About what is it? Quiz #464: ''1920/1921 Bjering''

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The Olympic Winter games 2018 are over and most medals are won by the same country as this car came from; Norwegian. The car is indeed a Bjering.

We received solutions from different people and we can say, all of them deserve a medal! But who won gold?

The first answer came from Anders Svenfelt: “Norwegian Bjering, built by Hans Christian Bjering's company A/S Autoslede in Gjövik 1920-1921. Tandem-seating, the driver at the rear. Narrowness due to use on bad winter roads, but better snow plowing dropped the demand for a combined car/snowmobile. Air-cooled V-4 engine between the seats. In 1923-25 a couple of cars differing a bit from the original design was built at Rauforss Patronfabrik after a deal with the defense department. Probably six cars were totally built, one from 1921 survives.”

After that Alan Spencer gave some extra info about the quiz car: “The quiz car, registered E510, was his second of six “motorsleds,” of which four were mid-engined, and two rear-engined” and Gerd Klioba added: “Its 80 centimeter track width made the vehicle capable of driving in the narrow track left by the snow plough”. But Ace Zenek (Luc Ryckaert as well) told us it was one-meter width. He also added, “there was also a trailer for pulling two passengers.”

Fried Stol gave us a fun fact: “They were used by the Norwegian police. Arrested men were placed in front to keep a close eye on them by the policeman at the back.” And he also added some info about another ‘Olympic location: ”One is still in the Lillehammer Museum.” And Chris Moony added that “A later model built c1925 for military use.”

Hans Müßeler told us that in the 1991 IAA in Frankfurt a model was showed.

Henk Visscher told us more about the company: “Hans Christian Bjering of Gjøvik, Norway, established ‘Bjerings Slaamaskiner’ to produce patented mowing machines. Business was unsatisfactory and, with a (US) Star dealership, Bjering moved into the automobile trade.”

Fritz Hegemann, although struck down by flu, told us the very logical reason for an air-cooled engine: “air can not freeze”.

We were very happy with the number and the quality of the response and the information that was given. We decided that the gold will go to Henk Visscher, as his answer was most complete. He will get the full 5 point in the quiz and the rest will get 3 points.

The current top 5:

1st place: Gerd Klioba with 69 points.

2nd place: Henk Visscher with 58 points.

3rd place: Alan Spencer with 56 points

4th place: Luc Ryckaert with 49 points.

5th place: Fritz Hegemann with 40 points.

Words by the editor. Photograph courtesy Norsk Teknisk Museum.

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