This territory is known mainly for horticulture, practiced in large greenhouses where tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and flowers are produced: orchids, lilies, chrysanthemums.

Also the young Joop Stolze was a grower and he sold his beautiful orchids, which were the result of the work of a family business, that he managed with his wife and some employees. This activity took place above all in winter, when the temperature was favorable for the flowering of the magnificent flowers. So Stolze had some free time in the summer. Together with his two brothers, the young businessman took a trip to England in the summer of 1976. He had noticed, in a specialized magazine, an advertisement about the sale of a 1958 Triumph TR3a. The car was in good condition and advertised at 1200 forints. Joop bought it and brought it to Holland.

It was the car he had dreamed of since he was 13, when he saw a brand new Triumph TR3a at a car show in Amsterdam and he said to himself: "When I grow up I want to buy a car like this for me".
This purchase was soon followed by a Jaguar XK. At one point Stolze owned several cars, which he ended up selling and replacing with other cars. This amateur activity gave him a lot of satisfaction and the search for rare cars was very stimulating for him. As this trade progressed, Joop was no longer able to grow orchids and deal with cars at the same time. He sold part of his greenhouse and continued to devote himself full time to classic cars. Today the Internet allows you to view sales announcements from all over the world, but that was not the case then; Stolze was a subscriber to many international magazines in the sector, which he read thoroughly, comparing each ad. Having become an expert, he discovered more and more interesting opportunities. It mainly imported from America, both because of the wide choice of offers and because the dollar exchange rate was favorable. There were so many cars for sale in the huge America!

Joop Stolze Classic Cars: FROM ORCHIDS TO VINTAGE CARS

Over the years his business became more and more demanding, the greenhouse crowded, not with orchids, but with Porsche, Mustang, Packard, Jaguar, Ferrari ... etc. as well as rare models, such as a 1935 Packard, of which only 14 specimens were made, and an Apollo of which production was limited to 40. How is Joop Stolze today? He is 76 years old, quite well and still deals with cars seven days a week. The greenhouse, where his hundreds of cars once stood, has been sold.
In a factory where greenhouses were once produced, there are now more than 450 vintage cars, and about 200 old motorcycles and mopeds. Not only that, there are also Jukeboxes, slot machines, pedal machines and so on. Everything is evocative, but everything is for sale.
EVERYTHING EXCEPT THAT 1958 TRIUMPH TR3a!

Joop Stolze Classic Cars: FROM ORCHIDS TO VINTAGE CARS
Joop Stolze Classic Cars: FROM ORCHIDS TO VINTAGE CARS
Joop Stolze Classic Cars: FROM ORCHIDS TO VINTAGE CARS

The building has two floors: the best preserved models are exhibited on the upper floor; in the lower one, the cars to be restored. Four mechanics work full-time, and Joop's daughter Melanie is also an employee and co-owner of Stolze Classic Cars.
On most weekends, cousin Gerrit Stolze organizes tours for interested groups, with whom the company wants to share the story of each car.
Due to the coronavirus -19, these tours have been greatly reduced, much to the chagrin of the owner. Contrary to forecasts, sales did not decline due to the pandemic, in fact they increased.
As Stolze says, those who had saved up felt it was a good deal investing their money in a classic car - a smart choice!
Containers loaded with cars still arrive from America each month and Joop buys them personally, based on his infallible instinct. Although he is 76 years old, he retains full control of the company, knowing exactly what he buys and what he sells. The prices of cars are fixed, both for individuals and for merchants, without distinction.

You buy the car you see; obviously Stolze Classic Cars can refurbish or restore the car, but only after the customer has bought it. In this way, each customer can decide for himself what his dream car will look like. Unless he wants to restore it himself, as a pastime, involving the whole family!
Stolze Classic Cars is open 6 days a week and closed on Sundays, the day when Joop replies to hundreds of e-mails that arrive. It is also the day he checks which cars have been sold and which ones need to be removed on the following Monday.
It is a very demanding job to move the vehicles sold in a showroom full of cars, next to each other.
This is why the trips take place on Mondays.
Stolze wonders what the future holds for petrol-driven cars, if they can continue to circulate.
He thinks and hopes that classic cars can still do it, as historical museum pieces, but whose true place of belonging is only the street!