RPB, Cars/Sweden, Konditori 100s Garage

RPB - Cars made in Sweden, info from Konditori 100

Year and place: 1965-1981, Burträsk

Kjell Lindskog founded Racing Plast Burträsk (RPB) in 1965. From 1966 two car makes were produced, both for Formula Vee (Volkswagen engines). Broke was a copy of the Beach Car (U.S.A.), and Dolling which was a Swedish construction.

Broke was meant to be a cheaper alternative than to import cars, and initially only bodies were made. They didn't sell so well, and RPB decided to make chassis too. A good decision, and during 1966-67 around 50 (estimated) Broke were sold as kits or complete cars.

The Dolling cars were manufactured for constructor Willy Dolling during 1966-67.

Then came their own Formula Vee cars...
In 1967 they constructed their own Formula Vee car. It was built to be easy to produce, and the lower production costs resulted in a cheaper car that sold well. A winning car that took a number of drivers to the winners stand.

The car was improved in 1968 with among others a more rigid chassis and a more adjustable rear axle construction.

A new construction came in 1969, now with higher priority to make a car with better performance. A serie of 6 cars was made, and they performed well. However only these 6 were built, since rumours told about changed rules for the Formula Vee class.

The new rules in 1970 allowed RPB to make a longer and more narrow car with a more efficient wedge shape. 13-15 cars were made. RPB cars won 14 of 18 competitions. One of them were winning races as late as 1978.

The same model was built in 1971-72, but just a couple per year.

RPB cars were used by drivers around Europe. I read that in 1971 RPB cars made 22 European track records.

...and their own sports cars
In 1968 the RPB Piraya was presented. A kit car made to be mounted on a Volkswagen chassis. It was a low 2-seated body with gullwing-doors and a rear that could be swung upwards for easy access to the engine.

It sold rather well, but some customers found it difficult to get their cars together with good results. Around 40 kits were sold in less than a year.

The RPB-GT followed in 1969, looking much like the Piraya. This kit car had a 'normal' body with the usual constructions for doors and rear end. This kit was more prepared for the customer, and easier to handle to get a finished car.

This too sold pretty well. Most were sold as kit cars but some left the factory as complete cars.

Then, in the summer of 1970, the rules for homebuilt cars for use on roads were changed. Among others crash tests became mandatory. It was almost impossible to build such cars in Sweden until the early 1980s when the regulations were remade again.

However the production continued with cars for export to foremost Finland and Norway. The cars for Norway had chairs that were more upright positioned.

Super Vee
Meanwhile production of race cars continued.

In Formula Super Vee Volkswagen engines up to 1600 cc with twin carburetors were allowed, and RPB once again made a new construction. This time their car got a monocoque chassis, and using the rules it was a more advanced car.

The first car was built in about 3 months, and in April 1971 it was taken to 3 races in Europe. It handled well, but the engine didn't.

Initially the engine had been used as 'a part of' the chassis, but that didn't work. After the chassis rear part was reconstructed the results were more positive. The driver Bror Jaktlund finished as number 3 in the European championship, despite a crash with the car that forced him to skip the last race.

After the crash a second Formula Super Vee car was built for the 1973 season. It was used for some years until sold in 1976. After it had been owned by people in Sweden, Denmark and England it came back to Sweden in late 2002.

Fire
In May 1971 a fire destroyed the factory, including the moulds for the sports cars.

It was not possible for RPB to restart the production, unfortunately.

The reseller in Finland had orders for more cars. He bought the right to produce the RPB GT, made new moulds from the last delivered car and continued production for some years.

RPB found new premises and continued producing other plastic products.

A last (?) bite
In 1982 the Swedish rules for homebuilt cars were changed again, to the better for producers and most car enthusiasts.

RPB decided to begin with car production again. A body from production in Finland was modified to become a car fit for the 1980s.

Some cars of the new GT model were built and shown at exhibitions and to media people, and they were well received.

At the same time RPB got a large production order from the Swedish military, and the car production plans ended.

Still there
Totally some 300 raca and sports cars were built, and many still exists.

Several of the sports cars have been modified during the years. The one on my photos has been modified and has a 'targa' top.

The moulds from both the Finnish production still existed in the early 2000s, and I guess material from the GT model from the 1980s too. See more on http://users.burtrask.com/rpb

Photos:

RPB Piraya, here beside a Volvo 240GL.