On The Pegs October 2019 -Volume 4 - Issue 10 | Page 89

On The Pegs
Vol. 4 Issue 10 - October 2019
89
sold during the 50s and in the beginning of the 60s. First out was the luxury ma-
chine Roulette, designed by the famous Swede Sixten Sason - a man who made
his fame and fortune as a successful industrial designer. Sason had the ability to
combine shape and contents into an art of teasing futuristic forms. So, also by
working on the sophisticated Roulette, Sixten Sason strengthened his position
within the automotive industry. All these machines came in double colours and
the luxury edition was either painted in orange/black or then in yellow/black with
a matching saddle. In 1958 the scooter Corona – Sweden’s only moped model
with a free-wheel system – was a great success on the market. The vehicle with
the Mexican beer name became very popular as it also had a decent price tag of
1,115 Swedish kronor (approx. 225 US dollars). A year later, it was time again for
renewal. Husqvarna now came up with the debut of the Cornette model - with
one wheel in the 50s and the other into the 60s. It cost 995 SEK and had the ac-
cepted, traditional “Egg-engine” of 50cc. The last fully own-produced Husqvarna
moped was launched in 1960 with the simple name of “Lyx” - Luxury, or else the
model figures 4012. By now, the factory had abandoned the slide-valve engine in
favour of the new piston-controlled manifold. In 1961, the Swedes bought 80,000
mopeds in only one year.
A year later, the Husqvarna mopeds were merged with other Swedish manu-
facturers. The results were traditional mopeds with little individual flair. The egg-
engine was replaced by the “Flinta” (Flintstone) power source and this was the
weapons factories last contribution to their moped division. It is said that this
“Flinta” machine was developed in more than 60 different shapes. By 1964, more
than 750,000 mopeds rolled on Swedish streets and roads. All in all, in the decade
that the individual moped brand existed, Husqvarna produced a total of around
170,000 units. Compared with 1.8 million electric waffle irons and 12 million meat
grinders, the 50cc two-wheelers were quite a humble production line in the com-
pany. n