Introduction
Today I’m taking you to Brussels to visit The D’Ieteren Gallery, an exceptional collection in more ways than one. It’s not really a museum, since it’s not open to the public, nor is it a private collection, since it can be visited by appointment for groups (subject to availability of space and people), and private events (dinners, cocktails, company seminars, etc.) can be organized there.
This collection is exceptional in terms of the quality of the cars on display, with many rare or one-offs. It’s also unique in that it’s not a collection of cars put together by a collector following a theme or a personal preference, but a tribute to the long history of a company that is itself quite unique.
My Favorites
The D’Ieteren Gallery offers some truly historic jewels, but I’ve still managed to pick out a few, necessarily subjective, favorites:
- The Studebaker Avanti, for its modern, original and instantly recognizable design
- The Auto-Union Grand Prix Type A, an exceptionally precise replica
- The Bugatti showroom
The D’Ieteren Group
D'Ieteren is a very old Belgian company, founded in 1805, as its logo proudly indicates. 220 years of uninterrupted activity is rare enough for a company, but what's more, D'Ieteren has remained a family business, since Nicolas D'Ieteren, current Chairman of the Board of Directors of D'Ieteren Group, represents the 7th generation to run the company since its creation.
Another remarkable fact is that D'Ieteren has always been able to evolve with technical and societal changes, often anticipating them, which no doubt goes a long way towards explaining this rare longevity while remaining in the same field of transporting goods and people. Last but not least, the company has preserved an enormous number of archives, enabling us to reconstruct its history.
Jean-Joseph D'Ieteren founded his wagon-making business in 1805, but he also tried to expand into more sophisticated and luxurious vehicles. His successors continued in the same direction, becoming suppliers to the royal courts of Holland and Belgium in the 1880s. But by the end of the 19th century, the D'Ieteren were already building automobile bodies.
At the beginning of the 20th century, horse-drawn and automotive bodywork activities coexisted, with D'Ieteren building on its reputation in the former field to meet the wishes of the first motorists and dress the chassis of over a hundred prestigious Belgian, European and US brands of the time, including Bugatti, Delahaye, Excelsior, Hispano-Suiza, Isotta-Fraschini, Mercedes, Minerva, Rolls-Royce...
It's worth remembering that in the early days of the automobile, manufacturers rarely supplied complete cars, but rather chassis-engine assemblies that customers had bodied at their request by specialized companies. Each car was different, even if each coachbuilder had his own style. War, the Great Depression and industrialization turned the automotive market upside down, and in the early 1930s D'Ieteren decided to start importing luxury American brands, including Studebaker, Pierce Arrow, Auburn and Packard. D'Ieteren also began to assemble these American cars, as it had the industrial capacity to do so, and to lessen the impact of import taxes.
An important milestone was reached in 1949, when D'Ieteren became the Volkswagen and then Porsche importer for Belgium and began manufacturing the Beetle. D'Ieteren also built Porsche 356, as the German brand did not initially have the necessary workshops to ensure full production. Although the plant was later sold back to Volkswagen, D'Ieteren retained the import business. And as Volkswagen continues to grow by adding brands to its catalog, D'Ieteren is also extending its coverage of imported brands.
Find out more about the history of the D'Ieteren Group
The D’Ieteren Gallery
Roland D’Ieteren, then President and CEO of the company, founded the D’Ieteren Gallery in 1988. It was created as a tribute to his ancestors and their collaborators, who had contributed to the company’s success and expansion since 1805. To mark the company’s bicentenary in 2005, the D’Ieteren Gallery was enlarged and reorganized. It presents almost a hundred vehicles, horse-drawn carriages, cars bodied by D’Ieteren and models retracing the history of the brands the company has distributed or continues to distribute. The exhibition is organized in 2 parts.
The first part is chronological, from the company’s creation to its import and assembly of American cars. The beginnings of the relationship with Volkswagen constitute a sort of transition in the presentation, the 2nd part being organized by brand of the Volkswagen Group imported. For each brand, the D’Ieteren Gallery presents historical models, not just those actually imported. As a result, you really get to know the history of the automobile when you visit the site.
The Gallery is due to undergo a new phase of works from the end of 2025, when it will be enlarged once again, and perhaps become a museum open to the public. Automobile-Museums will keep you informed of the outcome. But now let’s enter the Gallery!
