From a very young age Ard op de Weegh 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 traveled 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, after investigating the history, they 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, and Schlumpf: The intrigue behind the most beautiful car collection in the world was the result.

Kay Hottendorff, born in 1969, is an electrical engineer from Northern Germany, who has been fascinated by classic cars since childhood. Kay began investigating the background and fate of Michel Dovaz’s Sleeping Beauties collection in 1996, when he first came across the famous 1983 photo series. The cars have haunted him ever since. Nowadays, Kay prefers cars in unrestored or even "barn find" condition over any restored classic. In his opinion, over-restored cars lose their identity and history.

Arnoud op de Weegh inherited his love of cars from his father, Ard, with whom he has co-authored two books. Arnoud is a true enthusiast for classic cars, and his particular passion is for pre-war cars.

Foreword
Acknowledgements

The history of the sleeping beauties

Prologue: Three men in search of the truth
Cars under dust
Exodus of classic cars
The collector who is not a collector at all
Almost twenty years of peace
The secret castle
The museum in Sarlat, and the tax authorities
Michel Dovaz in 2007
Epilogue

The automobiles of Michel Dovaz

Introduction
The nine Bugattis presented in the Sleeping Beauties book
1928 Bugatti Type 44 Fiacre
1931 Bugatti Type 49 Faux Cabriolet
1930 Bugatti Type 50 Million-Guiet
1931 Bugatti Type 50 Landaulet
1933 Bugatti Type 55 Faux Cabriolet
1937 Bugatti Type 57C Galibier
1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux
1936 Bugatti Type 57 Coupé Fontana
1937 Bugatti Type 57 SC Atalante

Twelve other Bugattis owned by Dovaz
1914-26 Bugatti Type 27 Brescia
1927-31 Bugatti Type 35B
1926-27 Bugatti Type 38
1927-35 Bugatti Type 43
1930 Bugatti Type 44 Cabriolet
1930-32 Bugatti Type 46 cabriolet
1930 Bugatti Type 49
1930-34 Bugatti Type 49
1934 Bugatti Type 57
1934 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante
1935 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet Van Vooren
1938 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux

The nine Lancias
1929-35 Lancia Dilambda
1937-39 Lancia Astura Berline Pininfarina
1951-58 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT
1952 Lancia Aurelia B52 Coupé Vignale
1957-70 Lancia Flaminia Berlina
1957-65 Lancia Flaminia GT Coupé

Bella Macchina – eight sporty Italians
1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 B Mille Miglia Touring
1948 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Competizione
1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Cabriolet Worblaufen
1943 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Cabriolet Touring
1951 Ferrari 340 America Berlinetta Ghia
1962 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Coupé Pininfarina
1954 Siata 208 CS Coupé Balbo
1967 Maserati Quattroporte

Untouched – ten beauties at the Chateau de Sanxet
1936-39 Panhard & Levassor Dynamic Coupé Major
1950 Jowett Jupiter Coupé Ghia Suisse
1957-62 Lotus Elite
1929 Cord L-29 Sedan
1937 Cord 812 Supercharged Custom Berline
1941-48 Lincoln Continental
1962-65 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III
1952 Bentley R Type Hooper ‘Empress Saloon’
1962-68 Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint Bertone
1948-51 Tatra 600 Tatraplan

Class beats volume
1951 Aston Martin DB2
1952 Aston Martin DB2
1946-52 Bentley Mark VI
1934-36 De Soto airflow
1937 Graham Supercharger 116
1951-54 Hotchkiss Grégoire
1964-68 Jaguar E-Type 4.2 Cabriolet
1942-48 Lincoln Zephyr Club Coupe
1954-57 Sunbeam Mk III

‘Pas important’ – the offspring of mass-production
1956 Chevrolet Station Wagon
1947-88 Citroën 2CV
1947-64 Citroën H
1961-67 Ford Econoline
1946-54 Panhard Dyna X
1972-75 Volkswagen K70

Appendix 1: Bibliography
Appendix 2: The sleeping beauties 1983-90
Appendix 3: Map of the Dovaz property, 1983
Appendix 4: GPS coordinates of the event locations

Index