Sign in

Private company

Desande

Dutch-British automobile manufacturer

Desande Automobielen BV was a Dutch-British manufacturer of neoclassic automobiles. Their models were styles after high-end automobiles of the 1930s and used modern American drivetrains and suspension systems. While the company was based in Hulst in the Netherlands, the founder Danny G. Vandezande (hence the car's name) came from Hasselt in Belgium, the cars mechanics were American, and the vehicle was built in England.2 It ceased to exist in 1984.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1979Founded1
  • Industryautomobile manufacturer1
  • HeadquartersHulst1

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

Desande Automobielen BV was a Dutch-British manufacturer of neoclassic automobiles. Their models were styles after high-end automobiles of the 1930s and used modern American drivetrains and suspension systems. While the company was based in Hulst in the Netherlands, the founder Danny G. Vandezande (hence the car's name) came from Hasselt in Belgium, the cars mechanics were American, and the vehicle was built in England. The company's Belgian branch was headquartered in the small town of Schilde.2

The story

Danny G. Vandezande presented the first Desande in 1979; originally, the car was going to be named the "Desande Greta" after his wife. Vandezande felt that only a small British firm would be able to execute the bodywork to a high enough standard, although he was forced to switch manufacturers after the original company selected proved not to have the necessary expertise. In the end, production of the aluminium bodywork was carried out by Grand Prix Metalcraft in North London. GP Metalcraft had been exclusively a supplier of Formula 1 aluminium body parts but expanded to making bodywork for Cobras and other replicas after the fuel crisis placed the future of motor sports in doubt. Staff had been recruited from Vanden Plas and Rolls-Royce, and producing the 2 mm thick aluminium fender took 4 weeks, applying the multiple paint layers took 3 weeks. To further confuse matters, the company behind the car was sometimes identified as JBS Associates, Ltd., also of London.

From Wikipedia’s article on Desande, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1984Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1979Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3