Lothar Schuettler, restorer and collector of vintage BMW cars and

Lothar Schuettler, restorer and collector of vintage BMW cars and motorcycles, with an incredible
passion for originality and perfection!
by Gretchen Carroll
Lothar, who came to the U.S. from
Germany in 1968, has assembled
an incredible collection of very interesting BMW cars and motorcycles.
These toys are stored in a specially
designed and Lothar-built “dream garage” near Gaithersburg, MD, where
he has been enthusiastic about showing and sharing this collection with
visiting enthusiasts. – Lothar’s life in
rural post-war Germany is fascinating, as is his experience in America,
where his illustrious clients included
George C. Scott, for whom Lothar
helped to prepare a 1970 BMW 3.0
CS, Major General Edward Giller,
whose 1939 328 Lothar serviced in
the Washington, DC area and others,
having previously worked on Elvis
Presley’s 507 while working at Bosch
in Wiesbaden.
But let’s start at the beginning: Lothar
Schuettler was born 1941 in Frankfurt / Main,
Germany.
Early life in Germany
During the heavy bombing of Frankfurt in
1944, Lothar, his older brother Wolfgang
(born in 1939), and his mother emerged from
a bomb shelter to find their home reduced to
rubble. After an initial period in an emergency
shelter, mother Schuettler and her two sons
were placed with a farm family in the small
town of Muecken and a few months later to
near-by Idstein, where Lothar’s sister Brigette
was born in June 1945. During this time Lothar’s father stayed in Frankfurt working for
ATE.
In 1951, when Lothar was10, he built his first
bicycle from old bike parts and other bits and
pieces he found around. Like his father, Lothar had developed the knack to make something out of almost nothing. His father had
once made Lothar a small truck out of a wagon, a miniature carousel out of an old Victrola,
and their living room sofa and chairs out of the
seats of a German military staff car.
After school Lothar would help a local farmer, running and repairing all manner of farm
equipment--valuable training for the life he
would lead. At the time, Lothar’s mother
worked in Wiesbaden, first in the home of an
American military officer, and later as a butcher—the job for which she had trained in her
apprenticeship.
When he was 15 a local farmer gave Lothar a
1930’s DKW motorcycle that had been rotting
away in his barn. Lothar got the bike running
but since he didn’t have a license and the bike
wasn’t street legal, his riding was confined to
the fields around Strinz. But he was hooked.
By this time Lothar had finished nine years of
school and dreamed of becoming an automotive electrician, following not far from the footsteps of his brother who had become an auto
technician for Mercedes Benz.
One day Lothar boarded a bus for the hourlong ride to Wiesbaden and presented himself
at the Bosch Company office where the tests
were given to select the candidates for auto
electrician apprenticeships. There he learned
that in all of Wiesbaden there were only three
auto electrician apprenticeships available, the
testing was over, and the candidates already
selected, though not announced. But Lothar
convinced them that since he was there anyway, and had to wait to get the bus back to
Three historic BMW bikes are a part of Lothar’s
collection: A 1942 R75 Sahara with sidecar (top), a
1959 R50 with sidecar (center), and a 1988 police
R65, plus two modern CR 1200s.
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December 2009
BMW Vintage & Classic
Strinz, they ought to let him
take the test just for fun. The
test consisted of taking apart
and reassembling a pump,
writing an essay based on a
picture of a woman and small
child standing in front of an
open refrigerator, and pages
and pages of math. Lothar’s
writing skills were abominable
(still are!) but he could do the
math with his eyes shut, and
the instructor said he had
never seen anyone attack
the job of disassembling and
reassembling the pump with
such eagerness and intensity—he was
convinced no one wanted the job as much
as Lothar did. So Lothar got the apprenticeship he dreamed of.
The apprenticeship lasted three years,
from April 1956 to April 1959, during which
time Lothar spent four days a week working at Bosch and one ten-hour day at
school, studying general education half the
day and automotive electronics the other
half. There was little room for goofing off
but Lothar can tell many tales of the shenanigans he and his new best friend Reiner Hofmann got up to. It was a great time
in Lothar’s life.
After finishing his apprenticeship at Bosch,
Lothar stayed on as a journeyman through
the end of 1959. It was during this period
that he worked on Elvis Presley’s 507 and
on many of the large pre-war cars (Horch,
Mercedes Benz, and Adler) that American
military officers had acquired by confiscating them or buying them cheaply from
Germans who needed money for food. It
was also the time BMW came out with the
V-8s which generated much excitement
when one would appear in the shop. This
is when Lothar’s love affair with BMW’s
blossomed.
