Frank Williksen is the veteran of Broom's editorial. He has been working as a automotive journalist for over 50 years and has tested a large number of cars at home and abroad.
Some cars remember him better than others. Frank now shares the memories with all of Broom's readers. This time it is Opel Kaptein 1960, one of his first cars – and a night trip through the Østerdalen – to 40 degrees: [19659004] I have no doubt that Opelen had burst my life before 1970. Or said the opposite: If the car had crashed in the forests of Østerdals in the middle of the night at 40 degrees, I'd have it. I had barely survived.
Here are few similarities with the cabins today! Bus size steering wheel, and note the comfortable engagement in the sofa and teddy rattles. That's how it should be. The little button at the bottom left of the wheel is passing …
Here are few similarities with the cabins of today! Bus size steering wheel, and note the comfortable engagement in the sofa and teddy rattles. That's how it should be. The little button at the bottom left of the wheel is passing …
A small awesome electric plant
There was no traffic – the wise people obviously stayed under the pillow – and at the time there was no mobile phone from, much less help button for direct contact with good helpers at Opel.
Margins were already small in the first place. The captain had only 6 volts of electrical equipment, the battery was not exactly dug – and the DC dynamic had its climatic stresses
It's the best of the car classics [19659011] How the Blue Captain took more summer routes. Photo: Reimphoto
How Captain Bleu took more summer roads. Photo: Reimphoto
In blazer og pjekkert
We also had no storm.No to provide us with a relatively accurate weather for the road. As if that was not bad, the undersigned was dressed for invalidity in Oslo, when the journey started from my workplace as a night editor at Morgenposten;
With blazer and trendy fashion as tracksuit (and no "pants during long winter"), you were poorly equipped for 10 degrees of cold, much less for 40 of
It was a boring trip!
It was just before Christmas, and it was a return trip for Christmas
It looked like it was coming out of the factory
How did it look? He rolled out of the factory.
In Oslo, there was a light rain, partly fogged and around zero degrees, so I relied on a simple trip and no trøndelags trøndelags; a bit like usual: tedious and boring, and with roads that did not really allow a good speed of transport
Once common – now it is a rare sight
VERY cold!
Even before the meeting it was remarkably much colder and the little thing that saw the traffic, was taking more and more time in front of Elverum.
Just before midnight I went back to a farm in Elverum to sleep a little in the car. I had to abandon this project almost immediately – it was only a few minutes that it was so cold inside the captain that it was only going to turn on and continue to roll.
And for a drive. And for one night!
I quickly realized that it was very cold. The de-icer only managed to deliver two small slips to the bottom of the windshield, just enough to see when I leaned forward.
I did not have heat. The radiator of the car was out of use, and the brutal cold had therefore free access to the entire radiator.
Partly required to drive in Norway in the 1960s – not only in winter …
Driving in Norway in the 1960s – not only in winter …
This meant that the engine was not running at all. Never got to have a proper operating temperature, and I guess the engine oil in the engine block had a consistency similar to porridge. I led to andregir the whole Østerdalen because the clutch was not working. At the same time, I could not drive very fast because there was not much life in the brakes either.
This was the best friend of the job
6 Volt gave bad odds
Steady went: I did not have any winter tires, but that was so much blaspheming that even used summer tires were sitting on the snowstorm (no saltpetre, at the time, no!).
The only thing I saw from the other cars was a passenger car that I encountered near Åsta and two trucks
It was terribly cold and ultimately flawed: Gravity the situation even diverged for me afterwards.
With a 6-volt power plant, a similar battery certainly not completely bought, and a dynamo that does not have enough power just to the lights, probably not the chances of a successful expedition were the best !
– 40 degrees cold night
After about seven hours of this show I finally watched the first open gas station, in Tynset. It's not a bonus to guess that I stopped there! Fort was not content to leave – I thought my average speed on the Elverum to Tynset route should have been 28-30 kilometers per hour.
A sweet Northeast beer greeted me and asked me a little when I told him that I had been driving from Elverum around midnight, and that I was not going to Was not stopped before.
– You know that there was 40 degrees of cold in the valley tonight? He asked and added that "here at Tynset he is now" only "36"!
Thank you, Captain!
The man should have been gilded and stabbed when he found a suitable cardboard box and sat in front of the radiator on Opelen
Stylish in the back too, no-is this not?
Stylish in the back too, is not it?
And there ended the drama as a magic battle. Just a few miles later, I left the room temperature behind the steering wheel, cleaned the windows all around, and all vital organs of Opel worked again as they should
Thank you, Captain, for its robust reliability (and strong life)! Years Complete This 30 – Become a Veteran
The Papplaten Made The Suspense
Broom's expert, Benny Christensen, made the following comment when I told him the story:
– It must have been a bit exciting! It was another time – with simpler cars, no synthetic oil, worse antifreeze and 6 volts, and with a half battery and a DC power supply, I thought the fan and the heater also had reduced capacity in the cold
Papplate in front of the radiator The engine is cooler and keeps the temperature better – and it's a good old trick that can still be used, he says.
90 hp rackseck
My Opel Captain was a dark blue 1960s P2 model with an American fort. drawing in the design, for example with typical panoramic windows front and back. Typically, it was also that the car had sofa seats forward. This gave some benefits in more romantic situations, but in return, there was no support. And the seat belt was also defective.
The car was equipped with a 2.6 liter six-cylinder 90 liter gasoline engine. The maximum torque was 190 Nm, available from 1300 to 2500 rpm – where it was needed most.
Service every 3000 kilometers
The car was 4.84 m long, 1.82 m wide and 1.48 m high. The axle spacing was 2.55 m
Some other facts:
Gearbox: 3 speed manual
Maximum speed: 150 km / h
Drivetrain: Rear wheel [19659009] Brakes: Front and rear drums
] Tank capacity: 55 liters
Consumption: 1.15 l / mil
CO2 emissions: 273 g / km
Specific weight: 1322 kg [19659009] Allowable weight: 1820 kg
