TRANSAMERICA CORPORATION
                      NON-QUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT


     THIS  AGREEMENT,  made  as of  this  ___  day of  _______,  199__,  between
TRANSAMERICA  CORPORATION,  a  Delaware  corporation  (the  "Company")  and (the
"Director").

                                   WITNESSETH:

     WHEREAS,  the Company  has adopted the 1985 Stock  Option and Award Plan of
Transamerica  Corporation  (the  "Plan"),  providing for the granting of certain
stock options to Non-employee Directors of the Company and its Affiliates, which
options  ("non-qualified  stock options") are not intended to be incentive stock
options  within the meaning of section  422,  or  successor  provisions,  of the
Internal  Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"),  to purchase  shares of
common stock of the Company (the "Common Stock"); and

     WHEREAS,  the Plan authorizes the grant of an option to the Director on the
date of this Agreement, thereby allowing the Director to acquire or increase his
or her proprietary interest in the Company in order that said Director will have
a further  incentive for  remaining  with and  increasing  his or her efforts on
behalf of the Company; and

     WHEREAS, this Agreement is prepared in conjunction with and under the terms
of the Plan;  although all of the terms of the Plan and the definitions  used in
the Plan  have not been  set  forth  herein,  such  terms  and  definitions  are
incorporated  herein and made a part hereof by reference;  and the provisions of
the Plan shall govern any interpretation of this Agreement; and

     WHEREAS, the Director has accepted the grant of stock options hereunder and
agreed to the terms and conditions hereinafter stated;

     NOW  THEREFORE,  in  consideration  of the  foregoing  and  of  the  mutual
covenants hereinafter set forth and other good and valuable  consideration,  the
receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby
agree as follows:

     1. The Company  hereby grants to the Director  under Section 7 of the Plan,
as a separate  incentive in connection  with his or her service on the Board and
not in lieu of any  fees  or  other  compensation  for  his or her  services,  a
non-qualified stock option to purchase, on the terms and conditions set forth in
this  Agreement and the Plan,  all or any part of an aggregate of _______ shares
of  authorized  but unissued or reacquired  shares of the Common  Stock,  at the
purchase  price set forth in paragraph 2 of this  Agreement.  The option granted
hereby is not  intended to be an Incentive  Stock  Option  within the meaning of
section 422 of the Code.

     2. The  purchase  price per share (the "Option  Price")  shall be $_______,
which is the fair market value per share of the Common Stock on the date of this
Agreement.  The Option  Price shall be payable in the legal tender of the United
States,  in shares of the Common Stock of the Company,  or in a  combination  of
such legal tender and such shares.





     3. The number and class of shares  specified in  Paragraph 1 above,  and/or
the  Option  Price,  are  subject  to  adjustment  in the  event of any  merger,
reorganization, consolidation,  recapitalization, separation, liquidation, stock
dividend,  split-up,  share  combination,  distribution  or other  change in the
corporate  structure  of the Company  affecting  the shares of Common  Stock (an
"Event").  Any such  adjustment  shall be made by the Board of  Directors of the
Company  as  constituted   immediately   prior  to  the  applicable  Event  (the
"Applicable  Board")  and  shall be  designed  so that if the  Director  (or any
beneficiary) exercises this option after an Event, he or she shall receive (upon
payment of the Option Price for each share  exercised)  the  securities  and any
other  property  (other than  regular  cash  dividends)  which the  Director (or
beneficiary)  would have been  entitled  to had he or she instead  acquired  the
shares on the date of this Agreement and held them through the date of exercise.
Notwithstanding  the preceding,  (a) the number of shares subject to this option
always shall be a whole number,  and (b) if the Applicable Board determines that
the delivery of securities or other property (other than shares of Common Stock)
from any such adjustment  would create an undue burden or expense,  the Director
(or beneficiary) instead shall receive a lump sum cash payment equal to the fair
market value (as determined by the Applicable Board) or such securities or other
property.

     4. The right to exercise the option awarded by this Agreement  shall accrue
as to 100% of the shares  subject to such option on the date which is six months
after the date of this  Agreement.  Notwithstanding  any contrary  provisions of
this  Agreement,  immediately  upon the  occurrence of a Change of Control,  the
right to exercise the option awarded by this  Agreement  shall accrue as to 100%
of the shares subject to such option.

     5. Subject to the provisions of this paragraph 5, the right to exercise the
option  awarded by this  Agreement  shall  expire on the date which is one month
after  the  tenth  anniversary  of the  date  of  this  Agreement  (the  "Normal
Expiration  Date"). In the event of the termination of the Director's service on
the Board for any reason except Retirement, Total Disability or death, the right
to exercise the option awarded by this  Agreement  shall expire three (3) months
after the date of such termination or upon the Normal Expiration Date, whichever
shall first occur. In the event of the Director's  termination of service on the
Board on  account of his or her  Retirement  or Total  Disability,  the right to
exercise the option awarded by this Agreement shall expire three (3) years after
the date of such termination or upon the Normal Expiration Date, whichever shall
first occur.  In the event the Director shall die within such three (3) month or
three (3) year period,  whichever is applicable,  or shall die while a Director,
the  option  may be  exercised  by the  Director's  transferee,  as  hereinafter
provided, for a period of one (1) year after the date of the Director's death.

     6. The option shall be exercisable  during the Director's  lifetime only by
the Director. The option shall be non-transferable by the Director other than by
will, the applicable  laws of descent and  distribution  or a valid  beneficiary
designation  made under such  procedures  as may be  specified by the Board from
time to time.