When new BMW’s came from the factory
they often ended up at Bosch because
they had no radio, and didn’t always have
heating systems, fog lights, or other items
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December 2009
that
demanded
the attention of an
auto
electrician.
Installing
radios
was a big project
because the radios needed many
resistors and transistors to eliminate
interference from
other car parts,
and antennas had
to be installed.
Once, intent on
correctly placing
all the required
transistors and resistors in a beautiful new
502, Lothar wedged his needle-nose pliers point up on the top of the car’s radiator so he could grab them when he needed
them. Unfortunately he forgot they were
there and when he finished the work he
slammed the hood down—and the needlenose point went right through it. Not one of
Lothar’s good days.
America had to be checked out!
After a few years of jobbing in related areas and acquiring additional skills, in October 1968 Lothar made the dramatic decision to go to the United States with his wife
and two sons “for a year or two, just to see
what it was like”. His wife Elke had a cousin in Bethesda, Maryland so they came
to Montgomery County and soon Lothar
had a job at an auto repair facility that had
one German-speaking technician. Unfortunately the technician left the week after
Lothar started work so Lothar was without
a mentor and had to learn English fast.
In December 1968, Lothar ran into Tony
Schmidt, a childhood friend, at a Christmas
party where many of the guys that worked
in local car repair shops had congregated.
Lothar and Anton (as he was known then)
had grown up together in Strinz but when
Anton was twelve and moved to Wiesbaden with his family Lothar lost track of
him.
BMW Vintage & Classic
Now living in Maryland, Tony, with his business partner Richard Rankin, was just
opening a BMW and Datsun franchise that
would become VOB. Bernie Sachs, who
would be General Manager of VOB, was
assigned the task of interviewing Lothar
for a job at the new facility. Bernie’s German wasn’t very good and Lothar’s English
was no better so Bernie conducted the interview in Yiddish which bore just enough
resemblance to Hessian German that communication was possible—and Lothar was
hired.
In the beginning Lothar worked on any
foreign car that came in to VOB--except
Datsun’s which had their own specialists-and was the only technician working on
BMW’s. Very shortly he was specializing
in just BMW’s and Volvo’s, and within six
months there was enough BMW business
that he worked exclusively on BMW’s.
Within less than a year Lothar started training a second technician to work on BMW’s,
and then a third.
When there was a fire at VOB and the
building was destroyed, VOB opened a
temporary repair shop just for BMW’s in
an alley in Bethesda. By default Lothar
ran this shop and performed all the duties
of a Service Manager. This gave him the
contact with his customers that proved so
valuable to earn their trust and share his
enthusiasm for BMW’s. During this time
then Lothar had a third
son, Uwe, born in 1975.
Life was busy.
Lothar was becoming the main go-to guy
from Delaware to Virginia Beach
for trouble-shooting fuel
injection systems
like the
2002 tii, the 3.0 si
and the 3.0 csi. And by
When VOB rebuilt on
their original site after
the fire, the facility was
not large enough to accommodate the by-now
burgeoning BMW business. Eventually VOB
built a new facility in
North Bethesda right off
Rockville Pike and Old
Georgetown Road that
could once again house
both BMW and Datsun
BMW’s but in the end he agreed. In less
than a year Lothar took VOB Datsun from
being one of the worst Datsun dealerships
in the country to being one of the best
In the mid-70’s, Datsun initiated the “team
system” and Lothar quickly adopted it for
all of VOB. Soon Lothar had nine teams
with nine service advisors and parts managers. Each team consisted of four technicians with one foreman, an assistant
service manager and an assistant parts
manager, handling 150 cars a day (police directed early morning traffic when
cars trying to turn into VOB blocked local
intersections). When a customer bought
a new car one team prepped it and that
(which
became
Nissan).
Lothar, though
officially
just
the
foreman
of the BMW
section, effectively ran
the BMW
departm e n t .
Under
h i s
management, VOB BMW
consistently scored
some of the highest
customer
satisfaction ratings BMW of
NA received.
Conversely, Datsun was receiving
an unacceptably high percentage of
customer complaints and the factory representative from Datsun told
VOB they had to do something to
correct the problem—fast.
To correct the problem, the owners of
VOB approached Lothar about becoming
Service Manager for the whole company.