The origins
From the early days of a wheelwright producing simple, utilitarian vehicles, not much obviously remains. Jean-Joseph D’Ieteren did, however, have ambitions to make more sophisticated products to appeal to a more upscale clientele. His first notable creation, presented in 1830, was a Tilbury, the fashion for which had come from England. This was a lightweight 2-seat, 2-wheel cabriolet designed to be pulled by a single horse. This Tilbury was obviously simpler for a craftsman to make than a grand sedan, but it also enabled him to express and demonstrate the quality of his work.
It is this Tilbury that has been rebuilt and forms the entrance to the Gallery. 2 other horse-drawn carriages are on display, including a Mylord coupé from the late 19th century, in a very fine state of preservation. Numerous drawings and photos from the archives are reproduced on the walls, showing the variety of the creations. Indeed, the D’Ieteren family made a habit of photographing every car that left their workshops. The next logical step for D’Ieteren was to move into the manufacture of car bodies, even though not all horse-drawn coachbuilders were able to make the switch. In fact, the 2 types of production coexisted for some twenty years, sometimes for the same customers who often owned both types of cars.
Several examples are presented, such as this 1928 Mercedes 530 Sport roadster or the 1929 Hispano-Suiza Type 49. This elegant spyder, sold to an American customer, was found by Roland D’Ieteren in the USA in very poor condition in the 1990s and brought back to Belgium to be restored, integrated into the collection and admired at concours d’élégance. D’Ieteren used a variety of techniques to build its bodies, as in the case of this Bugatti 44 with Weymann bodywork.
The Weymann system uses an ultra-light wooden frame with metal joints between the wooden parts. A top layer of fabric, usually synthetic leather, forms the bodywork itself. The cars are quieter and lighter, and therefore perform better. However, this type of bodywork is also more fragile and less resistant to the effects of time. Models in good condition, like the Bugatti on display in the Gallery, are therefore rare. There’s also a limousine body, also for Mercedes, which clearly shows the independence of chassis and body at the beginning of the 20th century.
Another curiosity is this Excelsior (a prestigious Belgian brand from the early 20th century) with “Baehr” bodywork, a patented process that enabled it to be converted from a limousine to a torpedo. The windows could be hinged independently of the door, removed and stowed in the rear trunk. Admittedly, this was more complex than a modern electric soft-top, but it did allow to multiply the bodywork combinations for a single car, from limousine to full convertible.
Another Bugatti, this time a 1938 Type 57 with coupé bodywork, is at the end of the tour. This Bugatti is one of the last bodies designed by D’Ieteren. The demand for one-off coachwork fell sharply with the economic crisis and advances in the automotive industry. The Bugatti 57 is a good example: a large proportion of Type 57s leave Bugatti with “factory” bodywork. In the meantime, D’Ieteren had sensed the evolution coming and began importing American cars into Belgium, a new stage in the company’s life, a new stage in the visit to the Gallery.
American cars
In the early 1930s, D’Ieteren began importing American brands, choosing prestigious manufacturers such as Studebaker, Pierce-Arrow (often considered the American equivalent of Rolls-Royce), Auburn and Packard. The company soon set up an assembly plant for Studebakers, which arrived in Belgium in spare parts. The Belgian government heavily taxed imports, encouraging the emergence of local production.
In addition to assembling parts from across the Atlantic, D’Ieteren also began to integrate products from Belgian suppliers. The flagship brand of this period, Studebaker is well represented in the Gallery’s collection, from the EG Big Six with 6-cylinder engine of 1920. Studebaker was to distinguish itself on the market, particularly from the 1950s onwards with original designs, such as the Champion Starlight (1950) or Commander Regal Starliner (1954) Coupe.
The Avanti (1963) is without doubt Studebaker’s most iconic model. Designed by Raymond Loewy, one of the fathers of industrial design, in a modern, original style that went against the grain of the chrome-laden American production of the period, it was undoubtedly too late to save the brand, which was sinking into problems. For the record, after Studebaker ceased production, the Avanti was taken over by a succession of manufacturers and produced until the 1990s, with few changes to the design, a sign of the modernity of the original pencil stroke.
Packard and Auburn complete this period of history, including a splendid 640 roadster with an 8-cylinder engine from 1929 that smacks of the Prohibition era.
