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UnclaimedERL was a small Swedish sports-car manufacturer established by race driver Eskil Roland Lindström after the Second World War.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
ERL was a Swedish automobile marque and small-scale manufacturer associated with Eskil Roland Lindström, a race driver active during the interwar period. The company operated from Mölndal and built a very limited series of lightweight sports cars after the Second World War. Rather than relying on a large industrial production program, Lindström assembled cars from components sourced from motorcycles and standard production automobiles. The result was a compact, individually constructed vehicle that reflected the resourcefulness of postwar specialist motoring projects. The ERL cars were notable for their unusually low weight and mixed-component engineering. The reported vehicle weight was approximately 520 kilograms, helping the car achieve a top speed of about 100 km/h despite its modest engine output. The first engine used in the project came from a Douglas motorcycle. It was later replaced by a 600 cc, two-stroke DKW engine producing approximately 14.5 horsepower. Power was delivered through a three-speed gearbox positioned in the middle of the car, an arrangement that contributed to the vehicle's sporting character and compact packaging. The cars also incorporated parts from several unrelated manufacturers. The front grille was adapted from a Ford Model B and lowered to suit the ERL's bodywork. Much of the chassis hardware came from the BMW Dixi, itself a German-built version of the Austin Seven. This combination of motorcycle power, mass-produced automobile components, and custom construction allowed Lindström to create a light sports car without the resources normally associated with a conventional automaker. Only nine sports cars are reported to have been built. This limited output places ERL within the tradition of small European specialist and cyclecar-style manufacturers rather than among mass-market automobile companies. Its significance rests principally in the engineering ingenuity of the cars and in Lindström's role as both driver and builder. No evidence in the supplied reference material indicates that ERL developed into a continuing commercial manufacturer, maintained a modern corporate organization, or remains active today.
History
ERL emerged in Mölndal, Sweden, as the automobile project of Eskil Roland Lindström. Lindström had been a race driver during the period between the two World Wars, and after the Second World War he turned his attention to constructing sports cars. The project appears to have been a specialist undertaking rather than a conventional automobile business with factory-scale production. Lindström's approach was based on combining available components from motorcycles and ordinary production cars. The first ERL engine was sourced from a Douglas motorcycle. Later cars used a 600 cc two-stroke DKW engine rated at approximately 14.5 horsepower. The engine was connected to a three-speed gearbox mounted in the middle of the car. This layout, together with the vehicle's low mass, gave the small sports car performance characteristics appropriate to its lightweight design. The chassis and body incorporated parts from several established manufacturers. A Ford Model B grille was lowered for use on the ERL, while many chassis components came from the BMW Dixi. The Dixi was a German derivative of the Austin Seven, meaning that the ERL combined components from British, German, American, and Swedish automotive contexts in a single locally built vehicle. Such component sharing was characteristic of small specialist projects, where adapting existing parts was more practical than designing every element from scratch. The completed car weighed roughly 520 kilograms and could reach approximately 100 km/h. These figures were modest compared with larger sports cars but notable for a vehicle powered by a small motorcycle-derived or compact two-stroke engine. The lightweight construction was central to the car's identity and helped compensate for its limited horsepower. Nine ERL sports cars were reportedly built. The small production run prevented the marque from becoming a major manufacturer, but it established ERL as an example of Sweden's early specialist-car culture. The available reference material does not document later production, corporate succession, a surviving commercial operation, or a modern revival. ERL is therefore best understood as a historical, low-volume automobile marque associated with Lindström's postwar engineering and racing interests.
Lindström develops the ERL automobile project
[1]Race driver Eskil Roland Lindström created a lightweight sports-car project in Mölndal, Sweden, using adapted motorcycle and standard-car components.
Engine development moves from Douglas to DKW
[1]The first car used a Douglas motorcycle engine; later versions adopted a 600 cc two-stroke DKW engine producing approximately 14.5 horsepower.
Nine sports cars are produced
[1]ERL's reported total output reached nine lightweight sports cars, confirming the marque's highly limited specialist production scale.
Products and positioning
A small Swedish specialist marque focused on lightweight, low-volume sports cars assembled from motorcycle and standard automobile components.
Sports car
ERL sports car
The ERL sports car was a lightweight, low-volume vehicle built in Sweden after the Second World War. It weighed about 520 kilograms and reportedly reached approximately 100 km/h. Its engineering used a Douglas motorcycle engine in the earliest configuration and later a 600 cc two-stroke DKW engine producing around 14.5 horsepower. The car featured a centrally mounted three-speed gearbox and adapted components including a lowered Ford Model B grille and chassis parts from the BMW Dixi.
Recent events
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