Ard op de Weegh is a schoolprincipal in Arnhem. His father had a fascination with cars, which he passed on to his son, and Ard is very proud to also have a son who shares this passion. Ard began looking into the fate of the 'Sleeping Beauties' when one of his teachers, who was fond of the Alfa 6C2500 Competizione of Dovaz, said shortly before he died that he had planned to research the collection. When the teacher passed away, Ard started to investigate, at first with his son Arnoud, and since December 2006 with Kay Hottendorff, too. Kay Hottendorff, born in 1969, is an electrical engineer from Northern Germany. He has been fascinated by classic cars since his 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, looking newer than the latest Volkswagen, lose their identity and history. Arnoud op de Weegh is a student at the technical university in Arnhem. He and his father, Ard, share a lifelong fascination with cars; Arnoud is particularly interested in pre-WWII models, especially Bugatti. He began investigating the Dovaz collection in 2003, taking many trips to France with his father to view barn finds or prewar cars, which resulted in them writing this book in collaboration with Kay Hottendorff.
"All the important details are covered - relocation, barn find
museum, sale and restoration. There are detailed descriptions of
every one of the 55 Sleeping Beauties, with more than 250 color
photos." - Old Stager "If you like the drama of finds and
discoveries, this one will be for you." - The Automobile
"Interviews with the owner of the collection and great 'before and
after' pictures makes this the ultimate bible for classic fans." -
Auto Express "Really fascinating stuff." - Classic Motor Monthly
"It's a great story ... the research is impressive ... there's a
great amount of detail here." - Classics Monthly "The book is
workmanlike and straightforward in its presentation as it
introduces us to Monsieur Dovaz and then, car by car, to the
various vehicles heretofore known merely as photos of well-worn
sleeping beauties. This is truly a book of provenance." - SAH
Journal "The discovery of the automotive hoard of Michel Dovaz in
1983 is legend, but the subsequent history of the barn-find exotics
found in Villemarechal is less well known. Now Dutch enthusiast Ard
op de Weegh, son Arnoud and researcher Kay Hottendorf have brought
the gripping saga up to date." - Classic & Sports Car "The lovingly
researched tale of one of France's most mysterious automotive
collections." - Telegraph Motoring "The author carefully charts the
story of the eventual transformation of the Sleeping Beauties from
wrecks to show cars. Enjoy this book containing an equally gripping
and tall tale, which runs to 160 pages and has 277 fabulous before
and after photographs of just the kind of sleeping beauties we'd
love to awaken with a kiss." - Gay Classic Car Group
"This sympathetically written, beautifully illustrated and engaging
hardback tells the story of how the collection came to exist and
how many of the models were restored and have become impressive
showpieces." - Hull Daily Mail "Painstakingly researched, with
detailed descriptions of each of the 55 cars, their histories,
their current locations and their physical states - and that's
everything from a Bugatti T55 to a VW K70." - Octane "For anyone
who was left dreaming about those beat-up Bugattis and corroded
Cords, 'The Fate of the Sleeping Beauties' is heavenly reading." -
Old Cars Weekly
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