Ford fiesta in Holland

Bonhams, Hillegom, The Netherlands 23 June

WHAT IS BELIEVED to be the largest collection of Fords in the world is to be sold off lock, stock and barrel – and all at no reserve – in The Netherlands in the next month. The auction will offer the contents of Piet Den Hartogh’s private museum, which showcases over 200 Ford and Lincoln cars and commercials as well as more than 50 motorcycles. The astonishing selection of vehicles ranges from the everyday such as Ford Model As, Bs and Cs to ambulances, fire engines and ice cream vans.

The all-day sale will actually take place at the museum, which is close to Amsterdam, and the dispersal of the collection is a rather sad end for what Den Hartogh dedicated his adult life to building up. Having been inspired by the trucks used by his father Jacobus’ haulage company, Den Hartogh bought his first Ford in 1956 and soon decided that he needed to amass all the prewar Fords, from a 1903 Model A to 1930s Prohibition favourites, and on to early postwar cars up to 1949, via camper vans to a Canadian police-issue snowmobile.

The collection was opened up to the public in 1997 on the suggestion of Piet’s wife and it has remained a family affair, being run by their daughter Greske for many years. Until the burden got too much; hence the sale.

You can find out more about the vehicles in the collection that fills three huge halls and 5000sq m at fordmuseum.nl, but some of the highlights are cars from every year between 1903 and 1908 and a large number of Model Ts from 1908 to 1927. The cars are generally unrestored and many are highly original, while all are said to be running (though you take your bets with museum cars).

Rupert Banner of Bonhams said: ‘Each lot is offered without reserve, meaning that Ford enthusiasts and the wider collecting community, will be able to bid for a piece of the marque’s history.’ bonhams.com