1956 Ford F100 - Euro Effie

The extreme fascination (dare call it an obsession?) with '56 Ford F-100s is by no means limited to the confines of North America. Like the venerable '32 Ford coupe, and even the cherished '57 Bel Air, some Yankee classics have no continental boundaries, thus they experience love from all corners of the globe. Despite the possible astronomical amounts some have to pay to export whatever it takes to pursue their vintage American automotive affection-whether it be exporting parts to build or complete, finished vehicles-money seems to not be a huge concern.

Swedish chef/restaurateur Martin Zeden is a die-hard Ford freak, much like the thousands of fanatics in the States. The only difference is, he's quite detached from the States, as he resides in Northern Europe-Genarp, Sweden, to be geographically correct. Along with co-owning (and cooking at, of course) his restaurant and raising two kids, Zeden has somehow found spare time to devote to a hobby that few fellow countrymen understand. Even his business partner is into old American iron (the two recently built a '70s El Camino together), which definitely helps with the "working relationship." Martin is more so a true Blue Oval fan, having served as a member of the Swedish Ford V-8 Club for quite some time. Among his various Ford fetishes, though, the '56 F-100 stands out among the rest-big-windows when you get down to the nitty-gritty of it.

While there are F-100s in Sweden-unlike the amount of old Volvos and Saabs in the US-the problem is that they rarely change hands, if ever. Not too long ago, another Swedish rodder by the name of Mats Petterson had purchased a '56 big-window from Southern California, had it shipped to Stockholm, and shortly thereafter built most of the truck as you see it now. Martin had become privy of the F-100, but by the time he first got to see it at a show, it had been sold. Fortunately, he's the persistent type, and his efforts paid off with the new owner, as the "cash" offer was sufficient enough to break the running tradition of one-owner Swedish Effies. As a bonus, the '56 had been modified to accept Pro Street-style rear wheels and tires, which is something he'd wanted to do the minute he first laid eyes on it.

Once in his personal garage, Martin proceeded to make a few adjustments here and there-like louvering the hood and gate, installing new disc on the Volare frontend, throwing together a black interior, etc.-to complete his ideal F-100. The one area that he did not address was the Fiat Topolino Green paint that Mats had applied, as he would have preferred something more along the lines of silver, but there's always the future. The main thing is, Martin has his '56 big-window, and it's a good bet he'll be sticking to that unwritten Swedish rule about keeping it in the family.