Gustaf Nordberg was born on the sea a stormy night since his father, sea captain Nordberg, didn't get to Gothenburg harbour quick enough. Efter finishing school Gustaf was sent from his parents home in Sundsvall to Stockholm to learn the skills of a saddler. At master Carl Petter Malmqvist he got do his qualifying piece of work. Master Malmqvist told Gustaf to go to Petersburg to get some pracitics. For one year he worked at Kejserliga Hovvagnfabriken in Petersburg. From there he travelled to Germany and worked half a year in at Jos. Neuss, Königl. Hofwagenfabrikant. Back in Stockholm he continued at master Malmqvist before he started his own buisness. At the same backyard as his firm there was Hofslageribolaget and Johannessons vagnmålareverkstad. Hofslageribolaget had a blacksmith's workshop and Johannessons had a painting workshop.

After a few succesfully years the buisness moved in the year of 1909. It moved to some localities next to master Malmqvist. Now the coachbuilding had developed. Now the wagons were dressed in metal instead of wood. Gustaf now could afford to employ his own metalworkers. The cabins that were made were mostly luxury ones. Among the customers you could see Ivar Kreuger, AX:son Johnson, J.P. Åhlén, Beijer, Schlyter, the Kings stable and many more.

Gustaf Nordberg died in 1935, long before the making of the famous 'Nordbergscabben', a one off convertible on a 445-chassis. The two sons Nils and Carl took over the buisness. The third brother choosed a carrier in art. The convertible was built on one of the first 500 445-chassis according to the dashboard. The dashboard is the same found in the PV 444 A with the speedometer in the middle. The colouring though was not the green/yellow. Instead it got the grey one also found in the PV 444 S introduced in 1950. The hood got a higher profile than the original hood. The convertible has probarly gone to the scrapyard, but nobody knows for sure. As long as it isn't verified you can hope that it is put to rest in some barn somewhere. After the second world war mostly ambulances were manufactured. Sometime during the 70:s later half the buisness was sold to a german who ran a car repair shop.

Information about Gustaf Nordbergs Vagnfabrik is found in the book " Karossmakarens berättelse " from 1969 , written by Nils Nordberg. Other information is taken from the club magazine of the Swedish Volvo PV-club and from Gert Ströman, vice president in Automobilhistoriska klubben.

Published 2002-07-14