Nokian marks 75 years of the Hakkapeliitta

ERJ staff report (DS)

Nokia, Finland - Nokian Tyres is marking the 75th anniversery of its Hakkapeliitta range of winter tyres.

The company first developed tyres for raw, subzero conditions back in 1934. it claims to have been the first tyre maker to do this. Two years later, it introduced the Hakkapeliitta, designed for northern winters.

Manufactured since 1936, Hakkapeliitta tyres achieved worldwide fame in the Monte Carlo rallies in the 1950s and 1960s. Cars equipped with studded Kometa Hakkapeliitta tyres were superior on snowy and icy mountain roads. Finnish drivers continued to do well in rallies, giving rise to the notion of “Flying Finns”.

In March 2007, a world record event in ice driving was arranged in the Gulf of Bothnia, outside of Oulu.

On a track ploughed on natural ice, Juha Kankkunen, the four-time rally world champion, reached a top speed of 321 km/h, driving a Bentley Continental GT, which was equipped with Nokian Hakkapeliitta Sport Utility 5 studded tyres approved for normal road traffic. The record was entered in the Guinness Book of World Records and is still in force.

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Press release from Nokian Tyres