC mechanic Kjell Andersson had a part time garage themselves in conjunction with their daily work at BMC Sweden Competition Department.
That garage was called 'Bredängs Automec' hence the name for the car that eventually evolved from it."

"The GRP bodyshell was made and applied by a man called Sven-Eric Carrhagen (That name is familiar to me but unfortunately I can't remember who he was right now). It says that Carrhagen brought the Ogle front end to the project. When the car was finished the kerb weight was 365kgs and the engine was a 1300cc tuned to group 4 regulations mated to a sccr gearbox. The topspeed would have been in the area of 200kph at 8000rpm. When the restoration started it was found to still have its sccr gearset under the 1100 engine."

Micke, who wrote the article in The Mini Times and who interviewed holm at the time added: "There has been a follow up on this article with the car in its new paint. I will dig out the pictures."

The Automec Special survives to this day and is seen here under restoration in 2015

Picture The Mini Times

No, that's not the front but the back, using an Ogle SX1000 front!

Picture The Mini Times

Engine is a 1300 now, mated to the original SCCR gearbox of the Swedish Special

Picture The Mini Times

Automec of Bredang was set up by BMC mechanics Per-Erik Holm and Kjell Andersson

Picture Tradera.com

The Automec Special during its construction in what must be 1967

Picture The Mini Times

The little boy in these pictures is Micke, son of the car's builder Pelle Holm

Picture The Mini Times

Said to weigh just 365kgs and be able to top 200kmh, the car was raced at one time

Picture The Mini Times

Holmbarth Special survives

Remember the Holmbarth 1100, as seen in Maximum Mini 3? (also here). Well, Martin Andersson, who contacted me about the Swedish Ogle SX1000 (here) brought in a grand update on the car. He wrote:

"I might help you spread some light over one of your mystery cars, namely what you call the Holmbarth. In the way I ever heard of it and as I know it, this Special is called 'Automec'.
The story goes back to the late 1960's that a guy called Per-Erik Holm, whom at the time was working at the BMC competion department at Södertälje in Sweden, constructed this car at his spare time. From the beginning the car is said to have been equipped with a 1275 'S' engine. But when it was sold in 1970's it came with an MG 1100 powertrain. I first came in contact with the car in late 2008, with the owner who bought it from Holm in the 70's. This guy claimed that he raced the car at a club event at least once, back in the day. And he was very insistent that the car should be restored for the 2009 Mini festival in the UK. This never happened and years later the car was up for sale and as I understand it the car eventually came back to Per-Erik Holm who has now completed its restoration."

"The pictures I share with you are from 2008 when I helped the owner 'sawing' down the Special from the roof pillars, in the barn in which it was hung since the 1970's. As you might notice the rear section appears to be from an Ogle SX1000!? Best regards, Martin."

Needless to say I was happy to see the car surviving. By this time, I have also been updated on the Holmbarth / Automec current state. But that's for the next time.

This is the Holmbarth Special, as found in 2008. It is perhaps better known as the Automec Special

Picture courtesy Martin Andersson

Reader helped rescue the the Special from barn in which it was hung since the 1970's

Picture courtesy Martin Andersson

The car supposedly used 1275 'S' power, but when sold in the 1970's it came with an 1100

Picture courtesy Martin Andersson

But look at that! The rear bodywork consists of the front of an Ogle SX1000!

Picture courtesy Martin Andersson

Low slung Swedish special: the Holmbarth

Not much is known about this car - a Swedish racing special with Mini or Mini Cooper power that Peter Camping found out about. It's known as the BMC Holmbarth 1100, which suggests it was equiped with an 1100 engine. The car was offered for sale in April 1970 through an ad in 'Sportvagnen och Vi' - the magazine of the Stockholm Sports Car Club. Seller was one Eriksson - there have to be more of these in Sweden - who offered it for sale for 6,500 Swedish crowns at the time. The only extra information he added to that was that it used a 10.5:1 compression and that it did the quarter mile in 14.5 seconds. Bjorn Bellander, who came past here once or twice before says he knew about the car "But the Holmbart never succeeded in racing and I never saw it on the track."

UPDATE 22 November 2018: The car survives! Click here

Swedish Mini powered Holmbart Special was as low as it could get. Does it survive?

Picture courtesy Sportvagnen och Vi / Peter Camping

Do we see twin SUs poking through there? 'Till Salu' sign means that it's for sale

Picture courtesy Sportvagnen och Vi / Peter Camping

The car was offered for sale in April 1970 but there the track appears to end

Picture courtesy Sportvagnen och Vi / Peter Camping