     7. To the extent  exercisable  after the Director's death, the option shall
be exercised  only by the  Director's  beneficiary as provided in paragraph 6 of
this  Agreement.  If the  Director  fails to designate a  beneficiary,  or if no
beneficiary  survives the  Director,  the option shall be exercised  only by the
person or persons  entitled to the option under the  Director's  will, or if the
Director shall fail to make testamentary  disposition of the option,  his or her
legal  representative.  Any  transferee  exercising  the option must furnish the
Company  (a) written  notice of his or her status as  transferee,  (b)  evidence
satisfactory  to the Company to  establish  the  validity of the transfer of the
option and compliance with any laws or regulations  pertaining to said transfer,
and (c)  written  acceptance  of the  terms  and  conditions  of the  option  as
prescribed in this Agreement.





     8. The option may be exercised  by the person then  entitled to do so as to
any shares which may then be purchased (a) by giving  written notice of exercise
to the  Company,  specifying  the  number  of full  shares to be  purchased  and
accompanied by full payment of the purchase price thereof (and the amount of any
income  tax the  Company  is  required  by law to  withhold  by  reason  of such
exercise),  and (b) by giving satisfactory assurances in writing if requested by
the Company,  signed by the person exercising the option,  that the shares to be
purchased  upon such exercise are being  purchased for investment and not with a
view to the distribution  thereof. No partial exercise of this option may be for
less than ten (10) share lots or multiples thereof.

     9. If at any time the Company shall determine, in its discretion,  that the
listing,  registration or qualification of the shares covered by the option upon
any  securities  exchange  or under any state or federal  law, or the consent or
approval of any governmental  regulatory authority, is necessary or desirable as
a  condition  of the  purchase  of  shares  hereunder,  the  option  may  not be
exercised,  in whole or in part,  unless and until such  listing,  registration,
qualification,  consent or approval shall have been effected or obtained free of
any conditions not acceptable to the Company.  The Company shall make reasonable
efforts to meet the  requirements of any such state or federal law or securities
exchange  and to obtain any such  consent or approval  of any such  governmental
authority.

     10.  Neither the  Director  nor any person  claiming  under or through said
Director  shall be or have any of the rights or privileges  of a stockholder  of
the Company in respect of any of the shares  issuable  upon the  exercise of the
option,  unless and until certificates  representing such shares shall have been
issued,  recorded  on the  records  of the  Company  or its  transfer  agents or
registrars, and delivered to Director.

     11.  A leave  of  absence  or an  interruption  in  service  (including  an
interruption  during military service) authorized or acknowledged by the Company
shall not be deemed a termination of service for the purposes of this Agreement.

     12. Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms of this Agreement
shall be addressed to the Company,  in care of its Secretary,  at 600 Montgomery
Street, San Francisco, California 94111, or at such other address as the Company
may hereafter designate in writing. Any notice to be given to the Director shall
be  addressed to the  Director at the address set forth  beneath the  Director's
signature  hereto,  or at such  other  address  as the  Director  may  hereafter
designate in writing. Any such notice shall be deemed to have been duly given if
and when  enclosed  in a  properly  sealed  envelope,  addressed  as  aforesaid,
registered or certified and  deposited,  postage and registry fee prepaid,  in a
United States post office.

     13.  Nothing  herein   contained  shall  affect  the  Director's  right  to
participate  in and  receive  benefits  under  and in  accordance  with the then
current  provisions of any pension,  insurance or other employee welfare plan or
program of the Company or any Affiliate.

     14. Except as otherwise herein provided,  the option herein granted and the
rights and  privileges  conferred  hereby  shall not be  transferred,  assigned,
pledged or  hypothecated  in any way (whether by operation of law or  otherwise)
and shall not be subject to sale under execution, attachment or similar process.
Upon any attempt to transfer,  assign, pledge,  hypothecate or otherwise dispose
of said option, or of any right or privilege  conferred hereby,  contrary to the
provisions hereof, or upon any attempted sale under any execution, attachment or
similar process upon the rights and privileges conferred hereby, said option and
the rights and privileges  conferred  hereby shall  immediately  become null and
void.





     15.  Notwithstanding  any other provision of this Agreement except the last
sentence of  paragraph 5 hereof  relating to the death of the Director (in which
case this option is exercisable to the extent set forth therein), this option is
not  exercisable  after the  expiration of ten (10) years and one (1) month from
the date of this  Agreement.  In no event is this option  exercisable  after the
expiration  of  eleven  (11)  years  and one (1)  month  from  the  date of this
Agreement.

     16.  Subject  to the  limitation  on  the  transferability  of  the  option
contained herein,  this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit
of the heirs,  legatees,  legal  representatives,  successors and assigns of the
parties hereto.

     17. This  Agreement is subject to all the terms and provisions of the Plan.
In the event of a conflict  between one or more provisions of this Agreement and
one or more  provisions  of the Plan,  the  provisions of the Plan shall govern.
Terms used and not defined in this Agreement shall have the meaning set forth in
the Plan.

     18.  Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2 of the Plan, the Committee
shall   exercise  no   discretion   with  respect  to  the   interpretation   or
administration  of this  option.  The Board shall have the power to construe the
Plan and the option, to determine all questions arising thereunder, and to adopt
and amend such rules and  regulations for the  administration  thereof as it may
deem  desirable.  The  interpretation  and  construction  by  the  Board  of any
provision  of the Plan or of the option  shall be final.  No member of the Board
shall be liable for any action or determination  made in good faith with respect
to the Plan or the option.

     19. In the event that any provision in this Agreement shall be held invalid
or unenforceable, such provision shall be severable from, and such invalidity or
unenforceability  shall not be  construed  to have any effect on, the  remaining
provisions of this Agreement.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement, in duplicate,
the day and year first above written.

                                        TRANSAMERICA CORPORATION


                                     By:
                                        ------------------------
                                        Assistant Secretary



Signature

Address:

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