Odysseus Abroad: Louwman Museum (Cars), The Hague

1955 Daimler DK400 "Golden Zebra"

Horses to Cars

The Louwman Car Museum in The Hague, Netherlands, developed from the seed of an inspired Dodge dealer and importer in The Hague, when in 1934 he bought his first collectible 1914 Dodge. The strength of the collection is Louwman's decision to select key examples of the machinery which developed the automobile from carriages into stored energy powered vehicles; this includes steam driven, electric, hybrid as well as petrol and diesel powered vehicles. The later cars are not as widely representative as some of the major national collections, but Louwman has picked up some specific gems. It is housed in a find modern building on the north east end of the grand Hague Bos (Park), an easy 40 minute walk from the central station through the shade of thick green leafy canopy. What wasn't clearly evident was how Louwman financed the collection which has grown from this single vehicle; it seems to have been his move to take on the Toyota importer-ship for Netherlands which generated the growth and revenues, a better fit for Dutch drivers of narrow streets than the large grand gas guzzling beasts into which Dodge developed over time.

Questions arise as one views the early collection; why did we end up with predominantly front engined vehicles, why did petrol win over steam, how did diesel and petrol both survive, why did early front wheeled drive vehicles not become popular even though they showed advantage in handling, why drive from the right or the left? What is clear is that many innovative ideas were tested in early car development and slowly industry converged on a standard; front gasoline engine, rear wheel drive, center passenger with trunk, driver on the right following London Bridge convention, or on the left following Napolean's army convention. The De Dion steam car of 1880's took 50 minutes to warm up and could get to 40 MPH; it's long cylinders ticked away underneath the vehicle requiring the steam generator to be on front. The Peugeot Type 6 Phaeton of 1889 was an early "horseless carriage", retaining the guide for the reins, as if just in case the whole engine thing wouldn't work out and it would have to be refitted to a horse. 1901 Sunbeam-Mabley was effectively a chase lounge on four bicycle wheels with driver on the back steering more like a boat than a car. An awkward, but practical and popular German Phanomobil three wheeled van was on display. The British comedy film Genevieve of 1953 set in the first decade of the 1900's about a race to Brighton could not find British cars for filming, so used continental Spyker and Darracq models which retain a certain fame ever since and are on display at Louwman. A whole array of engineering developments were evident in the first two decades of the car with lights, horns, mirrors and wipers. There wasn't a left-right hand drive convention in early cars; many had center steering and the continental Genevieve cars had right hand side steering which became standard in Britain, but not on the continent later.

Horse drawn carriage formed the base of the automobile

Who needs a car when you have people to carry you around

De Dion steam quadrocycle 1880's

Peugeot Type 6, 1894

1897 Daimler 6HP

1898 Goddu Tandem

1901 Sunbeam-Mabley; a chase lounge set of 4 offset wheels, leaving 4 tracks instead of 2.

1912 Phanomobil Van; popular German front wheel drive

Open crack shaft of an early single cylinder engine

1905 Spyker Double Phaeton (from film Genevieve)

1904 Darracq 12HP (from film Genevieve)

Swivel inside hub for steering

Before integral spring/shock absorbers, mechanical linkages and springs

Early Innovation

The 19th century cars were somewhat clunky adaptations of their predecessor, but by the early 20th century designs had already streamlined and there was an all-out battle for the design which would carry the industry into the future, a saga which is clearly on display in the halls of Louman's collection. Detroit Electric was a market leader in electric cars of the early 1900's, the Clear Vision Brougham could go 100 miles on it's batteries and also keep it's windows clear in the rain; the name itself, although indicating functionality, is also a refreshing break from the conventions of car naming today. Detroit Electric held out to the 1930's in a sea of petrol engines. Hedag electric car in Europe looked more like a horseless carriage with a steering wheel and maxed out at 16MPH. Electric has less shafts and mechanical constraints in design, so the US Baker Electric Coup eliminated the booth and bonnet, leaving only the center carriage between two axles. US Owens electric cars developed late, in 1915, which should have given them lessons learned advantage, but they failed after a few years. They had pursued a magnetic transmission, which gave full range flexibility, but was expensive; Caruso and John McCormack were customers.

Steam also had it's day with the Stanley Steamer Model F was on display, indicating the competition available by steam drive, but the car did not condense the exhaust steam, so the car would run our of water after 40 to 60 miles. Much of the engine was hidden in the undercarriage driving wheels like a locomotive, but a steam boiler, fuel tank and a large water tank if there was no condenser. Steam lacked "get up and go" and soon fell behind petrol.

In 1917 a Woods duel power car operated on the hybrid concept of petrol engine and battery electric drive, a concept which has only recently been re-introduced.

