The Avance story begins with the foundation of JV Svensson Automobilfabrik in 1898 in Stockholm, Sweden by Johan Victor Svensson and Carl Haeger. Although the original intention was to produce cars, it seems that none were ever produced, and the factory focused on building two-stroke crude oil engines instead, based on the Mietz & Weiss system. The company soon became the leading producer of stationary engines in Scandinavia. The company subsequently turned their attention to tractors, and the first 'Avance' motor plough appeared in 1912. This proved a great success, and was produced in various forms until the mid 1920s, when it was succeeded by a conventional tractor. This was a sturdy looking machine with a two-cylinder vertical hotbulb engine, and resembled in many ways the Munktells 22HK and 30HK of the same era. An important export market for the Avance tractor was Argentina, where it was badged as 'El Sueco' (The Swede), due to the Avance name being already in use. In 1928 the company merged with Munktells, and the Avance factory finally closed in 1937 when procution was shifted to Eskilstuna.

[Thanks to Tore Blom of Rubens Maskinhistoriska Samlingar for much of the above information.]

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