El Teide - Tenerife La Reina Negra 
Aquí su espacio para la promoción
de su empresa
Aquí su espacio para la promoción
de su empresa

THE UPHOLSTERY AND TRIM
The back-seat was still in a good condition but the front-seats were not. It was a shame that I did not save the original back-seat. Sometimes I regret that I replaced everything. Only the two hand-straps are still the original ones from 1951.

One day during the week I went to the restoration company “Bart Holland” Situated in the village Bodegraven. (Zuid-Holland) The company was known for it´s “steps plan”….. Soon I would discover the meaning of this …….. It was agreed that Bart Holland would replace the upholstery completely as well as the roof canvas. On a Saturday morning I drove to the restoration company to see if they had already started.

To my surprise I couldn´t find La Reina Negra anywere. As I was a little bit worried I asked Mister Bart with his “carnavalglasses” : Where is my car ? “Well my little boy that doesn´t matter right now !” We will call you when the Traction is ready….. I was young and naïve but this was something I could not accept. Besides , it was agreed that Bart Holland would do the job in Bodegraven not somewhere else. I went to see my grandfather to ask for advice. My grandfather´s point of view was clear : “To take away your car without your knowledge is not correct” “Go to the police and tell them that your car has been stolen !” The “carnavalglasses” of Mister Bart spontaneously started to burst when he noticed the police on his doorstep !

Citroën Traction Avant 15 SIX - TAPIZADOS1


Bart Holland's carnival glasses (...), 1983

Citroën Traction Avant 15 SIX - TAPIZADOS2

Citroën Traction Avant 15 SIX - TAPIZADOS3
Not everything was bad from Bart Holland.....

His face got much redder after my grandfather started to claim back the car. Mister Bart was shouting at us and we were forced to leave the company. After a couple of days La Reina Negra was back in Bodegraven.



The first impression was not bad. By the look of it they had done a good job. After carefully studying everything we discovered that the roof canvas was wrongly made. I was forced to use plastic binbags and tape to avoid the rain coming in. Another mistake was the type of material . The roof canvas had been made out of cheap 2CV plastic in stead of the proper canvas. At the meeting in Uden I received of course strange reactions. After a couple of months I got some money together for a new rooftop.

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