Stanley Steamer Steam Engine), fast but limited by water tank as steam was vented rather than recovered

Detroit Electric Clear Vision Brougham with flip up window for rain

Hybrid petrol/electric drive from early 1900's

Hybrid petrol/electric drive from early 2000's

Car designs were originally based on horse carriages, but new shaped were explored, including boat shapes, which became popular before WW1, as cars searched for an identity; is it a carriage, a four wheeled bicycle, a boat and later, an aeroplane, an art deco building. It took a hundred years of experimentation with these concepts until the industry converged on the bland and boring understated styles of first decade in the third millennium. The Gregoire was tested in a modern wind tunnel for aerodynamics, but upholstered inside like a king's chair. A hold in the window was used for viewing in the rain, instead of wipers. Innovative Panhard & Levassor of 1912 looked like a fast boat, by 1937 it looked like a cross between an art deco building and a train, with an innovative center driving seat (could drive on left or right hand side of the road also). Louman's favorite 1914 Dodge Touring Car, which started his collection, adopted a sliding steering wheel to allow a fat driver to get seated. The car would be an early example of "fully loaded", with a gradient meter and steering lock as well as many other accessories, which dodge used to differentiate itself in the a sea of early car producers.

Aerodynamic, but clunky, Gregoire Coupe of France, 1909

1937 Panhard & Levassor X77 Dynamic; art deco with center seated driver

1912 Panhard & Levassor X19; boat shaped cars popular before WW1

Louman's 1914 Dodge; Early tilt steering wheel slides up to allow large person to get seated

1921 Tamplin Cycle Car

Robust 1920's

During the first half century of the automobile, designs developed based on an eclectic mix of influences, from the flimsy bicycle, to the robust steam engine; Louwman collected a number of unique cars of the time which demonstrate the more robust line of development. The 1907 Napier T21 was put on a 24 hour endurance run, covering 1582 miles at an average of 66MPH; this car was also used in the famous Chitti Chitti Bang Bang film. The 1917 Pierce Arrow exudes robustness and strength based on a sturdy Studebaker frame, with over sized brass headlights near the center and all round pneumatic suspension (see cylinders in front) and dual spare tires showing you mean business. The Peerless has an 11 liter engine is another over the top sporty two seater which did not survive the depression; costing $6000, at the time one could buy twelve Model T fords for that price. It's 11 liters were only rated at 45HP, whereas one could get 800HP from such capacity these days. A 1930's Graham Blue Streak was typical of the sleek American the two door designs of the period, the large passenger trailer on tow was remarkable; transport from Long Island to to city for the wealthy Hugh McDonald who liked the idea of a sports car pulling a carriage. A rare 1932 Marmon Sixteen, named after it's massive 16 cylinder aluminum block which could put out enough torque to accelerate the machine from naught to 160kmh all in top gear. It was designed by a 19 year old son of a famous industrial designer and included features line turning headlights. A 1928 Belgian Minerva 32CV was on display and showed every justification for it's place as the car for the Belgian and Dutch royal family of the time. A 1903 Spyker racing car was on display, stripped down to bare bones, but fitted with a (large for the time) 6 cylinder 60HP engine which could drive all four wheels. A specially designed transmission allowed front wheeled drive on the 1929 Cord L-29. The drive train design also allowed the car to sit low to the ground, which made it handle better than cars of the day and the front wheels tended to pull the car out of corners. A 1926 Rolls Royce commissioned by the Nawab of Hyderabad in polished aluminum bodywork was on display. The depression of the 1930's made it difficult for these extravagant cars to survive the marketplace of the day and only Rolls Royce is still in business today. There was another burst of extravagance after the war as evident in the 1955 Daimler DK400 "Golden Zebra", whose luxurious excesses put Rolls Royce to shame, but the burst of brass and zebra hides was short lived and Daimler returned to a more sedate styling.

1907 Napier T21 of Chitti Chitti Bang Bang fame

1917 Pierce Arrow on Studebaker frame

1911 Peerless

1930's Graham Blue Streak towing land yacht

1932 Marmon Sixteen LeBaron Convertible Coupe

1928 32CV Minerva (Car of the Royalty)

