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Saab Rally Driver Profile - Erik Carlsson
July 28th, 2008 by Ryan - 1 Comments
Erik “på taket” Carlsson, or “på taket” in Swedish meaning “on the roof”, was born March 5, 1929 in Trollhättan, Sweden.
The nickname On the roof, apparently originated by from the children’s book, “Karlsson på taket” by Astrid Lindgren. In this book,the Karlsson character lived on the roof of an apartment building. This “on the roof” name was given to Erik Carlsson because he had the infrequent habit of rolling his Saab rally car on its roof.
Erik joined SAAB as a rally driver, just after the first SAAB 92 model was produced and participated in his first rally with it, the Rikspokalen in 1955. Carlsson, married to Pat Moss on March 3rd, 1963, began a relationship that expanded well beyond the homefront. Patt Moss, a younger sister of legendary rally driver, Stirling Moss eventually became Erik Carlsson’s co-pilot through most of his successful rally career.
The early SAABs that Erik Carlsson drove were significantly underutilized two-stroke vehicles that required the driver to keep the high revolutions up while moving, which meant high speeds at all times. When driving these “strokers” at high speeds at all times, Erik Carlsson developed what was called “left foot” braking where you use your left foot to brake while in the same instance, your right foot to maintain the speed at all times.
While Erik Carlsson maintained 1st place in most of his rally circuits, the most notable rally he participated in was the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally where he was victorious.
The year following this victory, both Erik Carlsson and Pat Moss wrote a book called “The Art & Technique of Driving”.
The most recent book on Erik Carlsson’s career was published in 1999, titled “Mr. Saab”. The Mr Saab title was given to Erik “On the Roof” Carlsson by Saab Automobile as he ended his rally career to continue a public relations career for the Swedish car company.
Today, Erik Carlsson has been known to make appearances at various Saab Festivals and Saab Conventions all over the world, and with any luck maybe you will get a chance to meet this legendary Saab rally champion to thank him for all of the recognition, attention and history he has brought to the Saab Automobile brand ever since.
I leave you with his list of lifetime rally achievements.
| Year | Rally | Finish | Car | Co-driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Rikspokalen | 1st | Saab 92 | |
| 1957 | 1000 Lakes | 1st | Saab 93 | |
| 1959 | Swedish Rally | 1st | Saab 93 | |
| 1959 | German Rally | 1st | Saab 93 | |
| 1960 | RAC Rally | 1st | Saab 96 | |
| Akropolis Rally | 2nd | Saab 96 | ||
| 1961 | Monte Carlo Rally | 4th | Saab 96 | |
| RAC Rally | 1st | Saab 96 | ||
| Akropolis Rally | 1st | Saab 96 | ||
| 1962 | RAC Rally | 1st | Saab 96 | |
| Monte Carlo Rally | 1st | Saab 96 | ||
| East African Safari Rally | 7th | Saab 96 | ||
| 1963 | Monte Carlo Rally | 1st | Saab 96 | |
| Liège-Sofia-Liège Rally | 2nd | Saab 96 | ||
| 1964 | Monte Carlo Rally | 1st | Saab 96 Sport | |
| San Remo Rally | 1st | Saab 96 Sport | ||
| Liège-Sofia-Liège Rally | 2nd | Saab 96 Sport | ||
| East African Safari Rally | 1st | Saab 96 Sport | ||
| 1965 | BP Australian Rally | 2nd | Saab 96 Sport | |
| 1966 | Coupe De Alpes Rally | Last | Saab Sonett II | |
| Akropolis Rally | 2nd | Saab 96 Sport | ||
| 1967 | Czech Rally | 1st | Saab 96 V4 | |
| 1969 | Baja 1000 | 3rd | Saab 96 V4 | |
| 1970 | Baja 1000 | 5th | Saab 96 V4 |
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Posted: July 28th, 2008 under 2000-2009, 96, Trollhättan, Sweden, Personalities.
Comments: 1
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Pingback from Saab History » A Film By Saab Sweden on Erik Carlsson’s Rally History
Time: July 29, 2008, 4:38 am
[…] I have just received another film from the former New England Saab Association secretary, this time a bit longer than the previous film . This film, complete with narration and produced by SAAB SWEDEN in 1964, features Erik Carlsson in the entire Monte-Carlo Rally, footage of the SAAB ANA testing and competition facility as well as brief clips of the Safari, Tulip, Polish and RAC Rallies. Erik Carlsson as well as his co-pilot, Gunnar Palm, were both present at the 2007 60th Anniversary Saab Festival dinner that took place in Trollhättan, Sweden last summer. If you are interested Saab’s world rewknowned rally legend Erik Carlsson or Saab Rallying in general, please sit back, relax and enjoy the nearly 45 minutes worth of vintage rally footage in none other than the legendary SAAB 96. Email This Post Print This Post […]
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