Philippe Adams’ dream weekends

Nowadays he sells Seat’s in the Belgian city of Tournai. In the early 1990’s though, Philippe Adams was a hero on racetracks. In his Audi 80 he dominated the Belgian Procar-series, but his dream was Formula 1. During two weekends in 1994, he got to live that dream. In legendary Ketteringham Hall, Adams signed a […]

“This circuit deserves a European Championship”

They describe themselves as “siamese twins”. Their grandfathers and fathers already were members of Huijbergens Cycling Committee, Jan Maas and Ruud Broosus joined it themselves in 1996. Together they nurtured what has become known as “the most beautiful circuit in the world”. And that circuit, Broosus and Maas think, “deserved a European Championship.” “Circuit manager” […]

Family reunion

“What will you be dreaming about?” Every night my father asked me the same question when he tucked me in as a small boy. My answer was the same every night. “About your car.” Like many petrolheads it all started for me with my fathers car. At the time my mind became concious of “cars” […]

The organ builder who was a gift from God

From a small boy impressed by organ music, to organist, to organ builder. Many things can happen, and they did for Loek van Nes (73). As the organist in the church of Divine Providence in Bergen op Zoom, Van Nes had to make do with a “fake organ”. Dozens of times he pleaded the priest […]

Remembering Stefan Bellof

On September 1, 1985 a loud thud was heard in Eau Rouge. Just before that, the German Stefan Bellof tried to overtake Jacky Ickx around the outside to take the lead of the Spa 1000 Kilometres in his Porsche 956. It didn’t work. Bellof, the man who was destined to race for Ferrari in the […]

The Lada of dreams

Vaztaztic. That’s how a drunk would sound, trying to pronounce “fantastic”. It’s a nice reference to AvtoVAZ. That stands for Avtomobilny Vozhsky Avtomobilny Zavod, but it’s a little too complicated. Plus, it is something of a pleonasm, because when you translate it you get “Automobile Wolga Automobile Factory”. Right. Apparently them in Togliatti, Russia, found […]

Out of Senna’s shadow

On april 30, 1994 Roland Ratzenberger was killed during qualifying fort he San Marino Grand Prix. One day before Ayrton Senna would suffer his fatal accident. Senna was world famous, a great champion whose death would create a shockwave around the world that would make Ratzenberger disappear into the shadow for ever. Roland Ratzenberger was […]

Ossendrechts world-beating bike

Ossendrecht is part of the community of Woensdrecht, which profiles itself as the most cylcing-orientated community in the country. Ossendrecht used tob e base of a brand of bikes that was admired and ridden by the most famous cyclists of its day. Time to look fort he stories surrounding the Remy, Ossendrechts world-beating bike. In […]

The Ducks are coming!

The Citroën 2CV – “Duck”, as we lovingly call it in Holland – remains one of the most loved classic cars around. So you’d assume everything about it has been written by now. Wrong. Deep in France, a group of jolly people brings the “Duck” back to its roots: the water. The “Aquadeuch”, as they […]

Barnfinds without a barn

Some stories remain unwritten, or in part at least. That sometimes stings a little, because they are simply too beautiful to not be told. Like this one, in Susteren in the province of Limburg. There you could find this somewhat tragic combination of a car dealership and a car graveyard. Dozens of cars, most of […]