A Brief History of the Marque
Manufactured: : 1900-1911, Malmö, Sweden. 1
Scania was founded in Malmö in 1900 to produce bicycles and other machines, and in short order they entered the fledgling motor trade.
Their earliest known blueprint is dated June 1901 and is of Scania's first car, a four-seater built that same year using a water-cooled engine, chain transmission and a de Dion rear end. Scania showed it at the first Scandinavian automobile exhibition in Copenhagen 1902 2, along with a 2-seater voiturette and a motorcycle.
The 1903 motorcycle had a single cylinder Clement 1.5hp engine and was capable of 30 km/h.
The Scania museum has at least two examples of their motorcycles, one from 1903 and the other dated 1902-1903.
The MCHK magazine of March 2005 has a four page article devoted to Scania motorcycles.
In 1911 Scania and Vabis formed Scania-Vabis AB, and in 1969 Scania-Vabis and Saab merged to become Saab-Scania.
Sources: Konditori, Bjorn's Story
Notes:
1. Scania was originally a subsidiary of Humber & Co, the business being taken over by Swedish shareholders in 1901. (tugboatlars.se)
2. KSE says the Copenhagen show was 1902, Bjorn's Story 1903.
If you have a query about these classic Swedish motorcycles, please contact us