Lothar was hesitant because it would take
him away from working on his beloved
was the team (coded by both a number
and a color) that the customer dealt with
for the duration of their ownership of that
car. Productivity was staggering—and
customer satisfaction excellent.
Lothar set up a classroom in a trailer on the
property and offered classes for the technicians to increase their product knowledge.
From 1969 through the mid-70’s, Lothar
took every seminar and workshop BMW
offered for technical training and from
1977 through 1981 he was trained by
both Nissan Motor Corporation and BMW
in all aspects of managing an auto service and repair facility.
By the early 80’s VOB was becoming so
big that accountants and financial advisors started making decisions that interfered with how the service department
was run. This was unacceptable to Lothar given that the department’s strong
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December 2009
BMW Vintage & Classic
import 745’s, M5’s, M6’s and other BMW’s
they couldn’t buy in the US.
growth and excellent reputation were because of his leadership. By March 1984
things came to a head and Lothar was told
to either do it their way or leave. Lothar
refused to do it their way and after 15 years
at VOB he cleared out within an hour of
that final meeting.
Lothar enthusiastically serviced or repaired
any BMW but had always been particularly
interested in the vintage cars and more unusual models. In 1971, when he was in NY
attending a BMW seminar, Lothar helped
prepare a 3.0cs for delivery to George C.
Scott, and in his early days at Excluservice he worked on Major General Edward
Giller’s 328. In the early ‘70s he also tuned
the 2002 and 2002 tii that Ed Ullom and
his son raced at Summit Point. Even the
factory rep from BMW came to Lothar for
service on his 2002 race car.
During his years at VOB Lothar’s ded- Lothar was one of the founding members
ication to his profession impressed of the National Capital Chapter of the
many people and when he found BMW Car Club of America and has been
himself unemployed one of those a member of the BMW Vintage Car Club
satisfied customers offered Lothar of America (now BMW V&CCCA) from the
financial backing should he decide mid-‘70s. He is also a member of the BMW
to open his own business. So June Veteranen Club Deutschland and the Ger1, 1984, less than three
months after he left VOB,
and after untold hours of
gutting and renovating
the premises he would
This 1933 AM4/20 is the oldest member of
occupy, Lothar opened
the Schuettler family of BMWs
BMW Excluservice at 12220
Parklawn
Drive
in Rockville, MD
(later the company
would move a few
doors down to its
present
location
at 12224 Parklawn
Drive). It was a
heady—and very
busy—time
for
Lothar. Business This 1964 3200 CS Bertone Coupe is one of several private
poured in and his imports of Lothar’s. The 3200 CS was never officially imported
into the U.S. by BMW.
reputation grew.
man V-8 Club.
Lothar started at Excluservice
with just one employee, a tech- In 2000, Lothar attended the V-8 Club meet
This 1938 BMW 327 is sporting 1940-style fenders
and a number of other departures from the original nician. Four months later he hired a
second technician and someone to
edition, - one of Lothar’s earliest toys.
handle both the service desk
and parts department.
Lothar was instrumental in importing many BMW’s for VOB
that were not available in the
US—Baur convertibles, M1s,
etc. He dealt with EPA and
DOT, posted the required bonds
and got the cars through customs. Soon customers began
approaching Lothar directly to
This 1973 BMW 3.0 CS has been
beautifully restored to original
condition
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December 2009
BMW Vintage & Classic
This genuine BMW 3.0CSLi served as Lothar’s and Gretchen’s transport for the 2005
Colorado Holiday
Lothar Schuettler’s BMW Collection - Status November 2009
YEAR
1933
1937
1938
1942
1956
1958
1959
1959
1962
1964
1972
1972
1972
1973
1973
1975
1987
1988
1999
2001
2001
MODEL
BMW AM4
BMW 328 Roadster
BMW 327 Convertible
BMW R75 Sahara with Sidecar and Trailer
BMW 502 Baur Convertible
BMW 502 3.2 litre
BMW Isetta 300
BMW R50 with Sidecar Steip 350S
BMW 3200L
BMW 3200CS Bertone
BMW 2002
BMW 2002 Baur Convertible
BMW 3.0 CSLi
BMW 3.0 CS
BMW R60/5 Motorcycle
BMW 2002
BMW 635 CS
BMW R65 Motorcycle
BMW CR1200 Motorcycle
BMW CR1200 Motorcycle
BMW Z8
in Bad Breisig, Germany, and later that year
attended Oktoberfest in Spartanburg, using
his 502 Baur convertible to tow his 1959
R50 and sidecar.
