My name is Göran Ottosson from Sweden, up in northern Europe. I have always been very interested in cars and other mechanical things.

When I turned 50 I decided I should visit the US for the first time, and among other things, also drive Route 66. I celebrated my birthday in Miami and after that my wife and I drove up to Oklahoma and then ”the road” to L.A.

I have returned many times. I think I must have run around 20,000 miles crossing the country over the years. In 2004 I met Gordon Dudley in L.A. when I was looking to buy his old pickup. We became real good friends after that and have met several times and communicate frequently.

On my U.S. visits I usually keep a lookout for a new car to restore. In 2013, I was looking for a  Nomad-56 and since I know Gordon it was natural to ask him for help. We tried many days to find a car but there were not many out there. We looked at very nice restored cars and we looked at wrecks but I wanted something restorable that wouldn't break my neck. Two days before I was flying back, Gordon found an advertisement about one Nomad in Hawthorne, CA. The car had been sitting outside under a tarp for about ten years. The seller's late husband bought it in Palmdale, CA in 1990. After her husband passed, the VIN plate disappeared but she had a clear title. She accepted my offer and the deal was closed. Once again it's good to have a friend like Gordon. He knew a policeman that came over and checked the number on the frame and certified that it was the same number as on the title and a new California VIN plate was attached.  Now there was no time left before I had to fly back to Sweden so, once again, Gordon stepped in and now helped me take the Nomad to the harbor so I could ship her to Sweden for new adventures. Three months later the car arrived here in Sweden and the restoration began.

I tore her apart, nothing was left untouched. I welded up everything, checked the engine, and of course bought a lot of different parts before I, after three years, could put everything together. I did the whole restoration, except the paint, by myself. The car is original except for the engine, which is from a 57. I find my “car life” divided into three parts, each part as fun as the other. 

1. Find the car. 

2. Restore the car.

3. Drive the car. Often when I have driven the cars for a couple of years I sell them but this one is a keeper.

This year I'm restoring a Chevy pickup ½ ton-53. The plan is she will be ready for the road in summer of 2022.

My other cars right now are a Ford Coupe-41 and a Porsche Carrera-87, both very intact. I haven't done any convertible yet so a 56 cab is high on my wish list.

Photos below provided by Göran.