Eysink 10/12 HP
This is a very special piece of Dutch heritage as it is the only remaining automobile of the Amersfoort make Eysink, the oldest car manufacturer of the Netherlands.
It was thanks to a combination of circumstances that the car survived. The car, bought in 1912, was traded in in 1917 because it was deemed unreliable. It was subsequently stored at the garage where it remained for many years. The garage proprietor used the car from time to time for veteran car runs and on festive occasions, such as on liberation day in 1945. After its restoration in the 1980s the car remained in a museum in Goes. In 2007 the Eysink was donated to the Louwman Museum.
Eysink was established by Dirk-Hendrik (Dick) Eysink in 1886 and initially manufactured bicycles and motorcycles. His sons August and Menno started manufacturing cars in 1897. Their first prototype had a Benz engine, but later models featured one of their own make, thereby also making Eysink the first Dutch car manufacturer to produce its own engines.
Eysink cars were exported to the Dutch East Indies and England, where a number were used as taxis. Eysink produced rather large and expensive models but its American competitors were able to make them more cheaply. Although Eysink switched to producing smaller models it was too late, and in 1919 car production came to a halt; motorcycles, however, were produced until 1956. A total of approximately 330 Eysink cars were manufactured.