Gunnar Nilsson
Nilsson in 1976
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| Born | 20 November 1948 |
|---|---|
| Died | 20 October 1978 (aged 29) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |
 Swedish |
| Active years | 1976–1977 |
| Teams | Lotus |
| Entries | 32 (31 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 4 |
| Career points | 31 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| First entry | 1976 South African Grand Prix |
| First win | 1977 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1977 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1977 Japanese Grand Prix |
Gunnar Nilsson (20 November 1948 – 20 October 1978) was a Swedish racing driver, born in Helsingborg. Before entering Formula One, he won the 1975 British Formula 3 Championship.
Nilsson entered 32 Formula One Grand Prix races, qualifying for all of them. He won once, the 1977 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder while driving for Team Lotus. After losing his Lotus seat, he signed for Arrows, but was later diagnosed with testicular cancer which meant he couldn't drive the car, however he did compete in three International Race of Champions (IROC) races in 1977. He had two sixth-place finishes and a fifth-place finish.
As soon as the cancer was determined to be terminal, he created the Gunnar Nilsson Cancer Foundation. He died in October 1978.
Gunnar Nilsson is buried in Pålsjö cemetery in Helsingborg, Sweden, close to his parents Arvid and Elisabeth Nilsson.
Nilsson was the second son of a Helsingborg building contractor. He attended school in his home town and went on the serve as a submarine radio officer in the Swedish Navy. After leaving the Navy, he studied engineering for four years at the and gained a degree. It was hoped he would follow the family business, but eight months working as a supervisor in the construction industry; he left to start his own business.
Although his background and training was in construction, this held no attraction to the young Swede. Together with his associate, Dan Molim they aimed to establish a transport business. This proved to be very successful and Nilsson continued to be a partner in the company, even when he became a full-time driver. He that seen the exploits of follow Swedes; Ronnie Peterson and Reine Wisell and knew he wanted to be racing driver.
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