Passion for Cars

Throughout my entire life I have been passionate about beautiful cars, streamlined coachwork and high-performance engines. As a child I was already very interested in special cars and lucky enough to be able to start my collection at a young age.

Fortunately, I met the right people and was able to build up an effective international network, which contributed greatly to the accumulation of this collection. In the end it turned out to be a good investment but that was never my motivation I have always only been driven by passion!

After some hesitation, I finally decided to write this book. My worry was that it would be considered pretentious, but good friends convinced me to share my passion with other enthusiasts and people equally passionate about classic cars. The collection has grown to encompass a wide variety of interesting and iconic cars, whose detailed histories feature in this book.

In truth, we are only provisional owners of our classic cars; once we leave this world they will have new owners. This is the reason why it is our responsibility to research and document their history. Thus this book is a testimony of my passion and a record of each car’s life story. I hope you enjoy this journey in the world of classic cars.

Thierry Dehaeck

There was a rumour concerning someone living in Ypres, owning several cars in pristine condition, with ridiculously few kilometres on the odometer.

I remembered having seen one of those cars at an event somewhere. So I knew Thierry Dehaeck’s cars and reputation before I got to know the man himself.

I first met him when he loaned a Shelby GT500KR to Autoworld as part of an exhibition about Belgians at Le Mans.

This also gave me the opportunity to visit his company, Cady Cars, and discover the collection featured in this book. I remember how impressed I was. Not only because of the condition of the cars, and partly because of the care and dedication of the owner. And I still am with every visit, partly because of the cars, but also because Thierry always has something new to show or has made a new discovery. The collection is eclectic - it only comprises exceptional cars - and at the same time it is very diverse.

Not only are the cars special and in most cases extremely original, but the archives that accompany each of them are of a rarely seen quality. For most of the cars there is, in a manner of speaking, enough material to write a book. The library consists of several metres of accurately compiled documentation. In that respect, the book you now have in your hands does not do justice to the reality.

Thierry Dehaeck is internationally known, not least because of his love for the Citroën SM of which he now owns almost all variants. Earlier this year, Gooding & Co auctioned American Jerry Hathaway’s SM record car together with an equally unique SM converted into a pickup and a custom-built trailer.

Of course, I immediately thought of Thierry but I reckoned it unnecessary to email him the news, he would certainly know too. When I got him on the phone not much later, the big story was that he had bought an SM record car at an auction… I should have known, that’s Thierry alright.

Leo Van Hoorick Curator Autoworld, Brussels

Table of contents Thierry Dehaeck P. 9-15

4

Aston Martin P. 16-23

1999 / V8 Volante LWB P. 18-23

Bentley P. 24-43

1956 / S1 H.J. Mulliner DHC Design 7409 P. 25-31

1980 / T2 P. 32-37

1981 / Corniche Convertible P. 38-43

Thierry Dehaeck

12

A filing cabinet full of stories Collecting vintage cars is one thing. Gathering knowledge about all those beautiful models is something else, and the latter always fascinated me: what is the history of the car, who were the owners, how is the car documented, what is technically special about the car, are pictures available from earlier times?

In short: each car of my collection has a complete file with all possible documentation, such as: expertise reports, previous registrations, data sheets, FIVA identification cards, factory production records, publications, owner’s manual, maintenance invoices...

I consider this aspect a ‘must’ for generations to come.

How is that said that again? Anyone who does not know history cannot understand the present. As far as I am concerned, the same adage also applies to classic cars.

My passion for the Citroen SM I was 16 years old and I remember it like yesterday: the first time I saw a Citroën SM Coupé, owned by friends of my parents living in Bergues, northern France. It was love at first sight. I was allowed to go on a ride with Monsieur Maurice, in the car that at that time was given the wonderful-sounding name ‘Sa Majesté’. The Citroën SM was exceptional for more than one reason. Not only was the shape of the car du jamais vu, this dream car was also the result of an exceptional collaboration between two car manufacturers at the time: the French Citroën designed the model and the Italian Maserati supplied the engines.

Today I have more than one SM in my collection. Perhaps the most special one is the Citroën SM ‘Espace’, which first appeared at the 1971 Paris Motor Show. This dazzlingly beautiful and streamlined car has both sideopening electric roof and sporty louvers at the back. The spectacular interior offered an unmistakably futuristic look. Strange but true: the prototype proposed in Paris at the time was never put into production. But today it is in my collection along with other models of Sa Majesté, and still looks as sexy today as it was when it was launched.

