The Schlumpf Obsession - Inside A Legendary Treasure House

The Schlumpf Obsession – Inside a Legendary Treasure House (1977)
Denis Jenkinson & Peter Verstappen – Hamlyn
ISBN: 06003822753 (because even the ISBN got carried away)
Condition: Good
Vendor: Crappy Old Books

Welcome to one of the greatest automotive “wait, they collected how many?” stories ever told.

The Schlumpf Obsession peels back the doors (carefully, in case they’re from a Type 35) on the bizarre, glorious saga of the Schlumpf brothers and their hoard of classic cars – most famously enough Bugattis to make the rest of Europe’s collectors sit down and have a small, envious cry. This isn’t just a book about cars; it’s a book about what happens when two industrialists with money, secrecy and very few brakes on their enthusiasm decide to build their own private motoring Versailles.

Inside this very 1977 Hamlyn hardback you’ll find:

• The story of Fritz and Hans Schlumpf, mild-mannered textile magnates by day, utterly unhinged Bugatti hunters by night.

• Tales of cars rescued, hoovered up, spirited away and occasionally bought out from under the noses of other collectors, who remain slightly bitter to this day.

• A guided tour of the fabled Mulhouse warehouse, where row upon row of immaculately lined-up cars sit under polite museum lighting like very expensive, very French toy soldiers.

• Denis Jenkinson’s and Peter Verstappen’s gleeful mix of reportage, gossip and wide-eyed “can-you-believe-this-place” commentary, plus period photography bursting with chrome, coachwork and questionable 1970s trousers.

This is the book for anyone who has ever thought, “I may have too many hobbies,” and then realised that, comparatively, they are a model of restraint.

Our copy is graded Good, which at Crappy Old Books means:

• The dust jacket (if still present) has a few scuffs, rubs or tiny tears – the bibliographic equivalent of stone chips on a long-loved bonnet. Nothing structural, just evidence it’s been taken off the shelf more than once to show someone the Bugatti spread with reverent swearing.

• The boards are solid, square and perfectly serviceable, like a well-maintained chassis that’s seen a few spirited drives.

• The pages are all present, properly attached, and pleasantly toned to that soft, creamy shade that says “seventies art book” rather than “forgotten workshop manual.” You might find the odd handling mark or faint thumbprint, possibly from someone leafing through in a garage while promising themselves that one day, one day, they’ll own something with wire wheels.

• No catastrophic faults, no tragic coffee-dunking incidents – just honest, age-appropriate wear, like a grand tourer with a full service history.

Not “concours condition,” then, but absolutely Good – which, in the real world, is what you actually want if you’re planning to read the thing rather than encase it in Perspex.

Perfect for:

• Car enthusiasts, especially those fond of Bugatti, who want to know why half the great pre-war machinery in Europe ended up in one building.

• Hoarders-in-training who need moral support from people who turned “collecting” into a full-contact sport.

• Fans of industrial drama, as the Schlumpf saga eventually takes in strikes, scandal and the small matter of the French state acquiring a car collection.

• Anyone who just enjoys the sheer, unashamed excess of a “treasure house” filled with beautifully useless objects that make loud noises and go very fast.

The Schlumpf Obsession – Inside a Legendary Treasure House is part museum guide, part detective story, part cautionary tale about what happens when passion never meets moderation. Available now from Crappy Old Books, where our shelves may not hold 100 Bugattis, but they do contain a dangerous number of books about people who thought that was a perfectly reasonable life choice.

Keep browsing: See more Transport books Other books by Denis Jenkinson and Peter Verstappen