Volvo years

Women's Cup

My sister in law,Anita Rosqvistand I participated 1959 in theSwedish Midnight Sun Rally, where we won the Ladies Cup, despite the competition with the famous English driver -Pat Moss.

It was a good start. Pat had already won theWomen's Cupin Monte Carlo and the Tulip Rally.
- Should we not try to compete in the European Women's Cup, I asked my sister in law. That of course means that we have to participate in further more rallies. Anita, didn´t think long.
- Yes, course we can. We won our secondary victory in "The Thousand Lakes Rally".
- No, now we have to continue, said Anita eagerly. With luck, we could "kill" Pat Moss!
So - we won the Ladies Cup also in the Norwegian Rally (Viking) and had passed by Pat Moss, who had neglected some rallies. Now, we just wanted to continue. In Poland, I was second with 6 points. In Germany, I received only a third place. Pat Moss won and was thus caught up with me.

A wonderful piece of news

Letter to Ewy Rosqvist and Volvo from Greece 1960. (From Ewys private archives).

When I went to the RAC rally in England in November 1959, Anita had no time to accompany me. The Swede Litt Struve was instead my co-driver. We had barely arrived on British ground, until I became ill and must be hospitalized. I was of course sad and afraid that Pat Moss finally would win the Lady Cup. She was furthermore favorite. If she won, and I did not get any points, she won. But fate settled it: Pat Moss did not run either! With my points, I won the European the Lady Cup even though I was hospitalized. Last year's trophy was handed over in January by Princess Grace of Monaco. It was done in connection with the Monte Carlo Rally and I received the awards from her hand for the 1959 years Lady Cup. In 1960, I participated for the first time in Monte Carlo Rally, but only came fifth. Pat Moss on the other hand, won the the Lady trophy.

The 12 th Tulip Rally

Volvo team in a photo from 1960. Anita & Ewy Rosqvist, Hans Ingier och Rolf Hagen (Norge), Bengt Mårtensson and Gunnar Andersson. Photo: FART

In the Tulip Rally in 1960, Pat Moss was also more successful than me. But then I passed her, because I won the women's class at the Acropolis, Midnightsun (Swedish Rally) and the Finland Rally. During that year, Pat and I were side by side. At the end of the calculation, it was considered that Pat having three-point advantage over me, but it was a mistake. Through an oversight, her vehicle had been placed into a category where it didn´t really belonged. Pat Moss started in the wrong group, with participants who had weaker cars than she. The protest was inserted at F.LA., the world organization, but without result. Pat Moss and I was finally ready to let the mistake rest there. The European the Lady Cup for 1960, was awarded to neither Pat or me.

The text above is taken literally from Ewy Rosqvist book "Fart från början till slut" Berghs Förlag AB 1963

XXI Polish Rally

August 1961 - Co-driver Eugenia Wolko and Ewy Rosqvist. Man ?

1961 was luck on my side. After nine wins and two second places I won the European the Lady Cup for the second time. My sister in law went with me a few times in 1961 but then she had to stop because she was after several years of marriage was expecting her first child. Even before I had gotten to know a very good German drivers, who now came into Anita's place. She had was named Monika Wallraf, from Garmisch, and was a very reliable "copilot". Monika had no time to accompany me to the Poland Rally. There I had a polish: Eugenia Wolko.

Towards the end of 1961, I got a new assistant. She had the same profession as me and was also Swedish. It was Ursula Wirth, who spoke German as well as Swedish, because her father was a Berliner and her mother Swedish.

Passionately interested in auto racing

Despite all the success, I began to have serious difficulties already in 1960 First, it was very expensive to attend private in so many rallies. Secondly, it was a long time that I had no income. For the third, my colleagues began to grumble because they must attend to my work, when I took more and more time off. Veterinary Palsson had a great understanding of my hobby, he became even passionately interested in auto racing. But still, he finally shook his head, saying: "I really do not know what it will be, Ewy., I'm afraid that your collegues don´t want to be a part of it so much longer." Despite this, he closed his eyes and gave me always free. Basically, he was proud, that one of his assistants had so much success in a completely different area than in the workplace.

- What if you could be one of us?

Ursula Wirth, Ewy Rosqvist and Karl Kling from Mercedes-Benz racing department.

Since 1959, I had a Volvo 1600, but it took about a year and a half before the Volvo factory proposed a collaboration. It was a relatively vague contract but it meant that I continued to participate in car races. By reason of that, I missed my labor income for prolonged time periods. At the end of 1961, I was alerted even by another company: Daimler-Benz in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim AB. I met of course continually Mercedes-Benz competitors, who attended the same rallies as regularly, as I had done since 1959. I got to know some of them closer and one day I got a suggestion. "What if you could be one of us?" First, I perceived it as a joke, but eventually it turned out that the proposal was very serious meant. After Monte-Carlo Rally in 1962, followed a few rallies and then they repeated the question again. Subsequently, it became definite negotiations with the company Daimler-Benz.