17 replies to this topic

[sstiel]

Good afternoon all,

 

I hope this doesn't sound silly. I did a feature about Gunnar Nilsson for Vintage Racecar and I would love to do a book about him. Darren Banks's Stephen South book has been an inspiration.

 

I've started talking to people in Britain and Sweden. I hope to catch John Morrison and I've used The Viking Drivers book for some bits. I must work hard and be original. Any other contemporaries will be welcome; friends outside racing and those particularly from Vee, Supervee, Formula Three, touring cars and IROC. 

 

Many thanks for any assistance. Please PM me.

[f1steveuk]

I would suggest Chris Witty would be a very good place to start

[Stephen W]

Get a copy of "The Viking Drivers" & see what's already been done,

[Myhinpaa]

Some relevant links below, ranging from the Gunnar NIlsson Cancertrust to some more recent blogs and articles. all in Swedish I'm afraid.

The photos from Ronnie Peterson's funeral shows a clearly very ill Gunnar walking right behind the coffin between Watson and Hunt.

Gunnar knew his cancer was terminal and allegedly commented to someone at the funeral :

 

 "Ronnie dog åtminstone på det 'rätta sättet'......" (Ronnie did at least die the "proper way")

 

http://www.cancerstiftelsen.se/?id=56

 

http://www.ronniepeterson.se/subc/begravning.html

 

http://bloggar.aftonbladet.se/f1bloggen/2015/01/hjalten-som-dog-for-tidigt/

 

https://www.expressen.se/kvallsposten/ronnie-peterson-tande-till-och-satte-sig-bakom-en-gaffeltruck/

Edited by Myhinpaa, 23 November 2017 - 20:24.

[Cirrus]

As I think I have said before on this forum, I knew Gunnar very briefly before he went on to greater things. He was unfailingly cheerful, kind and generous. Something that haunts me to this day is what happened when I walked past a guy with no hair at the 1978 British GP. He said "Hi" and I said "Hi" back but it wasn't until Autosport published a picture of him in that week's issue that I realised it was Gunnar.

 

I think the caption said that he was "Recovering well".

Edited by Cirrus, 23 November 2017 - 18:55.

[E1pix]

The picture of Gunnar near Ronnie's coffin really choked me up yesterday.

Perhaps the day was appropriate (Thanksgiving), if only for we are here and he's been gone a very long time. Just damned sad.

[alansart]

As I think I have said before on this forum, I knew Gunnar very briefly before he went on to greater things. He was unfailingly cheerful, kind and generous. Something that haunts me to this day is what happened when I walked past a guy with no hair at the 1978 British GP. He said "Hi" and I said "Hi" back but it wasn't until Autosport published a picture of him in that week's issue that I realised it was Gunnar.

 

I think the caption said that he was "Recovering well".

I saw Gunnar at the 78 GP as well. I didn't recognise him at all and it was only a friend who realised who he was afterwards. Very sad.

 

I was a marshal in the 70's and came across him a few times when he was in F3. He was a charming chap - no airs and graces. He just got on with his racing, which he was extremely good at.

[Henri Greuter]

When I har his name, I can't help smiling because of two comment he supposedly made which will about infuriate a number of patricotic British race fans and Lotus fans worldwide,

 

Supposedly, Gunnar wasn't that happy to be exchanged with Ronnie Peterson coming from Lotus to March which made Gunnar go to Lutus instead.

He made it clear not wanting to go to Lotus after supposedly having said something like "Frank Williams is sending me flowers every day"

 

Once at Lotus he was asked what Lotus needed and (it will infuriate a number of Lotus fans in both britain as where as elsewhere in the world) supposedly he answered:

 

"20 liters of gasoline and a match" 

 

Source: Grand Prix Story 76  by Heinz Prüller

 

 

He died before I got truly seriously interested in F1 and paid more attention than to lauda and Hunt only. Im glad that at least he made it into the record books with at least one victory to his credit.

 

Henri

[Tim Murray]

I don’t have the Viking Drivers book, but my understanding is that Nilsson had a firm contract with March only for F2 in 1976, with the vague possibility of F1 later on. Thus the swap with Peterson gave him his big break into F1, and the Lotus 77 turned out not too bad. I’m puzzled, then, as to why he would have made such comments about Lotus.

