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Puzzles, Games and Name That Car => Solved AutoPuzzles => 2015 => Topic started by: pnegyesi on May 24, 2015, 12:41:03 PM

Title: Solved: PN #749 -- Ford van by Kongsberg Karosseriefabrik, 1950
Post by: pnegyesi on May 24, 2015, 12:41:03 PM

Donor is easy, but can you identify year and coachbuilder for a point?

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: pnegyesi on May 31, 2015, 12:33:37 PM

Experts?

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: pnegyesi on June 08, 2015, 10:46:59 AM

Professionals?

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: Wendax on June 08, 2015, 11:01:35 AM

Ford V8 panel van by a Hungarian coachbuilder?

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: pnegyesi on June 08, 2015, 11:11:32 AM

not a Hungarian coachbuilder

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: Bill Murray on June 08, 2015, 11:15:46 AM

I have not been able to find anything on this one but if it helps, I believe it is a 1938 Matford V8.
Bill

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: pguillem on June 08, 2015, 11:37:35 AM

Ford Vairogs ?

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: pnegyesi on June 08, 2015, 02:26:32 PM

probably not a Matford and not a Vairogs either.

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: pguillem on June 08, 2015, 02:53:38 PM

Dutch coachbuilder ?

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: pnegyesi on June 08, 2015, 02:55:13 PM

not from NL

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: pguillem on June 08, 2015, 06:53:48 PM

Spanish coacbuilder ?

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: oko94 on June 09, 2015, 03:27:09 AM

European coachbuilder ?

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: targhediferro on June 09, 2015, 04:06:41 AM

It should be from Norway, Kongsberg Karosseriefabrik, and I suppose Bill was right when he said it's a Matford, but, anyway it should be a french Ford.

Title: Re: PN #749
Post by: pnegyesi on June 11, 2015, 12:24:19 AM

Sorry Bill, I missed the "French" part in the caption:

"F-15129. - Kongsberg Karosserifabrikk, bygde 5 slike varebiler på franske Ford Chassi i 1950."

So a perfect answer

Title: Re: Solved: PN #749 -- Ford van by Kongsberg Karosseriefabrik, 1950
Post by: Bill Murray on June 13, 2015, 05:32:01 PM

Just to add a bit to this one, I did a very quick bit of research on Ford in France while trying to find the answer to this puzzle and came up with the following information and a few photos from my file.

It seems that Ford had their own importer in France up until 1933.

In 1933, they formed a new company with the French car maker Mathis which then became Matford.
Some Mathis models were continued with Ford power trains but the main effort was on Ford derived vehicles.  Matford had their own very distinctive front end styling for the US versions and also built the "close coupled" 4 door sedans that seemingly were exclusive to Ford in England and Matford.

In 1940, Ford purchased the Mathis stake and the company became Ford SAF.  During WWII, this company produced a number of commercial vehicles for the German forces.

From 1946-1948 or so, Ford SAF continued to produce the pre-war Ford 13CV/F472 as the 472A, apparently both as a passenger car and a small commercial chassis.

How these chassis/cowl vehicles ended up in Norway I have not been able to determine just yet.
The volumes were most certainly rather low.

However, they did and I am posting photos of several others that may have been bodied by Kongsberg Karosseriefabrik, at least they look the same.  The photos are from a couple of Norwegian city or national archives that have a lot of photos of prewar and postwar vehicles. The posted dates are 1948-1950.

So, the puzzle photo is not a Matford, it is a Ford SAF vehicle.  I have not found any further information or photos of vehicles bodied by Kongsberg but the name may be a little bit off.  I am looking further.

In 1954, Ford sold the majority stake in the company to Simca who used the Ford motors for a few years.

Bill

Title: Re: Solved: PN #749 -- Ford van by Kongsberg Karosseriefabrik, 1950
Post by: pnegyesi on June 14, 2015, 12:58:48 PM

I have a book on Norwegian commercial vehicle history. (If anyone interested, I can help obtaining a copy). It has a list of local coachbuilders.
Kongsberg Karosserifabrikk existed in Kongsberg, Buskerud between cca 1947 and 1950.

Title: Re: Solved: PN #749 -- Ford van by Kongsberg Karosseriefabrik, 1950
Post by: Bill Murray on June 14, 2015, 03:27:50 PM

Thanks for the additional information, Pal.
I sent you a PM about your book comment.

Bill