The arrival of Volkswagen
1948 marked a major turning point in the history of D’Ieteren. Pierre D’Ieteren (already a 5th-generation manager) had the intuition that the car was going to be democratized, and he reached an agreement with Volkswagen to become its importer in Belgium. Since Belgian taxation was still unfavorable to imports, D’Ieteren developed its industrial facilities to build VW Beetles in Belgium. D’Ieteren also became an importer for Porsche and was involved in the manufacture of the 356.
Volkswagen sales expand, and D’Ieteren follows the growth of the VAG group, adding new brands to its import portfolio as they are integrated into the group: Audi, Seat, Skoda, Lamborghini, Bugatti… In addition, D’Ieteren broadened its range of services to include leasing, financing, insurance… We now enter the 3rd stage of the D’Ieteren Gallery tour with several examples of VW’s famous Beetle, starting with a replica of a 1937 prototype. Next to it, the 1949 model corresponds to the 1st “commercial” generation. The lines have been modernized, with headlamps integrated into the fenders and a 2-piece rear window.
The 1973 1300 S “Coral” is a special series prepared by D’Ieteren and incorporating numerous features, including 2 fog lamps mounted on the front bumper. Sold only in Belgium, it takes its name from its specific color. A little further on, another black Beetle catches the eye. Sold in 1950, it had only one owner, who brought it back to the dealership when he was no longer able to use it, on condition that it would not be sold.
Directly derived from the Beetle, a very “Flower Power” Combi and an elegant Karmann-Ghia coupe complete the range on display, or the 1600 L, a little more family-oriented but whose architecture is still very close to the Beetle.
In the 1970s, Volkswagen began its revolution by switching from air-cooled rear-wheel drive to water-cooled front-wheel drive, mainly with the Golf, which gave the company a new lease of life. Closely derived from the Golf, the Scirocco adds a sportier edge to the range. The VW-Porsche 914 is the result of cooperation between the 2 brands for a small, mid-engined sports coupe, sold by Volkswagen with a 4-cylinder engine and by Porsche with a 6-cylinder engine.
The Beetle has been used extensively as a base by many craftsmen, such as APAL in Belgium, which offers Buggies and Coupes. Roland D’Ieteren, still a student, also designed a small coupe on the same base in 1964. Never put into production, it was a one-off. A few years later, during an internship at Volkswagen in Mexico, Roland recreated a Neretti (D’Ieteren in reverse), of which a few pre-production examples were assembled. These 2 creations are exhibited in the Galerie.
The Beetle also inspired competition, such as the 2017 FunCup, a race car whose body recalls the Beetle but dresses a chassis that has nothing to do with the popular Volkswagen. For a time, Volkswagen also had its own promotional formula, Formula V or Vee, small single-seaters for beginners in motor racing, a little less expensive than Formula Ford or Renault.
Porsche
As the first Porsches were closely derived from the Beetle, it was only logical that they should also be imported, and the D’Ieteren Gallery offers a fine selection of models from Stuttgart. The 356 is exhibited in 3 body styles, Coupe, Speedster and Roadster, and in some rather rare versions.
The Roadster is part of the small series built at D’Ieteren, the Coupe is a Carrera 2000 GS, the most powerful version of the 356 with 130 hp, and the 356A Speedster is one of the most desirable, with its reduced windscreen giving it a sportier look. 2 racing versions from the 1950s and 1960s, a Speeder 550 and an Elva Porsche, with an English Elva chassis and a Porsche 4-cylinder 1800 cm3 engine, a car that was very successful in competition, mainly in the USA.
On the exceptional or rare side, the 911s from D’Ieteren Gallery are not to be outdone, with 2 Targa models, a 912 SWB (soft rear window) and a Belgian police 911 SC, a very small special series. On the sportier side, the Carrera RS 2.7L is one of the most iconic 911s, with its ducktail spoiler, and is the origin of a prestigious line of RS, GT2, GT3…
The Turbo S (993 generation), the latest generation Turbo with air-cooled engine, is highly sought-after by enthusiasts. At least one supercar was needed to complete the collection, and this is the 959, here a pre-production to add to the rarity.
