61 Years and Still Gaining Speed
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but in this garage, we prefer to say that years of experience just mean a bigger toolbox. I’m the "Opa" (Grandpa) behind the wrench, and my journey from a large house in The Hague to a massive workshop in Germany has been fueled by one thing: the refusal to accept that something "can't be fixed."
From Bicycles to Bare Metal
It started in The Hague, 1964. By the age of 10, my father—who was tired of fixing my bike over and over—handed me the tools and told me to do it myself. That was the spark.
- Age 16: My first 49cc moped (repaired by me, of course).
- Age 18: My first motorcycle and car. I spent my Saturdays working in bike and motorcycle shops, absorbing every bit of mechanical wisdom I could find.
From the Air Force to IT
After training as an electrician and telephone technician, the Dutch Air Force sent me to Germany to help defend the "Iron Curtain." I didn't just find a mission there; I found my then-wife. I stayed in Germany and worked across a dozen industries—from construction metalworking to overhead line tech—before starting my own business in software development (check out spider-it.de) where I endet building the internet (check out dzir.org). But no matter how many lines of code I wrote, I always ended up back under a car hood.
The Legend of the 60 Cars
Started in 2007 as a small rental space for four cars, it soon turned into a full-blown obsession. At one point, my collection grew to 60 vehicles. Eventually, the property changed hands, and I had to downsize to currently about 45 cars. It was a turning point: I stopped just collecting and started creating. I currently build my own warehouse, a paint shop, and most importantly, a space where "impossible" engineering happens.
Why YouTube?
In October 2025, I launched "Opa Schraubt" (Grandpa is Wrenching). I realized that my "special builds"—like widening a trailer or swapping a V6 into a space built for four cylinders—deserved a global audience. Since March 2026, I’ve gone International and therefore changed the name to "Opa's Garage". Why three languages?
- German: Because it’s where I live and work.
- English: Because the custom community is global.
- Dutch: Because it’s my mother tongue and where my roots are.
I don't just build cars; I build stories. Welcome to the garage.