Spyker 12/16-hp Double Phaeton

This Spyker Double Phaeton, alongside the Darracq 'Genevieve', played the leading role in the film of the same name

The world of classic car enthusiasts would certainly have looked different if the English film 'Genevieve' had never existed. Released in 1953 and a year later in the Netherlands, the film is in itself a rather unassuming comedy, but nevertheless sparked an interest in classic cars. 'Genevieve' was the direct reason for the founding in 1956 of the Dutch Pionier Automobielen Club (PAC). In 'Genevieve', this Spyker Double Phaeton is the newly acquired property of advertising man Ambrose Claverhouse, who wants to drive it in the London to Brighton Run in the early 1950s. Car enthusiast Claverhouse, played by actor Kenneth More, challenges his car friend Alan McKim (John Gregson) to a race during the annual London to Brighton Run, with McKim's car at stake: a 1904 Darracq named 'Genevieve', which can be seen in the museum next to the Spyker. McKim accepts the challenge and, together with their wives Rosalind and Wendy (Kay Kendall and Dinah Sheridan), the men go head to head. The Spyker was in all likelihood delivered in London in the early twentieth century and fitted with London coachwork. After the war, the car was bought by antique car enthusiast Frank Reece, who completely restored the Spyker. In the early 1950s, Reece made the car available for the filming. The Spyker was then probably painted a lighter shade of green because it looked better on camera. When Reece died in 1964, his will stated that the car had to return to its country of origin: the Netherlands. The car then became part of the Autotron collection of Max Lips in Drunen. Since 2004, the car has been in the Louwman Museum.