Scania - Cars made in Sweden, info from Konditori 100
Year and place: 1900-1911, Malmö. (1911 joined with
Vabis to Scania-Vabis AB. In 1969 Scania-Vabis and Saab merged to
Saab-Scania.)
Scania was founded in Malmö in 1900, with the main purpose to produce
bicycles and other mechanical works. But early there were thoughts about
motor vehicles, and the next summer the decision was taken.
To get a good start they looked at what others had done, and did not
hesitate to copy or use working foreign constructions. The first preserved
drawing from the making of Scanias first car is dated late June 1901.
The
first Scania car was finished the same year. With water-cooled engine,
chain transmission and a de Dion rear part. The car was a 4-seater, with
light yellow coachwork and with blue fabric with yellow stars on the seats.
Scania showed it at the first automobile exhibition in the Nordic countries,
in Copenhagen 1902, together with a 2-seated "voiturette" and a motorcycle.
The second car was finished early in 1902, often referred to as the "Thorssinska"
wagon after the constructor. It was a 2-seater, equipped with an extra ring
on the steering wheel for controls. The third car is guessed to be a rather
radical rebuilding of the second car.
Already in the middle of 1902, a year after the decision to build the
first car, the decision was taken to start serie production of private cars.
The first one was delivered in December 1902. Well, the serie consisted of
just five cars.
They were
called
Scania Model A, and had a 4-seated coachwork where the passengers
entered at the rear. The rear seat could easily be changed for a small cargo
box. The cars had german Kämper engines, french carburators and a gear box
with three forward and one rear gear.
One of these cars was driven from Malmö to Stockholm, to be exhibited at
a car show. It made the 692 kilometre trip in astonishing 32 hours. Good
publicity was given Scania, since other car makers said they would fake the
trip, using train. So the drivers sent telegrams from every place they
stopped for food or sleep. Swedens Crown Prince, later King Gustaf V, got a
test trip with the car, and ordered a Scania - which added to the publicity.
More and more cars and trucks.
Then the number of cars, and of models, increased rapidly (relatively spoken -
see below). A wide range of engine alternatives were offered, and cars were made
in several sizes. Unlike Vabis the cars from Scania were of very high class, and
could be compared to foreign cars.
Scania also made a number of delivery vans, trucks and buses. Among the buses
some could have the "bus part" lifted off and "the rest"
used as a truck.
Scania trucks also gave the mark good publicity. In the autumn of 1909 the
swedish military made a test with a 3 ton (metric) truck with a 24hp engine.
The 685 km trip from Malmö to Stockholm was made in 33 hours, with an average
speed of almost 21 km/h. It was considered a good performance, with full load of
cargo - which gave problems with weak bridges. This was the first truck ever
that used ball bearings, and the trip was made to prove its advantages. It also
indicated the usefulness of cars for the military.
Scania and Vabis.
Why did Scania propose the joining of Vabis and Scania? One reason was that
Vabis' coachwork factory had the overcapacity Scania badly needed. Another were
the competition resources. Vabis and Scania had a kind of "friendly
competition", but the threat from american car makers was serious. The
competition with other truck makers were not so big in 1910, but singlehanded
neither Vabis or Scania would be able to meet the competition that certainly
would come.
At the end of 1910 Scania had produced close to 60 private cars and 50
trucks. The first Scania can be seen at Tekniska museet in Stockholm (but it is
nowadays blue and black) together with at least one more Scania.
