OWNER IDENTITY REVEALED AND ZANDVOORT ENTRY CONFIRMED

STARTING POINT
BMW 328 chassis no. 85111 was known as an early production example, delivered new in Berlin in 1937, but with very limited information regarding its first decades of life. No confirmed sporting activity had been traced before World War II. The car’s later history became visible again only from the postwar period, when it appeared in the Netherlands under the name “Klaver S.P.A.” However, at the beginning of the research, the identity behind those initials was unclear, and the car’s Dutch chapter was only loosely documented, aside from a low-definition photograph suggesting participation in a 1949 race at Zandvoort.

RESEARCH
This case highlighted the objective limits of the archival environment, as Dutch historical motorsport repositories remain relatively sparse. At the same time, it demonstrates how even scarce evidence can be transformed into meaningful provenance through careful and patient archival reconstruction. The Automotive Masterpieces investigation focused first on identifying the owner recorded as “Klaver S.P.A.” Through extensive archival work, the initials were deciphered and conclusively linked to a single individual: Simon Petrus Adrianus Klaver, born in Amsterdam on 1 July 1915. This was a crucial step in transforming an anonymous abbreviation into a documented historical figure. Research established Klaver’s profession and social context: he operated as a meat merchant in Amsterdam, with shops located in Jan Evertsenstraat, a major commercial street in the city. To support this identification and enable further genealogical investigation, several key personal documents were traced and proposed for acquisition. These sources provide essential leads for possible future contact with family heirs, who may still hold photographs or private archives. On the sporting side, the research confirmed with precision the car’s participation in the Voor de Nationale Sportwagen Race held at Zandvoort on 26 June 1949. The entry list verifies Klaver as the driver of race number 26. Additional photographic sources were identified in Dutch archives, including one image in good definition and others in lower resolution — rare survivals given the scarcity of motorsport documentation in the Netherlands. The investigation also revealed an additional registration record from 1947, potentially indicating another owner prior to Klaver, opening a further research path. Moreover, evidence emerged that Klaver owned a second BMW 328 (chassis 85351), suggesting a deeper involvement with the model and offering another possible avenue for future discoveries.