We're having fun finding some quirky European cars to create a more diverse selection of feature cars for the genuine hardcore Euroheads out there.
We hope you're enjoying them as much as we are, but strap yourself in because we've got some real oddballs coming out of Scandinavia in particular.
This month, it's the turn of Roger Fyhrlund's '85 Porsche 944. From the outset, it looks interesting with its bolder front-end and bigger wheels, but front-engined Porsches don't often create a trouser-tent in most Europhiles. However, Roger's 944 isn't your typical Porker. And that's because he's one of the Nordic nutters from Sweden.
Can you guess what makes Roger's 944 so different? Yup, it's got a 727hp five-cylinder Audi quattro engine. Of course it has...
This insane engineering feat was accomplished by the owner in what we'd like to imagine was a small igloo near the arctic circle. But it was actually built in his hometown of Jönköping, which is in the south of the country, near Gothenburg.
The 30 year-old has been a mechanic since leaving school, working first for VW/Audi, but now wrenches on Volvos. He's what you might call a gearhead, buying his first car two years before he could legally drive. It was a '67 Volvo Amazon with a roof chop. He bought it from a guy who lost interest, so the 16 year-old rebuilt the engine with his dad before painting it Kawasaki green.
Later projects included an '83 Ur-quattro he shortened to create a Sport quattro replica. It was followed by a '69 Ford Mustang, which was voted "Sweden's Hottest ride". Then came a 612hp '86 quattro and a '98 VW Golf with a multimedia sound system.
More recently, he sold a motorcycle to buy the Porsche. However, he can still try to kill himself in the Chevy-powered '73 Willys CJ5 he uses in offroad competitions, or the cross-cart with its Honda CR500 two-stroke engine he races on ice. So we've established he's certifiable...
And the madness continued with his latest project. It came about because he'd grown tired of the previous cars and sold them. "What I wanted was a project I could respect; a car I wouldn't dare take to its limits; something really wild that would test my knowledge and financial limits; a car that raised my testosterone after taking it for a spin. And I wanted it to cause some commotion on the forums as well," he told us.
Before he really knew where he was headed, Roger bought three five-cylinder quattro engines. "I had previous experience of the engine and knew I could get 750-800hp reliably," he explained. "So I bought three from a junkyard for $560 each. I sold one in parts to pay for the other two. I then built two identical engines, kept one and sold the other to a buddy to pay for the parts."
"Next I needed a home for the engine," Roger continued. "Initially, I considered the E30 BMW M3 but scrapped the idea when I discovered the Porsche 944's abilities.
"I have to admit I was one of the 944 hecklers before I saw the light. I thought it was more of a VW coupe than a true Porsche, but now I see the error of my ways."
He found a grey 944 with minor collision damage and 17" Cup wheels online for $3500. "It belonged to a good-looking woman from Gothenburg, so the car had good karma and I bought it!" he said.
At the end of '07, the Porker was taken to a garage Roger shares with four friends on a farm. Each has enough space for two cars, their own tools, and they share equipment such as a welder, drill, plasma cutter and sandblaster.