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fritz schlumpf

Reserve and Restoration at the Schlumpf

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Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

From the VeloceToday Archives, May, 2018

The Cité de l’Automobile National Museum-Schlumpf Collection is a fascinating institution. But have you ever wondered if the Schlumpf is allowed to sell any of their cars? Do they purchase new additions for the collection? If so, what are their standards? What cars are chosen for restoration? What are the criteria for restoration? Do they restore cars for others? What cars are in the reserve collection? Now, Hugues Vanhoolandt interviews Richard Keller, chief curator of the collection, who answers those questions while giving Vanhoolandt an exclusive look into the 200-car reserve collection. Ed.

In 1977, the Schlumpf collection consisted of almost 500 cars stocked in a woolen mill (which is today the museum) and some 80 others that were garaged on the Schlumpf’s private property. After the death of Fritz Schlumpf, these 80 cars were in the ownership of his widow, Arlette, until her passing in 2008 when most were then purchased by U.S. collector Peter Mullin.

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The Schlumpf Reserve and Restoration

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Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

The Cité de l’Automobile National Museum-Schlumpf Collection is a fascinating institution. But have you ever wondered if the Schlumpf is allowed to sell any of their cars? Do they purchase new additions for the collection? If so, what are their standards? What cars are chosen for restoration? What are the criteria for restoration? Do they restore cars for others? What cars are in the reserve collection? Now, Hugues Vanhoolandt interviews Richard Keller, chief curator of the collection, who answers those questions while giving Vanhoolandt an exclusive look into the 200-car reserve collection. Ed.

In 1977, the Schlumpf collection consisted of almost 500 cars stocked in a woolen mill (which is today the museum) and some 80 others that were garaged on the Schlumpf’s private property. After the death of Fritz Schlumpf, these 80 cars were in the ownership of his widow, Arlette, until her passing in 2008 when most were then purchased by U.S. collector Peter Mullin. [Read more…] about The Schlumpf Reserve and Restoration

For the Love of Fritz Part 2

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safsfd

Schlumpf was fascinated by both Ettore and Jean Bugatti, as well as the cars they created. Here, a prewar picture showing Jean Bugatti with the Royale roadster he designed for Armand Esders gives a good idea of the elegance and the size this Type 41. Fin (Photo Collection Bugatti family).

cvr-300
Auto biographie – Pour l’amour de Fritz Broché – 10 avril 2009
de Arlette Schlumpf (Auteur), Bernard Reumaux (Collaborateur)

• Broché: 352 pages
• Editeur : La Nuée Bleue (10 avril 2009)
• Langue : Français
• ISBN-10: 2716507473
• ISBN-13: 978-2716507479
• Dimensions:24 x 2.6 x 15 cm

A summary and review by Gijsbert-Paul Berk
Part 2

Read Part 1

The time of happiness

Soon after they started courting, Fritz began teaching Arlette to enjoy the thrills and pleasures of fast driving and to discover the ideal lines for taking – in the shortest possible time but with a minimum of risk – the many curves on the roads in the Vosges area. They often competed, each in a separate car, just for the fun of it.
[Read more…] about For the Love of Fritz Part 2

For the Love of Fritz Schlumpf Part 1

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cvr-300

Auto biographie – Pour l’amour de Fritz Broché – 10 avril 2009
de Arlette Schlumpf (Auteur), Bernard Reumaux (Collaborateur)

• Broché: 352 pages
• Editeur : La Nuée Bleue (10 avril 2009)
• Langue : Français
• ISBN-10: 2716507473
• ISBN-13: 978-2716507479
• Dimensions:24 x 2.6 x 15 cm
• Find on Amazon.com

In 2009 the French publishing house La Nuée Bleue (The Blue Cloud) brought out a book with the title For the love of Fritz. It was the posthumous autobiography of Arlette Schlumpf, the lifelong companion and later widow of Fritz Schlumpf. Gijsbert-Paul Berk’s incisive three part article is the first time the book has been reviewed in English.

A summary and review by Gijsbert-Paul Berk

At the time of publication, Arlette Schlumpf’s book attracted little attention and it was never translated. A pity but understandable; by 2005 there were several excellent books in French, English and German about the collection. In addition, the Schlumpf ‘affair’ belonged to a previous century, while the fierce juridical battles with the French authorities over the ownership of the car collection and the museum at Mulhouse had ended in a compromise. It was old news. However, Arlette’s book sheds a great deal of light on the Schlumpf Obsession, which is perhaps the most fascinating car collecting story of the 20th century.

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John Shakespeare and the Thirty Bugattis Part 1

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There have been many articles about the day John Shakespeare loaded up 30 Bugattis to have them shipped to the Fritz Schlumpf in 1964. But none like our exclusive story below, told by David Gulick, the photographer who took the amazing photos of that memorable day. VeloceToday will present a series of those photographs in several parts. We also asked artist Paul Chenard to create a poster commemorating the sale. We’ll offer a free poster to anyone who subscribes to VeloceToday. For those who don’t want to subscribe for $5 a month, we will offer PDFs of this story for $10 via our Donate Button.

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