Audi
Audi was part of the Auto-Union Group (along with DKW, Horch and Wanderer) when it was taken over by the Volkswagen Group in 1964. Subsequently, VW also bought NSU, merging NSU and Audi, which became the Group’s premium brand. Logically, D’Ieteren also became the brand’s importer in Belgium.
As we move through the D’Ieteren Gallery collection, we come across a number of historic models representing some of the brands that contributed to the history of Auto-Union and then Audi, including this 1913 Audi Alpensieger Type C14 and several Wanderer (W23, W25K) and DKW (F5) convertibles and roadsters from the 1930s. The small 1961 NSU Prinz and the 1959 Auto-Union 1000 SP Cabriolet represent the post-war period.
At the end of the 1960s, the “Wankel” rotary engine seemed an attractive option, and NSU was one of the first manufacturers to invest in this technology. In the mid-1960s, the NSU Spider was the first car in the world to be marketed with a Wankel engine, placed in the rear since the car was based on the NSU Prinz. It was a rare model, with fewer than 2,500 units built. A few years later, the NSU Ro 80 took up the rotary engine again, but this time in a front-wheel-drive sedan. Despite its elegant futuristic lines and good performance (115 hp, 180 km/h), its success was limited, with around 37,000 units produced in its 10-year career. Its high fuel consumption was a major obstacle at a time when oil prices were soaring.
Auto-Union Group has been heavily involved in motor racing throughout its history. The Wanderer Stromline (or Streamline) was designed on the basis of a W25K roadster specifically for the Liege-Roma-Liege race, a genuine 4500 km non-stop road marathon. With an aerodynamic aluminum body and a 6-cylinder engine designed by Ferdinand Porsche, the car was light and powerful! 3 cars were entered in 1938 and 1939 but were later destroyed. Audi Tradition teamed up with D’Ieteren in the late 1990s to rebuild these 3 cars according to the original plans, and one of these faithful replicas is on display at the D’Ieteren Gallery.
D’Ieteren built another replica, of one of the legendary Auto-Unions, the 1934 Grand Prix Type A, also designed by Ferdinand Porsche. As with the Wanderer, the Auto-Union Grand Prix is faithful to the original plans and techniques, with its V16 engine in a central rear position. The rear wheels are twinned to help transmit power without destroying the tires. The car is fully functional, but its engine, using the same type of fuel as in the 1930s, has to be dismantled and cleaned each time it’s used to avoid corrosion!
Audi has revived its sporting tradition, as witnessed by the 1985 Audi Quattro Sport, the road version of the world rally champion Audi Quattro, or the Audi 80s of the Touring and Procar championships.
SEAT and Skoda, which more recently joined the VAG Group, are also in the D’Ieteren Gallery, with Skoda presented through 2 historic models, including a 1909 Laurin & Klement, Skoda’s original brand.
Sport and prestige
The Volkswagen Group owns several brands that combine sport and prestige, including Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini. The D’Ieteren Gallery therefore presents a number of historic models from these brands. I’ve already mentioned the Bugatti 57 bodied by D’Ieteren, and there’s also a Bentley 3 Litres from 1923 and a more recent 1957 Bentley Continental S1 Mulliner. Next to is the Lamborghini 350 GT, Lamborghini’s first production model, launched in 1964.
The tour ends in the Bugatti showroom, between a Veyron 16/4 and a Chiron, the modern Bugattis produced after the brand was taken over by the Volkswagen group. To see one of these cars up close is rare, to be able to admire the 2 models together is exceptional.
Conclusion
Let’s not forget a few other 2-wheelers, mopeds, scooters and motorcycles, as D’Ieteren has been or still is the Belgian importer for brands such as Motobecane, MBK and Yamaha. The D’Ieteren Gallery is a veritable showcase for the 220-year history of this family-run group, since all the vehicles on display have a direct link with this history. If you’re in Brussels in 2025 and have the opportunity to visit this place, don’t miss it, especially as the Galerie D’Ieteren is due to close at the end of 2025 for a new extension.
The photos on this page belong to Automobile Museums, no right of reproduction without the express permission of the platform.
Les musées sont des lieux vivants, et donc le contenu ou la disposition peut avoir changé entre la publication de cet article et votre visite. La disposition peut être différente, des voitures peuvent être absentes (révision, entretien, prêt…) et de nouvelles ont pu rejoindre l’exposition.