Les Copains, the team that is the heart of DS-TT, are all experts in one or more areas of maintenance, repair, overhaul and restoration of the Citroën DS. They have known each other for years from the Citroën DS world and from the ID/DS Club Netherlands. The first collaboration dates from the year 2000.
Les Copains are:
Egbert Meeter
Henk Overkleeft
Leon Gelauff
Jan Hulshof
Eric Tollenaar
Ron Vening
Gerbert Weenink
Rolph van de Burgt-Fritschy
Involved from the start but now engaged in other activities or stepped back into a more background role:
Paul Metsemakers , Cees Berkvens, Gertrude Andrea, Joris Boogaard and Bas Verhagen
DS-TT would not have existed in its current form without these contributors.
Egbert Meeter
Egbert has a lot of experience with a wide variity of Citroën models. On the one hand, because at the time he worked in a Citroën dealership as chief engineer and subsequently gained a lot of hands on experience in maintaining and repairing the 2CV, Ami, BX, CX, DS and other types. On the other hand, because the Citroën later became a big part of his life in the hobby sphere.
Egbert has different DSs, an Ami and a C3 Pluriel. His major piece of technology is his Birotor. One of the few still on the road in The Netherlands. He himself has converted a DS into a four-door DS convertible.
Egbert is chairman of DS-TT. Egbert gained experience in managing teams during the time that he was director of a psychiatric hospital.
These days he has a lot of time for his favourite pastime: tinkering!
Henk Overkleeft
Henk is the most experienced DS specialist in the team. He started his career in a Citroën workshop in 1970. He actually delivered brand new DS and ID models to customers for years and of course experienced maintenance and repairs for much longer.
In the meantime, the experience has been extended to ‘strange’ brands such as Volvo.
Henk has a DSuper, which he has personally restored to competition level.
Henk is treasurer of DS-TT.
Leon Gelauff
After owning a DS Pallas 21IE and CX20RE in his student days, Leon just bought a modern car. He found out that modern cars do not drive better, break less nor cost less than a good DS. Moreover, knowing and understanding this car has become the challenge, something other than a crossword puzzle.
After completing his education Automotive Engineering, Leon has been working for many years at a major manufacturer of turbo’s and is therefore further specialized in engines and their development projects in the automotive industry.
There are even rumors that in addition to his very first car (Fiat 850) and CX Prestige, he has a DS21IE with turbo …
Jan Hulshof
On November 21, 2020, Jan Hulshof sadly passed a way on the age of 72. We remember Jan as knowledgeable, honest but above all a very aimable man.
Jan has been working on cars since he was a young boy. His first car was a 2CV, cheap and easy to maintain. During his studies, friends new were to find him when their 2CV had problems.
In 1971 he imported his first Citroën Traction Avant from France and after that several restoration projects were followed, including TA, Panhard, DS and 2CV.
In the eighties he wrote articles and gave presentations about the electrical section of the car.
He currently has two 2CVs, a DS19A, and does the maintenance of his son’s CX.
Jan studied Electrical Engineering and has worked in the IT world, among other things.
Eric Tollenaar
As an eight-year-old boy, Eric broke his head for an entire summer vacation over the magically rotating headlights of the camping boss’s break. That was the basis of the desire to own and maintain such a car. Since 2011 he is the proud owner of a black DS21M. At that time, Eric had zero specific DS experience. A self-replaced clutch, an alternative HD pump installation and a worn-out HD pipe in 2014 ensured a fairly steep “learning curve”.
Eric was originally technically skilled and worked for many years at different levels and in different roles in the printing industry. The last years in a role where sharing technical knowledge was one of his main responsabilities.
Experience with internal combustion engines started with a motorcycle purchased for fl700,-. This was further developed after the purchase of the world famous Toyota Hilux, well known at Topgear fans. This has served him on many Sahara journeys and has been used for a trans-Africa journey to Cape Town.
All repairs and adjustments en route have been a good learning experience for Eric.
Ron Vening
Ron has worked almost all his professional life in body building, repair and maintenance at organizations such as Focwa, Stiba and Renault. He controls the complete life cycle of a car from purchase, via repair and maintenance and reuse. Sheet metal work, welding work, strapping work, fillers, dent removal, spraying, for Ron these subjects are a piece of cake.
Also in his spare time Ron has been intensively concerned with these aspects of the car, especially in the classic area. The French brands predominated, such as Renault with Juvaquatre and R16 and Citroën with the classics 2CV and DS. And because he can’t get enough, there are also his old timer tractors. Of each type mentioned, Ron has at least one, restored or ‘to be done’ by himself. He also owns some more recent French ‘driving cars’. Because a lot has to be driven, since Ron is staying in France and regularly comes to the Netherlands. His heart is in France; He bought an old farm there and turned it into a house with a garage for nine voitures and guest rooms. The garages form the heart of the home, are equipped with two bridges and are fully equipped to carry out restorations.
Ron is also the regular photographer for all DS-TT activities and he has recorded, recorded and edited a large part of the YouTube videos.
Gerbert Weenink
Gerbert graduated from the University of Applied Science in Zwolle back in 1990, specializing in Mechanical Engineering. He worked for various engineering firms, mostly in special machine and tools design and development for various companies and is currently working as a Senior Manufacturing Engineer at Lagerwey Wind B.V. His challenge is not so much with the wind turbines themselves, but focussed on tooling and equipment to assemble the bigger and bigger turbines.
The Citroën virus was born with the GSA and BX from his dad and from young age Gerbert tinkered with everything that could be taken apart and repair. Initially, together with father, working on cars began; from his first Renault 5 to his current Citroën C5. His DSpécial, which quietly waited for the necessary TLC in a shed, was a long-term project. But during the last edition of Citromobile this goddess was brought back to life in only 2 days. As a Citrofile in heart and soul, he was in possession of CX, Xm, Xantia, ID and C5. Many know Gerbert as the inventor of the Oilsaver for the various engines of PSA, BMW and Mini, of which some show an excessive high oil consumption. The oilsaver, a cheap and easy to install add-on, brings this down with up to 50%
Rolph van de Burght-Fritschy
Ever since his student days, Rolph dreamed of having his own DS. Once at work, he was soon able to convince his then employer to lease a DS for him. And so it happened.
Only that didn’t really feel like ‘his’ DS. And with a young family, the ‘lease Berline’ was not very practical either.
Rolph now fully owns a Break that is spacious enough for the other hobby, camping. In order to understand the yet unknown but intriguing technology, he prefers to do the maintenance himself. Nowadays there is a workshop including carlift at hand.
The first DIY experencie, as with so many, started during his student period. And as with many DS drivers, the A-types are not unknown cars for Rolph. A red 2CV is still part of his fleet today. But it all started in his parents’ driveway with keeping an old 2CV rolling at lowest possible cost.
Tinkering together, working out and implementing improvements, that is what this perma driver is interested in.
For example, he has installed a modern air conditioner and combined it with a controlled electric fan.
Rolph also made a film about it. And not only for this subject. Rolph is frequently recordimg and editing for DS-TT.
So keep an eye on our YouTube channel!