Special stories

Not just models.

The people, the places and the moments behind the collection. Personal experiences — and how my passion began.

Anton van Houten (Toon) with the AVH he built himself, here with two Fiat 1100 cc engines mounted in line.
Story · 01
A little about myself.
Han van Houten
Born in Heemstede, the son of a racing garage owner. About the apple that did not fall far from the tree.
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With my father in front of the Datsun showroom (Gratama) at Kerklaan 113b in Heemstede
Story · 02
Our garage on the Kerklaan
Heemstede, the 1970s
A miniature motor show in Heemstede: AUTOSCOOP, which became AUTOTOON.
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Anton van Houten's AVH Sport at Zandvoort with racing number 1
Story · 03
The voyage of discovery
Han van Houten · June 2026
About AI as a pilot project, my father's AVH that was never available as a scale model, and three grandchildren with a 3D printer who did something about it.
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Dan Gurney and his Eagle Climax F1 (MK1), simply at a local garage in Heemstede.
Special stories 04
Dan Gurney and his Eagle Climax F1 (MK1), simply at a local garage in Heemstede.
Han van Houten
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The Austin J40 is not just any pedal car!
Special stories
The Austin J40 is not just any pedal car!
Han van Houten
The Haarlemmerhout, somewhere in 1957-1958
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The Gardner-Serpollet
Special stories
The Gardner-Serpollet
Han van Houten
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Marketing is everything!
Special stories
Marketing is everything!
Han van Houten
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My love for Mazda, and for the 787B in particular, the 1991 Le Mans winner.
Special stories
My love for Mazda, and for the 787B in particular, the 1991 Le Mans winner.
Han van Houten
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More stories will follow — about the circuits, the people and the models that are slowly filling the display cabinet.

Disclaimer

This site combines my own photographs and my own stories with information found on the world wide web. It is not a commercial site; it is purely a hobby. It is a voyage of discovery into what today's technology has to offer. Some of my own photographs have been edited with Claude AI, which shows just how remarkable the possibilities have become.

There is no intention whatsoever to use copyrighted material without permission. Should that nevertheless have happened, please send me an email and the material will be removed. And if you would like to use my photographs, just let me know: racingteamhanvanhouten@gmail.com.