GEA (Gustaf Ericssons Automobilfabrik) was a Swedish automobile manufacturer founded by (son of inventor

Lars Magnus Ericsson Lars Magnus Ericsson (; 5 May 1846 – 17 December 1926) was a Swedish inventor, entrepreneur and founder of telephone equipment manufacturer Ericsson ( incorporated as ''Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson''). Early life Lars Magnus was born i ...

) in 1904 in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. Originally the company was located in Arbetargatan, but later it moved to

Liljeholmen Liljeholmen is a district of the Hägersten-Liljeholmen borough in Söderort, the southern suburban part of Stockholm. History In 1860 Liljeholmen became the first suburb outside Stockholm city limits. The district was then one of two self-gov ...

. Together with his classmates from

Chalmers University of Technology Chalmers University of Technology (, commonly referred to as Chalmers) is a private university, private research university located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Chalmers focuses on engineering and science, but more broadly it also conducts research ...

K. G. Karlsson and Erik L. Magnus, they had the expertise needed for the project. The company started making engines, at first kerosene engines for pumps and agricultural machines. Later they also made boat engines under the name Gurik. After a few years Ericsson thought it was time to build a car. It was to be powered by a six-cylinder engine, a first for Europe. One of the biggest problems was with the

magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...

. They asked Bosch for help, but Bosch said they could not solve the problem. In the end Karlsson solved it by using two magnetos. The engine was essentially two Fafnir engines in a row, driving the rear wheels via a chain. The chassis was also made in Germany. In 1905 the car was finished. Because of its size it was nicknamed (, so called after the viking longship of the same name). According to news reports it had a top speed of . However, the market was not ready for such a car and it did not enter production. GEA imported, assembled and adopted cars for the Swedish market. The company folded in 1909.Gurik / GEA, Cars/Sweden, Konditori 100s Garage
/ref> Ericsson later designed the 1933 Volvo Venus Bilo, a very early example of streamlined cars.

References

Manufacturing companies based in Stockholm Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Sweden 1900s in Stockholm {{motorvehicle-company-stub