13

Bentley

1956 S1 H.J. Mulliner DHC

26

1956 S1 H.J. Mulliner DHC Design 7409

Design 7409

27

Bentley

1981 Corniche Convertible

38

1981 Corniche Convertible

39

1981 Corniche Convertible

HISTORY OF THE 1981 BENTLEY CORNICHE CONVERTIBLE CHASSIS N° DBX50705

Bob Lalemant This Bentley Corniche Convertible was ordered by Mr. Bob Lalemant, a Belgian shipping magnate, from the official Rolls-Royce and Bentley dealer, Royal Motor Company in Diegem, Belgium, on 24th April 1980. Its special features were as follows: internally adjustable mirror to passenger’s door, fog lamps, and Avon whitewall radial tyres. The car was ordered in Dark Olive with golden fine lines, tan soft-top, beige leather (code VM3234) piped with tan (code VM846) and beige carpets.

40

As a passionate Rolls-Royce and Bentley enthusiast, Mr. Lalemant added the Corniche to his growing car collection. Mr. Lalemant also owned one of the largest racing stables in Belgium, and every single car in his collection had its own racehorse and jockey mascot, supplied by Asprey of London, made in solid sterling silver. This mascot is fully hallmarked and enamelled in white and green, reflecting the colours of his racing stable. Another interesting fact is that each car of the collection had its own ‘golden’ key, in addition to the regular key set. Mr. Lalemant employed two full-time mechanics to maintain his cars in perfect running order, and each car was driven 100 kilometres every two months by the mechanics. All his cars had personalized licence plates starting with BLA.

“ Another interesting fact is

that each car of the collection had its own ‘golden’ key.

Bob Lalemant died on 10th August 2006 at the age of 79, while cruising from Zeebrugge to St Petersburg. At that time, his company employed almost 250 people, with offices in every part of the world; he was a highly respected and very successful businessman. He also owned a yacht, and his likes included elegant female company, wines, music and, of course, racehorses.

Beginning in 1998, he recorded his own CD each year, accompanied by well-known musicians; wherever he was travelling, a piano had to be available. By the time he passed away, Mr. Lalemant’s collection amounted to 34 important classic cars, each one unique.

Citroën

1969 DS 21 Cabriolet I.E.

86

1969 DS 21 Cabriolet I.E.

87

1969 DS 21 Cabriolet I.E.

HISTORY OF THE 1969 CITROËN DS 21 CABRIOLET INJECTION ELECTRONIQUE CHASSIS N° 00FA0074

Model History “Today, many motorists continue to pay homage to the immortal Citroën Déesse [Goddess in French]. Admirers praise her timeless beauty. Experts extol the eternal brilliance of her design. Owners and enthusiasts sacrifice their time and wealth in her honour, lavishing upon her the deep emotions normally reserved for human friends.”

- Sparrow and Kessel, Citroën DS.

88

Introduced at the Paris Motor Show in October 1955, the Citroën DS represented a giant leap forward in automotive technology: never before had so many technological advances been incorporated in a single model. Chief among these was Citroën’s revolutionary hydraulic system, which not only provided supremely comfortable all-independent self-levelling suspension but also powered the steering, clutch, gear change, and four-wheel disc brakes. Subsequent improvements mainly concerned the engine (the original was a carryover from the Traction Avant), while other developments included swivelling headlights, electronic fuel injection, and a five-speed gearbox. Universally admired, this quite remarkable car would remain in production for 20 years, by which time almost 1.5 million had been sold.

“ The DS was then displayed as the new 1970 model on the Citroën stand at the Salon de l’Automobile in Paris.

Origins A 1970 model, this DS21 I.E. (Injection Electronique) with chassis 00.FA.00.74 was supplied on 18th July 1969 to Parisian coachbuilder Henri Chapron’s workshop at 114-116 Rue Aristide Briand in Levallois-Perret. Carrying the Chapron production number 9334 and body number 00.32.000.752, it returned to the Citroën factory on 25th July 1969 as a Cabriolet S ‘de Serie’ (standard).

This car has always remained in its original colours: Sable Métallisé and Cuir Naturel. It is equipped with the semi-automatic hydraulic gearbox, type DXD001, and also has an original air conditioning system with special ventilation ducts in the front bumper. (It was quite unusual for a DS cabriolet to have air conditioning at that time.)

Citroën

1973 SM Opéra

126

1973 SM Opéra

127

1973 SM Opéra

HISTORY OF THE 1973 CITROËN SM OPÉRA CHASSIS N° SBSC00SC0948

Origin The famous French coachbuilder Henri Chapron produced several variants of Citroën’s high-performance, Maserati-engined SM coupé, all of which have since become extremely collectible and are highly sought after.