1903 Spyker 60HP 4x4 Racer

1926 Rolls Royce Phantom I Torpedo Tourer

1929 Cord L-29

Boats, Planes and post war

By the third decade of auto transport, with mass production in full swing, designs evolved and converged in more streamlined shapes with closed mudguards. Although some fine examples are on display, Louwman collected less from these decades, or inversely, had collected much from the early period. A beautiful 1936 Auburn and Mercedes were on display and a late 1930's Toyota, rare and in poor shape. Toyota wanted to buy the car due to it;s rarity, but Louwman would not sell. Even if you don;t mention the war, one can clearly see it's impact on car designs of the time. Driven by advanced in materials during the way and of aviation, the aero design features drifted into car designs of the subsequent decade. Economic constraints made cars small and light to meet a market in recession and with little to spend on fuel. Small bubble cars (Bambino, Messerschmitt, Isetta) mushroomed in the market to meet the demand and the foundations for the many European people's cars (Beetle, Fiat 500, Mini, Citroen 2CV) were laid down for supporting the recovery in the 1960's. In contrast to postwar Europe, USA was booming and the cars reflected the wealth generation of the nation in size and gasoline consumption. In the 1960's boats were back with the German Amphicar which could drive on the road and motor in water (neither very well) and the Italian Boat-Car which looked much better, but could not actually go in water. 1970's Fiat 850 open top beach car with wicker seats was made for the increasingly wealthy beach crowd along the Mediterranean. Churchill's Humber and Kaiser Wilhelm II's Mercedes were on display, both chauffeur driven large wagons.

Heli-plane-car

1955 Bambino 200

1959 Messerschmitt KR200 (1960 Frisky Family Tree & 1955 Inter Cabin Scooter background)

BMW Isetta 300

Morgan Sports 1932, 3 wheeler twin V

1967 Amphicar

Fiat 1100 Boat Car Carrozzeria-Coriasco (Styled only, not a water vehicle)

1976 Fiat 850 Shellette Spider (with wicker seats)

1954 Kaiser Darrin, USA, sliding doors

1950 Studebaker Champion Regal Deluxe Starlight Coupe

1948 Hudson Commodore 8

1936 Mercedes Benz 170H and 1951 Volkswagen Beetle

1954 Humber Pullman (once owned by Churchill)

1959 Imperial Crown Sedan

1933 Mercedes-Benz Nurburg 500 (once owned by Kaiser Wilhelm II)

The rounded back window of 1950 Studebaker

Willy's won the bid to build a light, but effecting, transport utility vehicle during the second world war. Over six hundred thousand Jeeps were made during the war, their popularity extended by the television series MASH. The Ford Anglia was a British car for the people and adopted a reverse angled rear window from 1959 to 1969. The 1963 NSU Prinz 4 Saloon was a reflection of the limited resources of Germany after the war. In contract to the simple cars of the people of the post war years, there was also another current of design underway as reflected in the lines of the roof of the 1953 Fiat 8V. Large and flat, the six seated (three in front) 1974 Maserati Medici is a curiosity of design, angular and sleek, but awkward looking with a narrow high set front grill and lights. The Sbarro Challenger remains true to an angular wedge design which gives it a very low coefficient of resistance, but used cameras to extend the view of the driver. One of the most famous cars, the James Bond Aston Martin was on display; sporting twin machine guns, revolving number plate (Swiss, English & French), knife extensions on the rear hubs, smoke screen, oil and crow's feet spreader to foil cars in pursuit.

Ford Anglia with reverse angles rear window

1963 NSU Prinz 4 Saloon

1944 Willys Jeep MB

Hood of 1949 Austin A90 Atlantic Convertible

Rear roof of 1953 Fiat 8V Demon Rouge

1974 Maserati Medici

Sbarro Challenge I

1964 Aston Martin BD5 James Bond

An outrageous Swan Car custom built on the base of a 1910 Brooke caused consternation on the streets of Calcutta when it's eccentric English owner, Scotty Mathewson, made his first outing. An eight tune organ functioned as a horn, driven by exhaust gas and operated by a keyboard in the passenger compartment. The swan's beak opened to spray steam and boiling water from the cooling system to clear the roads. Toyota had given up hope of ever finding a model of it's first production, the AA and had a replica made for their museum; however, in 2008 an original was found in Russia and bought by Louwman. Italians were early adopters of style and speed as seen in 1934 Bugatti Type 57 Roadster. Low rounded and fast looking, the Talbot Lago T26 could do 200KMH reflecting a new wave of French design also combining speed, shape and interior design. Meanwhile the Chinese were in catchup mode and a 1986 SH670 was on display, looking more like a 1950's stripped down Mercedes. The 1939 Steyr Type 55 on display was very similar to the earlier Type 50 introduced 1936, the same year as the Volkswagen Beetle and with striking similarities to that vehicle which became prevalent throughout the world. Tatra of Check republic produces the Tatra 87 which looks like a space age Volkswagen Beetle on steroids. The Beetle was inspired by earlier Tatra designs as claimed in a court case of the day. By collecting specific cars on note the Louwman tells a fascinating story of a century of innovation and development of cars.