[Henri Greuter]

I don’t have the Viking Drivers book, but my understanding is that Nilsson had a firm contract with March only for F2 in 1976, with the vague possibility of F1 later on. Thus the swap with Peterson gave him his big break into F1, and the Lotus 77 turned out not too bad. I’m puzzled, then, as to why he would have made such comments about Lotus.

 

Tim,

 

What I listed was printed within the 1976 annual of Prüller in a chapter shortly after Nilsson went to Lotus. Amd in the early part of the season Lotus was still nowhere. Only gradually, later on during the season when Andretti came along as well the Lotus team got a bit better. But early on they even had Bob Evans running the car for them....  No offence to Bob, he did what he could but .....

 

And regrettably, Prüller did not print further comments of Nilsson later on in the year. Maybe his opinion did change later on but even if so, none of such comments would be as memorable and good to print as the ones I gave.

 

 

Henri

[Myhinpaa]

The picture of Gunnar near Ronnie's coffin really choked me up yesterday.

 

It seems Ronnie's death had a severe impact on Gunnar and he at that stage gave up his brave fight and hopes of getting well again.

 

He attended both Monaco and Brands Hatch during the '78 GP season and seemed very optimistic and cheerful.

Here's a photo of him and Ronnie in the Lotus pits at Brands with Peter Warr (?) + ?? http://www.ointres.se/rpgn_f1_1978.jpg

 

I believe Gunnar had a somewhat strained relationship with his father and especially his half-brother.

Allegedly he called the latter not so long before he died and told him in no uncertain terms NOT to attend the funeral.

 

His mother, Elisabeth Nillsson established the cancer fund after his death, she died in '92 and is buried next to Gunnar at 

the cemetery at Pålsjø Church north of Helsingborg.

Edited by Myhinpaa, 27 November 2017 - 23:31.

[LittleChris]

Isn't that Nigel Bennett with the glasses rather than Peter Warr ?

[Myhinpaa]

Isn't that Nigel Bennett with the glasses rather than Peter Warr ?

 

Sorry, brain fade + assumption and all that... Of course it cant be Peter Warr since he was with Wolf from '77 to '81...

An article and interview with Bennet in the link below which include a photo in '77 of him with Chapman, Nilsson and Andretti.

 

https://velocenews.b...el-bennett.html

Edited by Myhinpaa, 28 November 2017 - 00:03.

[E1pix]

Thanks, Myhinpaa.

[f1steveuk]

I have no idea quite why Nilsson would want to incinerate the Lotus. He did get his hands, albeit briefly on the 78, but he would have known the 77 "adjusty car", was a test bed for what was to come, even though the 78 was still a bit "flexible" for ground effect. Maybe he heard what people like Innes Ireland, had said before?

[Michael Ferner]

Go back and read the reports about Nilsson's first races with Lotus - I, for one, can fully understand why he felt that way!

[MCS]

I don’t have the Viking Drivers book, but my understanding is that Nilsson had a firm contract with March only for F2 in 1976, with the vague possibility of F1 later on. Thus the swap with Peterson gave him his big break into F1, and the Lotus 77 turned out not too bad. I’m puzzled, then, as to why he would have made such comments about Lotus.

 

There is (or was) somewhere, an old, grainy black and white picture on the Internet of Gunnar looking somewhat unimpressed in a BMW jacket by the side of a white semi-liveried (BMW) March 762 with a stately home in the background.  If I find it I will post a link.

 

Chris Witty and Ian Phillips did a great deal for Gunnar in his final months.

[Myhinpaa]

Found some clips on YouTube that might be of interest, the first is a collection of clips put together by SVT back in the day.

Very interesting to hear Gunnar speak in a very soft, clean Helsingborg accent, almost posh but in the most positive and unpretentious way.

 

He comes across as sympathetic and humble as everyone who met him have described. 

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=c3JBO_n5ufE

 

Here's a clip from '77 Watkins Glen when a passing maneuver on Ronnie's Tyrrell proved a bit too ambitious.

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=JyVOWfqDcUQ