The Most Beautiful Sleeping Beauty Photo ...

This was the winning entry chosen by author Ard op de Weegh

Sample this beautiful new book from Veloce ...

The Fate of the Sleeping Beauties

By Ard op de Weegh, Kay Hottendorff & Arnoud op de Weegh

The ‘Sleeping Beauties’ – an array of neglected Bugattis, Lancias,

Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, Cords and Aston Martins on a rural French

estate – have fascinated car lovers worldwide since 1983, when

they were immortalised in a sequence of photographs taken by

Herbert W Hesselmann. For 25 years, the full story behind the

collection and its fate has remained untold ... until now.

Beauties sleeping in Latvia

Here are some sleeping beauties from Latvia for your

photo competition. There are two cars in different seasons

of weather and different stages of condition. The biggest

one is a 1919 Renault FU truck whose restoration we just

ended, but the smallest is a 1932 Praga Piccolo who's still

waiting for her restoration. It was hard to choose which is

the best photo with all the beauty of rust, so you can choose

which is the best. P.S. I think one of the best is that where

a sleeping beauty is sleeping on a sleeping beauty!

Says Ivars Dortans of Riga, Latvia - thanks Ivars

A 1959 Cadillac sleeping in the woods

Here's some pictures of a 1959 Cadillac in the woods, a pretty

nice find here in the US, says Jeremy Nutt - thanks Jeremy

Giant beauty resting up in Shaftesbury, Dorset

Many thanks to Jools for this beautiful slumbering giant

Welsh beauty on the Llandudno skyline

Beauty spotted perched on high by J A O'Neill of Btws-yn-Rhos,

Conwy, as an advertisement for the local scrapyard

Beauties in the outback

Many thanks to Paul Playoust for this line-up of beauties

Lined up in her last procession?

Many thanks to Sandra Mitchell of Lymington, Hampshire for

this photo of a Ford Zodiac Mk4 hearse losing her shine

Two A.F. Spiders side by side

Thanks to Peter Frost for these two A.F. Spiders one as found,

and one restored. Only 12 A.F. cars were made, and 7 were Spiders.

The construction is all wood! Click here for more details

Blue beauty hibernating under a blanket

Many thanks to Peter Frost for this chilly reminder of last winter

Perfect combination of sleeping beauties

Many thanks to Peter Frost for these beautiful shots of his 1947

Ariel 600cc side valve single motorbike and period sidecar

Another beauty is given the kiss of life

Thanks to Paul Adey for these before, during and after photos

Not ready yet to draw the curtains for the last time

Thanks to Tom Stewart for this photo of a Caddy Fleetwood

spotted having a nap by the railway track in Kilgore, Texas

Forties era Ford sleeping in Vermont

Many thanks to David Brill for this beauty spotted in a barn

in Northern Vermont. David says there's still air in her tyres,

ready for someone to wake her up and get her going again

Beauty sleeping in a tree

Many thanks to Terry Parkin for this shot of a Mini Moke

stuck up in a tree near Edam in Holland. Also, in the same

garden this colourful converted lorry and trailer (the house

belonged to a retired circus clown).

Images copyright: Terrysmodelcars@aol.com

Thor - an unidentified sleeping beauty

Thanks to Matt Burke, of Rochester, NY, who recently bought this

car called the THOR. He asks: "Has anyone heard of or seen any

others like this? The chassis is a full length VW beetle pan/trans

and motor from 1956. The only id is the tags you see in the

pictures - I am trying to find out more about this car. All of the

pieces and parts are on the car. there doesn't seem to be anything

missing. One neat feature is a hand-controlled direct fuel delivery

system control from inside the cabin (see engine pictures).

