Remembering the greatest truck thrill ride of them all

The passing of well-known Swedish truck customiser, Sven Erik Bergendahl, better known as ‘Svempa’, last week was a sad day for the trucking industry.

The 87-year-old was responsible for the most exhilarating truck-drive this writer has ever experienced, and many other stunning creations.

In fact, the passing of Svempa marks the end of a long productive and in many ways exciting era for Scania.

“It is with great sadness, for all of us at Scania, and for me personally, that I have learned that Sven Erik ‘Svempa’ Bergendahl is no longer with us,” remarked Christian Levin, President and CEO at Scania Group and Traton Group.

“For more than 50 years, Svempa helped shape how Scania is perceived as a brand through his unique custom-built trucks, admired all around the world. His reputation was truly global, with one of the largest fan bases in the truck community.

“Svempa’s energy and passion always inspired me, and I truly valued every encounter we had over the years," Levin went on. "In recent times, it was a special pleasure to have him stop by Scania headquarters for a chat, sharing ideas and talking about what might come next.”

Related: 82-year old Svempa creates custom Scania show-stopper

Back in 2009, Scania brought Svempa’s latest customisation feat to Australia for the Brisbane Truck Show; the centrepiece of the Swedish truck maker’s stand at the RNA in Brisbane.

Based on a T model, Scania T500 bonneted model, the truck named the ‘Red Pearl’ was rebadged as a Scania R999, because it was capable of producing 1000hp from a souped-up Scania V8 diesel engine.

However, its defining feature was the fact it was an open top convertible. The roof had been removed and Svempa had rebuilt the cabin for some open-air driving!

The truck arrived a couple of weeks before the show, and I was lucky enough to be offered the chance to drive or ride as a passenger in this unique truck. Not licensed to travel on Aussie roads, Scania managed to get some time on a spare runway at Brisbane Airport to show off the truck to a few lucky journos in its natural environment.

The left-hand drive truck was fitted with twin turbos and an Allison automatic transmission, capable of dealing with the 4500Nm of torque produced by the V8. That was enough to take the R999 from zero to 100km/h in around five seconds!

The twin turbos increased both horsepower and torque to levels that also let this roadster truck drift like a high-powered car. Unfortunately for us, the airport officials weren't going to let us have a go at drifting, doughnuts and burn-outs.

Instead, we got to experience the sheer power and acceleration as we floored the accelerator and let the truck do its thing down the track. It was both thrilling and scary at the same time.

Many there chose to sit in the passenger seat and experience the thrills with the man himself, Svempa, behind the wheel. However, I chose to take the wheel, just to experience that kind of overwhelming power in a 4x2 bonneted prime mover first hand.

When the truck took off, I was pushed back into the seat, and when it reached high speeds, my biggest concern was how to slow it down and turn it around in time before the end of the track.

Luckily the brakes were built to match and we spun around in time for a return leg. It was one of the highlights of my driving career.

Thanks for the memories Svempa...