Schlumpf – the Intrigue Behind the Most Beautiful Car Collection in the World

This fabulous collection of cars was brought together by two French brothers, Hans & Fritz Schlumpf, and consists of hundreds of the most beautiful cars ever produced. The ‘Schlumpf affair’ is perhaps one of the most famous stories in the car collector’s world, covered extensively by the media in the mid-1970s when the collection was seized by the trade unions and, later, by the French government. The Schlumpf brothers were accused of fraudulent actions to obtain their collection – but following extensive research by the authors of this book, the true story behind the collection is revealed. Ard and Arnoud op de Weegh spent many years investigating the Schlumpf affair, and discovered many previously unpublished documents which prove that the Schlumpf brothers have been wrongly accused over the years. This book is written to tell the true story behind the collection, and also to rehabilitate the Schlumpf family. The book is beautifully illustrated with some rare photographs, and features many of the beautiful cars that make up the Schlumpf collection.

Table of Contents:
1. Preface 2. The Schlumpf affair 3. The years to success and the inevitable fall 4. The game begins 5. The smith against the Schlumpf's 6. What was the total value of the collection? 7. All facts 8. Epilogue 9. Momentanement Volee a. The origin of the collection b. The largest purchase c. The Malmerspach collection 10. Car descriptions a. 1933 Bugatti T41 Royale Park Ward Limousine b. 1937 Bugatti T57C Stelvio c. 1929 Lancia Dilambda d. 1936 Alfa Romeo 6C2300 B Lungo Pinin Farina e. 1936 Lancia Astura Pinin Farina f. 1937 Auto Union Wanderer g. 1937 Bugatti T57 Ventoux h. 1937 Cord 812 Supercharged i. 1929 Bugatti T35B j. 1953 Ferrari 250MM k. 1955 Gordini T32 F1 l. 1931 Maserati 4CM m. 1934 Mercedes-Benz W154 Silver Arrow n. 1936 Alfa Romeo 8C2900A Pinin Farina o. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing

About the Author :
From a very young age Ard was obsessed with cars, visiting showrooms and car events with his father to see the most beautiful cars ever built. Becoming addicted to the heady mixture of gasoline and oil, as he grew older his love for the automobile continued to grow. In 2008 Ard wrote his first automotive book, “The Fate of the Sleeping Beauties” together with his son Arnoud, to whom he has passed on his love of cars. Father and son have travelled around Europe for many years, seeking out the most beautiful cars, and have discovered some extraordinary barn finds, many of which feature in the book. In 2009 Ard and Arnoud were asked to write about the fabulous Schlumpf collection and the intriguing story behind it. At first they declined, because there were already many books on the subject. However, as they started to investigate the history, Ard and Arnoud discovered that the ‘Schlumpf affair’ was actually very different than originally reported. The pair decided to write the book to tell the true story behind the affair, with the hope of exonerating the Schlumpf Family and giving them the credit that they deserve - “Schlumpf - The intrigue behind the most beautiful car collection in the world” was the result.

Review :
It's an intriguing story. - Kieron Fennelly. Originally published in Dutch last year, the story and contents of the world's best car collection. - Classic Cars. There are some good historic shots. - Classic & Sports Car. The book is well produced and is a worthwhile addition to your bookshelf. Certainly worth the asking price. - VSCC Bulletin. If you want to read a fantastic, true story about automotive enthusiasm, then read this 160pp hardback book. - Iain P W Robertson, Freelance. The story is intriguing, and the collection is given good space, even for those who don't care about their enigmatic owners. - Classic Car Weekly. An interesting and worthy volume. - The Automobile. Here's a long overdue book on the incredible Schlumpf Museum (now officially France's national automobile museum), from Veloce Publishing. Although most car nuts know the outline of the story of the Schlumpf brothers, Hans and Fritz, this book by father and son team, Ard and Arnold op de Weigh goes into massive amounts of detail and tells the true story of the Schlumpf Affair. In addition to the story about the discovery of the massive stash of cars, it tells the tale of woe of the financial troubles that nearly led to the loss of the entire collection along with some beautiful photography. As well as being a great book on the subject its aim is to clear the family of any wrongdoing and is a rightful collection to this beautiful collection of cars. Immense effort. - TKC. As well as unravelling cover-up, this book gives detailed accounts of the legendary vehicles in the collection ... which makes fascinating reading in itself ... This book has a real double edge - espionage, social prejudice and miscarriage of justice, plus in-depth accounts of just what grew into "the most beautiful collection in the world" Highly recommended. Old Bike Australasia Fascinating stuff. Big End/All Torque.The book is absolutely worth reading—just don’t turn the `ole brainbox off. And, certainly, the op de Weeghs have done their subject and themselves no disservice. SpeedReaders