If you know of anybody that may be able to help I would appreciate

you getting in touch." mkburke@hotmail.com

Beauty in Spain - not sleeping yet

SEAT 600 (FIAT built under license in Spain) pictured in Ronda,

Spain, in May this year - still going strong. Don't miss the

Little Book of Microcars coming soon from Veloce Publishing

Simca sleeping outside Terrasson-Lavilledie

Many thanks to Raymond van Donk for this beauty, taken in the

Dordogne region of France on the N89 outside a bric-a-brac

shop on the outskirts of Terrasson-Lavilledieu

Sleeping Minx, Trjntje, is given the kiss of life

Thanks to Andre Koster who says ... 'This is Trijntje a Hillman Minx

3A Deluxe Saloon. Built in England in 1959, exported to Tsjechië,

sold to a Dutch trader in 1994. Kept in a barn till 2002. I woke her

and now go to classic meetings with her and a 41-year old caravan'

Trisha is given the kiss of life ...

Many thanks to Jay Foster of Club Triumph for these four

great photos of his TR7 sleeping beauty, Trisha, before

and after restoration. If you're thinking of buying a TR7, don't

miss this Essential Buyer's Guide coming soon from Veloce.

Our 100th posting has classical beauty

Peugeot Darl'Mat shown here in the collection of Arlette

Schlumpf, now kept unrestored in the museum of Peter Mullin.

Beauty having a rest on a farm in France

Will Koorn spotted this Massey Ferguson 135 sleeping in France.

World War II beauty in Parma, Italy

Thanks to Gabriele Lalatta Costerbosa for this shot of his sleeping

beauty in Montechiarugolo, Parma, Italy. It's a WWII Ford GPW

Bond sleeping peacefully in Adversane ...

Thanks to Stan Cornock of The Bond Owners' Club for these two

shots of a Bond Minicar Mark C resting in an Adversane scrap yard.

And, as she looks now, restored by club member Rex Grogan ...

A 1955 advert for the Bond Minicar Mark C

Beauty taking a long sleep in the sunshine

Thanks to Ton Lohman in Namibia for this colourful contribution

Beauty lay under a sheet for thirty years

Thanks to Lee Doxey for this shot of a rare UK model rotary engined

Suzuki which lay under a sheet in a back garden for over 30 years.

And has now been restored to be a Vintage Japanese 1st place

show winner in Feb 2011. Thanks for the update Lee .... jk

Five more beautiful contenders ...

Many thanks to Hermann Egges of www.car-brochures.eu

for sending these five excellent sleeping beauties photographs

Sadly her touring days are over

Many thanks to Hermann Egges of www.car-brochures.eu

for sending this beautiful photograph of a Morris 8 Tourer

More beauties spotted on Prince Edward Island

Many thanks to Gearhead Kustoms for sending in these latest

five beauties spotted sleeping on P.E.I. Canada

Beauty on Prince Edward Island, Canada

This is an old Chrysler imperial with the factory Hemi engine still

in it, spotted sleeping on P.E.I. Canada, says Gearhead Kustoms,

thanks for that Gearhead - love the old wheels too

More beauties spotted in the USA

Thanks to Will Shiers, author of Roadside Relics for these

beauties that aren't featured in his book, clockwise from left:

International in Goldfield, Nevada; Ford truck, Iowa; and a tree hugger in Georgia - thanks, again, Will

Beautiful Firebird comatose in Canada

Many thanks to Gearhead Kustoms for this 1968 Firebird with a

350 big block auto. Gearhead says 'it has been parked here on

P.E.I. Canada for 27 years.'

Slideshow of first 100 (or so) contenders

A classic collection, so far, please keep them coming to ...

Veloce Publishing by email to jk@veloce.co.uk

Have you got a better sleeping beauty photo than any of these?

Competition ends at midnight on August 15th,2010.

Individual details of all these (and more) contenders below ...

Note sleeping beauties can take the form of anything automotive, cars, motorcycles,

scooters, trucks, vans, buses... please keep them coming to ... jk@veloce.co.uk

Sleeping Beauties USA

Many thanks to Bjoern Marek for this sample from his forthcoming

book - Sleeping Beauties USA - abandoned classic cars & trucks

This book explores the transience and inherent beauty of a car’s

life, captured through stunning and evocative photography.

You can take a look inside with this sample ...