The visit to Buren, Gelderland, has been on the wish list for a long time. There, not far away from Geldermalsen, is a museum that harkens back to the combination of motorism and individualism in a historical form. I expect a lot from the visit to Visscher Classique, which has already won several prizes. But when comrade Tinga and I set sail from Wirdum, I don't know yet how much of an impression the day will make.
At the invitation of Arie-Jan Vreeken, we visit the stopping place full of French heritage, with a nice touch of Opel. The drive to Buren goes smoothly, the road is quiet and within two hours Durk parks my V50 in front of the museum. The parking lot is filled with a significant number Alfa Romeo Bertone specimens, the club has chosen this day to visit the museum.
We make our entrance into the museum. after we have walked through the long corridor with a ditto print with 'cars through time'. The cars of the year are on it, the history of CItroën, Peugeot, Simca/Matra, Renault Sport and Opel is drawn by hand. So all the cars lead you to the real heritage. We are nicely welcomed, and our arrival is announced.
We hear the applause that Henk Visscher receives from the Alfisti club shortly after our arrival, which happens in the beautiful conference room on floor two. A little later we meet the enthusiastic entrepreneur, who stopped after years of dealership (spread over several locations) and started a fantastic new project. Shortly afterwards we will receive the first impressions. After a first quick tour we have already got a good taste of it, and not much later Arie-Jan Vreeken shakes hands with us. He will show us around and make the already beautiful day even more special for us. We exchange details and knowledge, and have a fantastic day with our host.
We walk past and through a beautiful collection Citroëns, which we discovered first after our entrance. That history of Citroën is always special to me. From 1976 to mid-1984, the Double Chevron struck a chord in my then growing love for cars. For a moment I think back to the GS and the two 2CV4s of mom and dad. And face to face with everything that the Double Chevron carries, I feel the sentiment, the desire for freedom and - in the case of our 2CV4s - the anti-establishment of the time. From zero to one hundred in 62 seconds, depending on the wind. And yet you arrived at your destination. And at home. So, so beautiful.
I awaken from my childhood memories and enter the world of that time in a different way. Beautiful DSs, a jewel of a GS Pallas, a Spanish (that was indeed correct) Dyane 6, a Visa Club and the SM of the late JC number 14, are very appealing.
The M35 is a patinated jewel that really reflects the experimental role of the time. And that extensive trial with more than two hundred prototypes turned out differently than expected. It's a good thing that not all M35 copies pass Citroën were brought back, otherwise no one would have ever seen one again. Because that was the plan: all M35 copies would be disassembled after the test. The French battle prevented that from happening. Good thing, too.
Beautiful: the Citroën collection is flanked by the wall with many advertisements, which will soon appear bundled. And we peek through the windows of a large door, behind which the Snoek Factory is located. It is quiet there today, but during the week everything that is hydropneumatic is maintained there. I had not yet mentioned the two Panhard copies. They have a modest spot, among the Citroëns. And for a moment I think: swallowed up, just like before. But these cars are so special that you can never ignore them. We talk about M8 engines, M10 engines and valve control with torsion bars. And praise the beauty of these illustrious specimens.
The Peugeots beckon, and especially my weakness for the entire -04 series is touched sensitively and delicately. The Peugeot -04 models tell how light individualistic chic made the fine-grained difference. I especially have that with a 204, the Berline shown in Buren and the restored convertible are beautiful. We also enjoy the 203 and 403 Decouvrable, we see several 404 copies. The 304 SLS (delivered new in the Netherlands, beautiful) also warms my heart and the 504 Ti Automatique also causes a stir in the good sense of the word. Special: the 504 Cabriolet, with which Ilja Gort crosses his program, is also available. The Peugeot collection (including the ones I won't mention) is fantastic.
At a museum in which a historic Simca dealership is interwoven, you would of course also expect a fantastic Simca-Matra-Talbot department. That expectation is fully realized. The long-defunct brand reveals the difference between the present and the distant past in Buren. And how. Two Simca 1200 S Coupé (Bertone) examples assembled in Rotterdam, a Simca 1000 Coupé, two beautiful Rallye examples, a very early 1000, and a 1501 Tourist (with removed picnic table and ditto decoration, beautiful) are just a small selection. from the beautiful Simca collection.
