Hundreds of classic cars, motorcycles, thousands of parts, petrol pumps, enamel signs and illuminated advertising. Anyone who sees Joop Stolze’s collection immediately understands: this is no ordinary collection. It is the life’s work of a man who started with nothing and, over the course of fifty years, became a well-known name in the international classic car world.
A large part of that life’s work is now being auctioned by Troostwijk Auctions. The Joop Stolze Collection comprises more than 330 lots, divided across two online auctions. The auctions include classic cars, motorcycles, mopeds, parts and automobilia — from Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, Maserati, Jaguar, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Ford, Volkswagen and Porsche to Italian mopeds, petrol pumps, neon signs, light boxes, enamel signs and items from brands including Shell, Michelin, Castrol and Bugatti.
From a boyhood dream to an international business
Joop Stolze grew up in De Lier, a village in the Westland region of the Netherlands. He came from a family of growers, where hard work was second nature. Stolze did not start out in cars, but in flowers. Together with his wife Nel, he took over the family horticultural business.
During quieter periods in the growing season, however, an old boyhood dream resurfaced: a Triumph TR3. As a young boy, Stolze had promised himself that one day he would own one. In 1976, he found his dream car in a car magazine: a bright red 1958 Triumph TR3, located in London. Stolze travelled to the UK with two of his brothers and drove the car back to the Netherlands himself.
That first classic car marked the beginning of an adventure that would grow far beyond anything he had imagined. One classic became two. Two became three. Slowly, the orchids in the greenhouse made way for cars. Joop Stolze Classic Cars was born.
Classic cars from De Lier to the world
Over the decades, Stolze built his business into an international name among classic car enthusiasts, collectors and restorers. From his premises in De Lier, cars found their way to buyers across the world — including Australia, New Zealand, Peru, India, the Middle East and the United States.
He bought and sold classic cars long before online platforms, digital auctions and instant messaging made international trade easier. In the early years, Stolze bought cars in the United States by phone. Sellers would send photographs, which first had to be developed before he could properly assess the cars. Containers then arrived in De Lier — sometimes four or five a week.
His collection and trading business grew around cars from the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom and beyond. Over the years, Stolze says he sold around 18,000 classic cars. Yet he never saw himself as a typical car dealer. He bought with his heart, trusted his instinct and built relationships with enthusiasts all over the world.
One story about a visitor from India illustrates Stolze’s understated way of doing business. The man spent hours walking through the halls in De Lier, without Stolze putting any pressure on him. Only just before closing time did Stolze dryly ask: “So, is anything going to happen?” Something did happen: the visitor bought sixteen cars at once, to start a museum in India.
For Stolze, classic cars are not status symbols. Their value lies in their engineering, design and history. His ideal is that the cars do not disappear into storage halls or private collections, but continue to be driven and enjoyed.
“It is important that these cars remain. And that they stay on the road,” he says. “It is art.”
For almost fifty years, Stolze has driven rallies in classic cars, often with his wife Nel as navigator. His red Triumph TR3, the car where it all began, will therefore not be part of the auction. “I have driven around 250,000 kilometres in rallies with this car,” Stolze says. “And I have never had any trouble with it.”
A rare opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts
Now, a large part of the Joop Stolze Collection is being offered online through Troostwijk Auctions. For collectors, restorers and classic car enthusiasts, this is a rare opportunity to acquire a piece from a collection built over five decades with Stolze’s own hands, taste and unmistakable character.
Is Stolze proud of what he has built? He brushes the question aside. “I have stayed myself,” he says. “I did my best. I have always worked hard.”