It’s a collection that would make the prancing horse itself gasp: Gerard van der Heijden’s attic houses over 6,300 Ferrari scale models. With a Ferrari as his wedding car and a son named after Nigel Mansell, he also pulls his family into his red-coloured collecting frenzy at full speed. “Every fool has his folly,” he says.
The love of Gerard van der Heijden (62) for Ferrari truly comes to life inside his home. There’s no trace of it in the living room. But two flights of stairs up, in the attic that resembles a museum, it’s a different story. There they are: an abundance of Ferraris. In all shapes and sizes – except life-size – neatly sorted, dust-free, and behind glass.
‘Every car has a story’
Van der Heijden points out one model after another, never running out of things to say. “Every car has a story,” he explains his enthusiasm. “And the colour, it says it all. It’s recognizable and it radiates something.”
He picks up a small, red car. Made of steel, encased in a package not much larger than a matchbox. It’s important to keep it, preferably in good condition, as that increases its value, Van der Heijden assures. It’s the ‘Sharknose’, or the F1 Sharknose 156. His very first scale model, a purchase of less than one guilder. “I’ve always been very careful with it. As a little boy, I helped my grandmother with her shopping. Then I would get a guilder, with which I bought Matchbox cars for three-quarters of a guilder. Gradually, I had a whole collection and I picked out the cars that I liked the most. That’s how my passion for Ferrari started.”
