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Fri Sep 19, 2008 6:32 pm

Why have so many Barndoor buses been found in Sweden? They used road salt, they have lots of rain (I think) and acidic pine needles. Is it that the Swedes just push their old cars into the woods and have enough space to leave them there for 50 years? (Very little population expansion = more old cars in rural areas not being removed for developing housing tracts).

Hmmm, anthropology and old cars do work together... :D

Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:32 pm

The old barndoors last well because they drive SAAB's in winter with real heat and leave the buses for summer outings.

Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:58 pm

iprangen wrote: Why have so many Barndoor buses been found in Sweden? They used road salt, they have lots of rain (I think) and acidic pine needles. Is it that the Swedes just push their old cars into the woods and have enough space to leave them there for 50 years? (Very little population expansion = more old cars in rural areas not being removed for developing housing tracts).

Hmmm, anthropology and old cars do work together... :D

Unlike the rest of Europe (Switzerland, Spain & Portugal excluded), Sweden was not spending every Kronor either rebuilding the country or paying war reparations, so there was disposable income available to spend on luxuries like new cars that others could only dream about until the mid '50s.

Sat Sep 20, 2008 8:16 am

When I was a kid I remember seeing old cars everywhere in the woods. People used to drive them out in the woods when they bought a new car or when something got wrong with their cars. Also we have a small population and big woods...

Sat Sep 20, 2008 12:03 pm

small population, big country with lots of wood.
disposible income in the 50's.
changing from left hand side of road to right in 67.

5,358 barndoors were exported to sweden buy the end of '54.
Belgium (inc. Congo) is the only export country in the world with more.