The Citroën SM Opéra is a special, stretched, four-door saloon version of the SM, only seven of which were built

by Henri Chapron.

First Owner

128

The third car produced, this Citroen SM Opéra was ordered in 1972 by Mr. Guy Vandaele-Vandecasteele, who owned businesses in Liège, Belgium and Barcelona, Spain. It was agreed with Henri Chapron, that once the car was ready it would be exhibited at the Automobile Barcelona motor show, which was scheduled to open on 5th April 1973. This successful Belgian businessman already owned a Rolls-Royce painted in Garnet, and he ordered exactly the same colour for his Opéra. Mr. Vandaele also ordered the following options: Costil leather in natural colour; beige carpets; tinted windows; and air conditioning. The car was completed by Citroen on 22nd December 1972 and delivered to Henri Chapron’s workshop in Levallois-Perret on 2nd January 1973. The transformation into an Opéra commenced under the production number 7647.

“ The Citroën SM Opéra is a special,

stretched, four-door saloon version of the SM.

Life in Spain The Opéra left Henri Chapron’s workshop on 15th March 1973 in time for the Automobile Barcelona motor show.

An invoice dated 23rd March 1973, from Henri Chapron to SDAD Espanola Automoviles Citroën in Madrid, shows that the Opéra cost 83,620 French Francs. The Opéra was delivered to Mr. Vandaele after the show. It made sense for him to register the car in Spain, as taxes there were substantially lower than in Belgium, and the Opéra was duly registered in Spain on 22nd May 1973 as M-1797-V. Mr. Vandaele used the car, which was chauffeur driven, for his frequent trips between Liège and Barcelona. In

Ligier

209

1975 / JS2 P. 210-214

Mercedes

249

1955 / 300 SL Coupé P. 250-255

1957 / 300 SL Roadster P. 256-261

1964 / 230 SL Pagode P. 262-267

1979 / 280 SL W107 P. 268-273

2011 / SLS AMG Coupé P. 274-278

2012 / SLS AMG Roadster P. 280-285

Mercedes

2012 SLS AMG Roadster

280

2012 SLS AMG Roadster

281

Volkswagen

1967 Type 2 Samba T1 Microbus

336

1967 Type 2 Samba T1 Microbus

337

Coachbuilders

All original

In the collection we have cars from the following coachbuilders:

Following cars are completely original and have never been restored:

Bertone

• 1955 Jaguar XK140 SE Roadster

1974 Maserati Quattroporte Series II

• 1964 Cadillac Eldorado

352

Henri Chapron 1967 Citroën DS 21 Le Caddy

• 1969 Jaguar E-type Series 2 OTS

1967 Citroën DS 21 Cabriolet

• 1971 Citroën SM Coupé

1969 Citroën DS 21 Cabriolet I.E.

• 1972 Citroën SM Mylord

1972 Citroën SM Mylord

• 1972 Ferrari ‘Daytona’ Spider

1973 Citroën SM Opéra

• 1973 Citroën SM Opéra

Frua

1973 Ligier JS2

Ghia

1969 Maserati Ghibli Spyder

1972 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 SS

Heuliez

1971 Citroën SM Espace

Thanks to

Italdesign

1973 Maserati Merak

It is thanks to the support of my lovely wife Anne Delmulle that I was able to write this book.

H.J. Mulliner

1956 Bentley SI DHC Design 7409

1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I DHC

I am also very grateful and wish to express my thanks to the following persons for their collaboration in its realization:

1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II DHC

1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III DHC

1981 Bentley Corniche Convertible

Pininfarina

1962 Ferrari 250 GTE

1965 Ferrari 275 GTB

Leo Van Hoorick

1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4

Marc Sonnery

1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4

Carl Cambien

1993 Ferrari 512 TR

Shelby

1968 GT 500 KR Fastback

1968 GT 500 KR Convertible

• 1973 Jaguar E-type Series 3 OTS • 1979 Mercedes 280 SL W107

David Hawtin, co-writer Patrick Hanssens, CEO of BOA Delphine Beun, book design and layout at BOA

Carolijn Domensino, Lannoo Marcel Massini Fabio Collina Adolfo Orsi

Thrupp & Maberly

1939 Rolls-Royce Wraith Cabriolet

Pedro Cappelle Sacha Petrovic

Vignale

1962 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder

Philippe Houssard Guy Mahy Marinus Rijkers Willem-Jan Picavet