The Matra corner (including the Djet and two 530 examples) is accompanied by cars that mark the transition from Simca to Talbot. And the latter series is again at odds with Simca's glory years. A very sweet Simca 5 example, an Ariane and an Aronde Monaco tell the distant history of the brand. The Simca section says that the favorites of the day are there: the 1200 S Coupé and the 1501 Tourist are the winners of the day. Also to my own surprise.
And we haven't even mentioned the Johan van der Zand heritage, with a few beautiful trucks (DAF Torpedo and Volvo). Or about the beautiful Opel collection, which represents Opel from the 205s to the 305s. I think the Rallye-Kadett is the most beautiful, but I also think it is special to see that a very late Ascona-B and a beautiful Opel Olympia Rekord uphold the honor of Bochum and Rüsselsheim in Buren. Yes, the historic Opel also glows faintly. When we go upstairs we are treated to a fantastic collection of VKV-Heritage. Yes. Alpine and Renault-Sport are making a significant contribution to the enthusiasts' pockets. And of course there is room for the youngtimers, with the lion's share provided by various 505 examples. But a 605 and a 205 are also appealing, not to mention the now extremely rare 16. Or the XNUMX T XNUMX under construction.
There is more, much more. There is another collection of motorized two-wheelers. The museum houses thousands of scale models spread over numerous display cases. One display case shows the entire Visscher collection in small format. There is fantastic advertising material everywhere on the numerous walls, and the memorabilia also shines at you. We don't see the enormous collection of car brochures. We do visit Brasserie La Bombe a few times, where you can enjoy a nice cup of coffee and apple pie. And there is also the work of the recently deceased photographer Edwin Olaf, who made photo collages of Citroën models. Of course there is a shop, where, for example, scale models offered by private individuals are waiting for a buyer. And I don't hesitate when I see a Meccano-Dinky Peugeot 204. She beckons, and I briefly wander to a beautiful moment. It's like me her hand gently resting on my elbow during the recent walk, peaceful, delicate. That's the feeling a 204 brings to me. The model will be taken to Leeuwarden, together with the beautiful Peugeot calendars that Durk and I receive from Arie-Jan. Yes, you can be as happy as a child sometimes.
The day comes to an end, we have a nice chat and are deeply impressed. Even if you have less interest in classic cars, you can still have fun with all kinds of areas within Visscher Classique. There is so much to see. And yet the richly illustrated collection is so coordinated that everything remains clear. This way you can enjoy the French (and also the Opel) glory of yesteryear in peace. Impressive is just an understatement.
At the same time your breath is taken away. At least for me it does. And the visit lasts for a long time, I feel the nostalgia, I feel it in my car youth too from Citroën existed. And I feel the difference between professing brand love and impressively cultivating and delivering on it. And it is precisely the latter that ensures that the visit to this impressive collection will continue for a while. Because French classics in particular convey that feeling of individuality, freedom and romance in a subtle way. Because they represented part of my car-crazy youth. And the visit to Visscher Classique was a dance with historical happiness, which also evoked deeply melancholic feelings because of the beautiful composition of the collection.
With many thanks to Henk Visscher, Arie-Jan Vreeken, Bianca Vreeken-van Os and Durk Tinga
What a movingly beautiful and exceptionally detailed article Erik van Putten. Many thanks for that, also on behalf of Henk Visscher. In addition to a high “speak-up” element, you can read about all our passion and hobby. It's wonderful how you know how to name details. The M35 is discussed, but also the wall decorations, of course the model cars. But also the van der Zand and VKV part. Even the picnic table of the 1501 tourist...Bianca, Corrie, Karin, and all other unmentioned volunteers also enjoy nothing more than welcoming guests, entertaining them, sharing knowledge and telling stories where possible. Of course with pleasant things such as coffee specialties and apple pie in the brasserie. The aforementioned 'catching up' between us after a long time was also of great value to me personally.
We hope to welcome you again later this year or next year.
I was there last year, beautiful collection indeed. Doors were even opened and engines started.
It might be interesting to mention: you can also rent some youngtimers for a day or part of the day!
MGB
That's a coincidence, I'm going there tomorrow!
Visited there last year, see in the photos that expansion has already taken place, especially in the Opel department, the museum is definitely recommended, with many recognizable vehicles without unaffordable exotics