The Fate of the Sleeping Beauties"Say "Sleeping Beauties" to committed car enthusiasts and they will immediately know what you're talking about: a world famous 1980s photo series, showing an extraordinary collection of classical automobiles rusting away in a French barn, neglected by their owner. Famous brands like Bugatti, Lancia, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Cord and Aston Martin, laying under thick layers of dust, spending their remaining days falling apart in isolation. Many have tried to find out what happened to these cars over the last twenty-five years - decayed? destroyed? sold? - but all leads fizzled out ... until two Dutchmen and a German hung on where others had given up. In true Boy's Own style, their book tells of the three-year-long search for the fate of the cars from that French barn. It tells the story behind the collection's origins in 1948, through the moment in 1983 when the famous photos were published, up to the day in 2007 when the authors talked to the current 79 year old owner - a man who finally broke his silence about the fate of his collection for the first time in 25 years."--Publisher description. |
Contents
Foreword | 6 |
Cars under dust | 14 |
Almost twenty years of peace | 20 |
Michel Dovaz in 2007 | 32 |
The nine Bugattis presented in | 38 |
Bugatti Type 50 MillionGuiet | 46 |
Bugatti Type 55 Faux Cabriolet | 55 |
Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux | 61 |
Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Cabriolet Touring | 97 |
Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Coupé Pininfarina 1954 Siata 208 CS Coupé Balbo | 103 |
Jowett Jupiter Coupé Ghia Suisse | 110 |
Cord 812 Supercharged Custom Berline | 116 |
Bentley R Type Hooper Empress Saloon | 124 |
Class beats volume | 130 |
Pas important the offspring | 144 |
Bibliography | 150 |
Other editions - View all
The Fate of the Sleeping Beauties Ard op de Weegh,Kay Hottendorff,Arnoud op de Weegh No preview available - 2019 |
Common terms and phrases
6-cylinder able acquired actually appeared Atalante auction Aurelia Automobile barn Bentley body Bore x stroke Bugatti Type 57 built Cabriolet chassis number Château de Sanxet classic cars closed collection Competizione completely Compression ratio condition Continental Cord Coupé Courtesy Didier Lainé/Editions covered developed Didier Lainé/Editions LVA displayed early Editions engine enthusiasts example fact factory Ferrari France French Front track Hesselmann Hottendorff/op de Weegh Italy known Lancia later Lincoln Lincoln Zephyr litres LxWxH Magazine manufactured Michel Dovaz Mille Miglia moved museum never once Original price owner Panhard Paris parked photographer placed Power probably Production date published racing Rear track width relocation restoration Sarlat Sleeping Beauties sold subsequently supercharger Technical data Top speed Touring Type 44 unrestored vehicle Ventoux Villemaréchal Weight Wheelbase yes no unknown yes yes