Converted in seconds...

• 

This amazing shot dates from the Sweden of the late 1960s. No exact date is known, but it was definitely photographed after 3 September 1967. On that day Sweden turned from driving on the left side of the road to the right side, with just a few days (‘Dagen H’) to get used to the new way of driving. Still then, you had to be careful out there. For low bridges for example.

The unfortunate driver of this lorry was well prepared. The Långt Fordon (Long Vehicle) sign had to make people aware of his mega haul of at least 9 brand new VWs, the Bibendum on his grille suggests it wore fine tyres and the six big rally spots under the bumper gave him plenty of light on those dark long stretches through Sweden’s vast pine forests. Still thing went terribly wrong. The amazing thing is that all the Beetles are still on his truck, with no sign of them being secured to the platform. How did he do that?

(Words Jeroen Booij, picture courtesy tt.se)

Make a comment, ask a question, give your opinion, share additional information or start a discussion by filling in the fields below.