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 Ard and Arnoud op de Weegh spent many years investigating the Schlumpf affair, and discovered many previously unpublished documents which prove that the Schlumpf brothers have been wrongly accused over the years.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.

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.