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Professional custom car makers are few and far between. The same statement holds true for custom truck builders but the results of their work is seldom publicized -- and almost never is a custom truck built except for a single customer. When one does appear, few besides those who happen to see it on the trail or on the road are ever aware of the outfit.
It is hard to understand, then, that when an extra-ordinary custom truck (actually a bus) does appear even in small quantities, the news will travel half-way around the world.
If you have difficulty in recognizing the original outfit from which this custom job was built look hard and the familiar lines of the Kaiser Jeep's FC-170 will be vaguely evident. A rather remarkable truck in more ways than one, it was built by Gornan Holmquist of the Dyvirks Bruks AB Company in Akersberga, Sweden.
Originally produced for the Paris Auto Show it was built on order for a hunting enthusiast in New York. After it appeared in public it attracted the attention of the Swedish air force who ordered 100 of the vehicles. Since then more than 50 of the custom FC-170's have been built for other Swedish government agencies.
Apparently the Swedish version has few modifications except the body sheet metal and interior. But these changes make quite a remarkable rig out of the FC-170. Vehicles of this nature have become quite popular in recent years, especially in the compact class. Since many of these busses are purchased for recreational purposes it seems certain that such a rig with 4wd would be quite popular.
An interesting footnote to the Swedish custom outfit is that since its appearance Kaiser Jeep has built several similar body styles for the U.S. Government. They have never been placed in production and are built virtually "by hand." This is not too unusual for a truck manufacturer as part of their business is to custom manufacture body styles for customers. What is interesting is the powerplant that has been installed in some of the rigs. A three-cylinder diesel multi-fuel engine which produces 95 horse-power. According to reports it gives about 30 miles per gallon of diesel fuel.