Analog Mondays in Årstaviken. Summary of 2025.

A walk along the scenic coastline is a pleasant tradition that accompanies me on summer Monday afternoons. The route from Hornstull to Årstaviken is very picturesque. You pass under spectacular bridges and spot a little house on an island that can only be reached by boat. Further along, there are a few marinas, and a wooden footbridge decorated with many well-tended flowers. What’s another constant element of these walks? There’s always an old film camera in my bag. After all, we’re talking about Analog Mondays.

From May to September, every Monday afternoon, Stockholm’s classic car enthusiasts gather at Årstaviken, by the Skovet restaurant. These meetups are organized by the Automobilhistoriska Klubben. The gatherings don’t follow any particular agenda – just kick the tires, exchange a few words with fellow participants, and maybe enjoy a coffee at the restaurant.

Each edition has its own theme. Most often, it focuses on a particular brand or country. Both popular cars, like VW or Volvo, and rarer ones, like Lotus or Rolls Royce, have had their dedicated days. There are also days planned for French, Italian, and American cars, as well as a day for pre-war vehicles. The theme usually encourages owners of thematically fitting cars to participate, but every edition is also open to all interesting vehicles. They don’t have to be classics at all.

I attended the season-opening event, then took a longer break. I only returned to the regular meetups at Årstaviken in the second half of the season. This had its pros and cons. The mid-summer editions often attract the largest crowds, not surprising. I, however, prefer the ones at the very beginning or end of the season, when the sunlight is sharp and beautiful, creating a particularly picturesque and striking light display.

I remember that during previous spring editions, I sometimes regretted not shooting in color, because the paint on some cars looked exceptionally beautiful in that light. From past years, I particularly recall being impressed by how a yellow Lotus Esprit looked under those conditions. For that car alone, I even considered changing my plan to shoot these events on black-and-white film only. I noted with some weird relief, then, that this particular car wasn’t present at the season opener. I did, however, get a chance to see it later, on the day dedicated to Lotuses.

The missing Lotus was part of a broader trend. Despite the sunny spring weather, the season opener didn’t attract much attention. I even regretted loading a second roll of film into my Nikon F, as participants started leaving the area quite early. So, the only thing left for me to photograph were their cars in motion, heading toward the exit.

The second time I took my walk to Årstaviken wasn’t until mid-June, when the theme of the day was VW. Once again, I was surprised that although this brand seems so popular, only a few of its representatives showed up on the day dedicated to it. One of them, however, really caught my eye – a yellow first-generation Polo that I’d happily give a home in my own garage. And speaking of yellow cars, even from a distance, before I reached the venue, my attention was drawn to a certain Exige S.

A Fiat 126p parked next to a Fiat Cinquecento is one of the most familiar sights from my childhood. Yet these cars are almost never seen in Sweden. It was therefore nice to come across them, even if the neon green paint of the older Fiat wasn’t exactly to my taste. During later editions of the event, another 126 made an appearance as well. Staying in the spirit of the 1990s, what caught my attention at this meeting was a Toyota Camry – the height of luxury at the beginning of that decade. I was also very fond of a Volvo 444, which boasted such charming details as turn signals mounted on the roof.

I’ve always arrived at the Årstaviken gatherings on foot. This year, however, I decided to try something new! Coming there in a classic car? No, that would be far too ordinary! This time, I observed the event area from a kayak! How many other car meets can you think of that you can reach by water? It was just a rental kayak, but I almost felt like Philip Sarofim landing his seaplane in front of Villa d’Este on Lake Como during the 2023 Concorso.

The owners of pre-war cars weren’t particularly interested in the day dedicated to them. That day, however, drew considerable attention from 911 drivers. What caught my eye the most were two Alpina B8s parked side by side. The first group to show real enthusiasm, filling an entire row with cars matching the day’s theme, were the Miata owners. That day, though, my attention was captured by something else. An Alfa Romeo Dauphine? Yes, such a car was indeed produced. The Italian version differed from the original in only a few details. However, these subtle clues revealed that this particular car had actually left the factory as a standard Renault. Still, it was nice to be reminded of the existence of this rare model.

The Lotus owners also showed great discipline, filling an entire row with their cars. The day’s theme also included the MG, but unfortunately, it didn’t fare quite as well. The final meeting of the season was dedicated to American cars. That might sound boring, since almost every classic car meetup in Sweden is full of American iron. However, this time I was surprised. Owners of cars from across the Atlantic didn’t show up in large numbers. What caught my eye were a few pairs of cars parked side by side. Two Alfa 75s, Golf IIs, or a Renault Caravelles. I also visited the Italian day, but I devoted a separate article to it, so I won’t repeat it here.

The chance to see interesting classic cars is just one of the motivations for my regular visits to Årstaviken. A walk along the water is another, and perhaps the most important, is the opportunity to test my old cameras. This year, however, the collection of cameras I used was rather random. It started with one of the most important cameras in the history of photography: the Nikon F from the late 1950s. I had planned to photograph all the meetups with the earliest SLRs, but I’ll have to postpone that idea until next season, using the winter break to service them.

The cameras I used during the subsequent Mondays were very diverse. From the all-metal, fully mechanical Canon FTb, to the manual but electronically driven Minolta XG-1 and X700, all the way to the peak of mid-1980s technology with the Nikon F-801. For the kayak outing, I brought a small plastic compact, the Canon Prima 70f, and I ended the season with the Pentax P30T, which boasts a distinctive ’80s aesthetic.

For me, the strength of the meetings in Årstaviken lies in motivating me to take walks and giving me an excuse to use and test my cameras. Next season, I hope to realize my plan of photographing exclusively with the earliest cameras. We’ll see if I can get ready for that over the winter.