This weekend, the world’s largest classic car show takes place in the Västerås, Sweden, and classic car collectors flock from around the world. For the weekend, the small city of Västerås gets overrun with drunken packs of a very specific Swedish subculture called raggares, riding through the streets in a parade ’57 Chevys and Ford Mustangs.
“Raggare” is a delightful mix of the style of a’50s greaser, the corpulence and bad hygiene of a biker, the love of the Confederate flag of a southern redneck, and the enthusiasm for drinking of a British soccer hooligan. Basically, every stereotype about poor white trash spanning both time and globe, rolled into one.
Photos of Swedish raggares in action and/or passed out drunk below. Remember: these photos are all in Sweden – you know, where your Billy bookshelf is from.
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patrick says:
I had no idea they had a Kentucky in Sweden. Wow.
LBJ says:
Raggare have been around in Sweden since the fifties, som the phenomenon per se is not exactly new. By the way: the word "ragga" means "pick up" (girls, that is).
Tom Bradbury says:
Awesome looks like a good time.
We could use more raggares in less rappers in the USA.
Angela S. says:
Wow, I guess in a 98% white country you don't have to worry about offending anyone with your "funny" Confederate flag and your "ironic" KKK shirt. I suppose ignorance runs strong everywhere, though. This only seems humorous to some (white) Americans because we have a whimsical idea of the Swedes as harmless Ikea-shopping, funny-talking, Volvo-driving blonde moppets. In fact, seeing them knowingly adopt symbols of racial oppression is just about as cute as American kids wearing Nazi symbols... which is to say, not at all.
Gunsmoke Nelli says:
Angela you need to get that stick out of your ass and 98% white ppl in Sweden.. wow guess you fall into the category of, not racist I'm not gonna use such hard words, but the category of retarded ppl from the states. Google Sweden for me and I will watch another episode of Jay Leno!
Victor says:
Maybe next time you can send a serious reporter here to take some photos of all the thousands of real car enthusiasts and their cars instead of the absolut worst you could find? I promise it will be alot more than 14 pictures and give the American people a little more realistic picture of how it really is here.
RagnarR says:
At least a few of them had a reputation of being violent, racist thugs which inspired the punk band, Rude Kids to write the song "Raggare is a bunch of Motherfuckers" (later covered by Turbonegro).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyJlCkzXG4k
Eric says:
Victor, I don't think she was reporting on the car show. She was reporting on a subculture. And this American still thinks the best about the Swedes.
Cady59Rocknroll says:
Racist's? there is black ppl driving,drinking,shaking as well at this power big meet, and there is not only ''wrecks'' at the crusing strip, there is 30's 40's 50's cars thats still original whit perfect paint,rims untuched motors.