The 1976 Swedish Rally has gone down in history as a masterclass in driving on snow and ice. The event was held from 20–22 February, based in Karlstad, and on the starting line were factory entries from Lancia, Opel and Saab.
Saab entered Stig Blomqvist / Hans Sylvan and Per Eklund / Björn Cederberg, each in a 160-horsepower Saab 96 V4. This would prove to be the car’s final official appearance in the World Rally Championship – a highly successful rally car that had taken its first international victory in 1960 with Erik Carlsson “on the roof” at the wheel. Waiting in the wings was its successor, the Saab 99.
A rally run in heavy snow
The rally turned out to be a snowy affair, with the organisers battling to plough the Värmland stages in step with the continuing snowfall. Once the rally got underway, spectators could see that the Saabs “shot off like a cannon”, as the locals put it.
Stig and Per were in a class of their own, for several reasons. Their abilities as rally drivers were beyond question, as were the handling characteristics of the front-wheel-drive V4 on slippery surfaces. Another ace up their sleeve was the super-narrow Dunlop tyres originally developed for the studless KAK Rally in 1973 – now fitted with studs. They found grip where there was scarcely any, cutting through the slush to what little traction was available.
Stig and Per ignored team orders
With three previous victories in the event (1971–73), Stig was the favourite for overall victory. But Per Eklund from nearby Arvika was determined to show who truly was the best in Värmland.
The rally developed into a head-to-head duel between Per and Stig, with neither prepared to give an inch. All the other competitors were reduced to supporting roles. The two opal-green Saabs were simply in a league of their own.
Saab’s team manager, Bo Hellberg, called for restraint early on, issuing team orders to secure a one-two finish – after all, they were light-years ahead of the rest of the field. But his instructions fell on deaf ears; both drivers were desperate to win. The V4s continued at full throttle. It even went so far that Hellberg reportedly firing both Stig and Per during a lunch halt for failing to obey orders!
Rally history made in the Värmland forests
In the end, Per and Björn claimed their long-awaited home victory, just ahead of Stig and Hans.
“Now you’ll be knighted in Jösse Härad,” Erik Carlsson congratulated Per at the finish.
“What do you think of Per of Värmland?”
That weekend, rally history was written. Per secured his long-coveted WRC victory, and the faithful 96 handed over to the new 99 with flags flying.
Dented winning car on display at the museum
Per and Björn’s V4, registration number ETK 909, returned to Saab’s competition department for servicing after the rally. It was then driven into the Saab Car Museum in Trollhättan, where it has been cared for ever since – now 50 years on. As recently as September 2025, it was driven again during the Saab Car Museum’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
ETK 909 is unique. Very few rally cars survive their hard lives unrestored. You are warmly invited to come and see her. She tells her own stories through the dents in her rear wings, earned when Per leaned took support against the snowbanks, and through the slightly bent Moto-Lita steering wheel he wrestled with on the special stages.
/Peter Bäckström
P.S. Stig’s V4, HKW 734, was sold and continued its rally career. Today it has been fully restored to original condition and is owned by a Saab connoisseur in Värmland.
Final Results – Swedish Rally 1976:
1) Per Eklund / Björn Cederberg, Saab 96 V4
Winning time: 8.08:36
2) Stig Blomqvist / Hans Sylvan Saab 96 V4
Tid: 8.10:02, 1 minute and 36 seconds behind the winners.
3) Anders Kulläng / C-G Andersson, Opel Ascona
Time: 8.31:10, 22 minutes and 44 seconds behind the winners.
4) Simo Lampinen / Arne Hertz, Lancia Stratos HF
Time: 8.45:52, 37 minutes and 26 seconds behind the winners.
5) Ulf Sundberg / Mats Nordström Saab 99 EMS
Time: 8.58:35, 50 minutes and 9 seconds behind the winners.
