Erik Carlsson

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Erik Carlsson, 1962
Erik Carlsson in front of a 1972 Saab Sonett III, 2005 in Essen

Erik Carlsson (born March 5, 1929 in Trollhättan , † May 27, 2015 in England ) was a Swedish rally driver .

Carlsson on the roof

Erik Carlsson was rallying personified in the 1950s and 1960s. With him and his driving style, this form of motorsport became popular in Europe. The name Carlsson is also closely associated with the Saab car brand . The Saab 93 and Saab 96 that he drove achieved cult status in the automobile at that time. His spectacular driving style, which not infrequently resulted in the Saabs piloted by him finding themselves on the roof, gave him the nickname Carlsson on the roof - in reference to the character in the novel by Astrid Lindgren . In order to keep the speed of the Saab two-stroke engines high, Carlsson braked with his left foot while the right foot remained on the accelerator. Today he is considered the father of left-hand braking.

Career in motorsport

After some successes at national rally events in Finland, Carlsson celebrated his first major international success in 1957 with overall victory at the 1000 Lakes Rally, today's Rally Finland . In 1959 he won the Rally Sweden and in 1962 and 1963 the Rally Monte Carlo . He triumphed in the RAC rally three times in a row - from 1960 to 1962 . In 1964 he also won the Rallye dei Fiori, the predecessor of the Rallye San Remo . Carlsson competed in rallies until the early 1970s. His last major success was winning the Barum Rally Zlín in 1967 on a Saab 96.

Private

Erik Carlsson was married to Pat Moss (1934-2008), the younger sister of the British racing driver Stirling Moss . Her daughter, Suzy Carlsson, is a well-known show jumping rider in Sweden. Together with his wife, he wrote the book in 1965: The Art and Technique of Driving .

statistics

Individual results in the sports car world championship

season team race car 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th
1956 Goals Bjurström Ferrari 750 Monza ArgentinaArgentina BUA United StatesUnited States SEB ItalyItaly MIM GermanyGermany ONLY SwedenSweden KRI
DNF
1957 Ferrari Svezia Ferrari 750 Monza ArgentinaArgentina BUA United StatesUnited States SEB ItalyItaly MIM GermanyGermany ONLY FranceFrance LEM SwedenSweden KRI VenezuelaVenezuela CAR
7th

Web links

Commons : Erik Carlsson  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Carlsson, Erik
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swedish rally driver
DATE OF BIRTH March 5, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Trollhättan
DATE OF DEATH May 27, 2015
Place of death England