Joop Stolze – “That TR3 from 1958, yes, that's where it started”

Joop Stolze is going to stop. It was a bit of a shock for classic car enthusiasts last November when this announcement was suddenly thrown into the world. But it was understandable. Stolze, now 80, has decided to auction his stock of cars and he is now busy photographing and describing everything. Joop Stolze's three children do not want to continue his business, which is why he decided to sell everything.

Text and photos: Peter Vader

For fifty years, the entrepreneur from De Lier has been working on his enormous collection. And it all started when he Triumph TR3 bought. 'I was at the car show with my father in 1958, there was a new car there. And then I thought: if I ever have money again, I'm going to buy it. And that happened when I was in London one time. That TR3 from 1958, yes, that's actually where it all started. I still have it and it's also the only car I'll never sell. I bought that thing from the first owner for 1.200 guilders."

Over 50 years

"This Triumph I've had the TR3 for over fifty years now. It was and is my first car. At the time I wanted to buy a car to fix up myself. Someone in our village had such an English sports car and I wanted to have it too. When the time came I went to England with my brothers to have a look around. They thought: it won't work anyway. It did.

I bought this one in 1972 from the first owner in London and I have since driven about 120.000 kilometres in rallies with it. That was great! And don't give a damn, right? I have had it as long as my marriage. It has only been resprayed once, otherwise I have done nothing to it. Even the original carpet is still in it. I will drive it to Italy again in a heartbeat. Then I will take a few litres of oil with me because I find that too expensive on the road. When they were new, they already used 1 litre per 800 kilometres and it still does that now.”

Buy in America

“And all this craziness started with that red van. It was my first classic car. After that I started buying cars in America, even though I was actually an orchid grower. I now have about 530 of them. It got a bit out of hand. Some are worth about three hundred grand. Totally awesome, but they are actually too expensive to use. That's a shame. Besides, I only buy cars that I like myself, not to make money from them. A normal person doesn't do that of course. If they stay where they are, that's not a problem at all. I also don't like it when they are bought as an investment. They have to drive, on the road. That's my love of cars. I'm completely crazy about them. Sometimes a bit too much perhaps.”

The most fun

“But with that Triumph I had the most fun. Pedaling hard in the mountains, while my wife navigated. Great! Or driving back from Italy in one go at an average of 150. I've experienced so much with that open car. I almost crashed too. Luckily only the rear light was against the tree, otherwise I wouldn't have been there anymore. But they pulled me out and I just drove on. Of course it's still in the showroom of my company Joop Stolze Classic Cars. And yes, I still work here. From early in the morning until twelve at night. It would be nice if this Triumph remains in the family. It is the only car that is not for sale here.”

No more tolerance policy

The red TR3 marked the beginning of a great love. Joop Stolze started buying more and more of them and also selling them. The gardener stored the cars in a greenhouse of his orchid nursery. “The car department kept getting bigger and the space for the orchids got smaller. So that was of course a bit of a problem.” That is why he decided to stop growing and focus entirely on cars.

In 2014 he moved into his current building. 3500 square meters downstairs and the showroom upstairs covers another 3000 square meters. “I wanted to have something to do in the summer, so I started on my new building. In the greenhouses where I was previously, you were not allowed to have cars. I had about 400 to 500 in a greenhouse on 5000 square meters. With a tolerance policy! In the place where I am now, everything is much better. This was the factory where my greenhouses were made.”

Overwhelming offer

The building in De Lier houses hundreds of cars. Mostly special models, arranged by brand. Rows of old advertising boards of mostly long-forgotten car and petrol brands hang from the roof trusses. Pedal cars flanked by glass balls, which once stood on petrol pumps, tower high above the classics. The back wall of the enormous space is largely taken up by mopeds and motorbikes. It is more than a showroom. It looks a bit like a museum.

But everything is for sale. And the selection is overwhelming. Not one XK but ten. Not one 911 but twenty. What colour do you want it in? Or how about a row of Lancias or an even bigger row of Alfa's? Those two Italians have a huge history. Together with Citroën is that a treat for classic lovers. And what else is there? A bit carelessly hidden in another row? A Facel Vega. Oh no, there are even three of them!

It's all about the condition

Joop Stolze is matter-of-fact about his 7000-square-meter palace, including workshop and parts warehouse. He is glad to be away from the greenhouses of his old company. But the link remains, because his current location is the building that once manufactured his father's greenhouses. A real greenhouse factory, in other words. But the move has paid off, because the market grew and presentation became increasingly important.

“No, it’s not a big glass building with golden door handles, like the car dealers. It does look nice, but I don’t think they deserve a gingerbread. Banks would rather see them go than come. My current building is simply functional. The cars are neat and tidy and stay neat. That used to be different in the greenhouses. But the presentation of a car remains important. The prices went up like crazy. The prices of some cars went up by 50 percent in six months. That story about the first owner, who used to be an old lady, and so on, I can make that up too. It’s about the car, the condition of the car!”

Hundreds of requests for information

As you walk through the showroom, you will be amazed by a series of Lancias with Zagato bodywork, the Fulvia, the Flavia and the Flaminia. Some of them even have multiple copies. Twenty Lancias, twenty Alfa's, about forty Benzes. But also brands like Osi, Cisitalia, American La France, Studebaker and Facel Vega. Only a real classic car enthusiast has heard of these brands. His cars go all over the world. Stolze receives about a hundred e-mails a day with requests for information about cars he has for sale. But this is now definitely coming to an end.

Everything has to go…

“My children don’t want to take over the company, and I don’t want to ask them to. Besides, I’m 80… It could all end today or tomorrow for me. And then they’ll have to sell the whole thing at once. I don’t want to burden them with that. Now I can still arrange everything myself.” But the entrepreneur from Westland already has a new plan.

“This location should have senior housing. It is badly needed. So when the whole lot is empty, the building will be demolished and I will start working with an architect. In an apartment like that, they can play a game, have a cup of coffee together, talk to each other, eat together. Very important and badly needed! And houses will become available for young people who can't afford them now. So that's kind of the plan.” Nevertheless, he feels strongly about getting rid of his classic cars. “There are cars among them of which only one was made,” says Joop Stolze proudly. There will soon be an auction of the cars that haven't been sold yet. Everything has to go. Still, he will keep one for himself: the red Triumph TR3, his very first classic car!

(The article continues below with the photos.)