In 2003 and 2004 he participated in the
“2000 km Durch Deutschland” rally, starting out from Moenchengladbach, driving
the 502 Baur convertible which he shipped
to Germany and back both years for this
event.
In 2005 Lothar joined the BMW V&CCCA
on their “Colorado Holiday” driving his 3.0
CSi.
In 2006, having shipped his 2002 Targa to
Germany, Lothar participated in both the
BMW Veteranen Club event in Bad Willingen, which was celebrating the 70th anniversary of the 328, and in the 2002 Club
meet in Garmisch Partinkirchen.
In 2008, Lothar flew to Germany and picked
up the 3200CS Bertone he had bought sight
unseen and attended the V-8 Club meet in
Bad Aibling. Later that year he participated
in the BMW V&CCCA California Marathon
driving his 502 Baur convertible. And finally
he attended Oktoberfest in Watkins Glen,
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December 2009
COLOR
Blue/Cream
Black
Beige
Beige
Beige
Gray
Red
Black
Blue
White
Green
Red
White
Silver
Green
Red
Red
White/Green
Beige
Yellow/Gray
Silver/Red
VIN #
33459
85014
73413
764392
49043
63019
570934
560911
73547
76453
2581360
2795579
2285064
2240493
2951318
2364131
608007
OR65TIC
ZA61793
ZG10041
YAH60145
ter a few months Lothar
started tinkering with it to
see if he could get it running. At one point when
he was trying to jump-start
it—running along beside it
holding onto the handlebars--the bike got away
from him before he could
hop on. It went careening
down the street, riderless,
and eventually crashed
into a wall. Lothar then offered to buy the damaged
bike from Wolfgang, fixed
it up, and had his second
motorcycle.
After a few months he
sold the Horex to a friend
and bought his first BMW
motorcycle, an R50 with a
sidecar, which he kept just
long enough to fix up and
sell—keeping the sidecar
which he needed in the
winter to give him stability
in snow and ice--and then
got an R60. By now he
was thoroughly hooked on
BMW’s.
NY, again driving the 502 Baur convertible.
Thinking as a responsible married man he
should probably give up the motorcycle,
In July 2009 Lothar used his 502 Baur conjust before he married in 1963 Lothar sold
vertible to tow the ex Huschke von Hanstein
the bike and bought an MGA—the one and
328 he had just finished restoring to Pittsonly time he would own an English car. He
burgh for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand
kept it for only nine months and then in
Prix. The 328 was the main attraction at the
1966 bought a 1964 BMW 1800 ti which
BMW corral at PVGP and correspondingly
he sold before coming to the US in 1968.
won every award it was eligible for including
Best in Class, Best in Show, and People’s
In America Lothar’s first car was a 1964
Choice.
Mercedes Benz 190 four-door sedan
which he was able to buy cheap because
In September 2009 Lothar again used his
it had a blown motor. Shortly after he had
502 Baur convertible to tow the 328 to Okthe Mercedes running, a 1968 BMW 2000
toberfest at Lake Lanier, Georgia. Again
TI/tilux with only 20,000 miles was towed
the 328 won multiple awards including Best
into the repair shop with a burned out enin Class, People’s Choice and the Presergine compartment. When the insurance
vation Award.
company declared the car totaled, Lothar
bought it from them, fixed it up as the famGretchen, who had entered Lothar’s life as
ily car, and sold the Mercedes.
his inseparable partner in 1994, accompanied him on all these trips and recorded
In 1970 Lothar bought a 1968 BMW 1602.
them in pictures.
This was his toy—he put an Alpina 2 liter
motor in it, stiffened the suspension, and
The vehicles in Lothar’s life.
put fat tires on it.
After the DKW motorbike Lothar had when
he was 15, he briefly had a Horex 350 that
had belonged to his brother, Wolfgang. The
bike didn’t run when Wolfgang got it so af
BMW Vintage & Classic
Lothar had not been back to Germany
since he left in 1968—even though his
original plan had been to come to America just for a year or two--but in 1972 he
ordered factory-delivery of a new Bavaria
and went back to Germany to pick it up.
To help pay for the new car, Lothar sold
the 2000 and 1602. …and there have been
many more modern BMWs since this time.
Restoration, and the creation of
Lothar’s “Dream Garage”.
The first car Lothar restored—the car that
started his remarkable collection—was
a 1938 327 convertible that he acquired
in 1975 and finished restoring in 1978.
Chickens were living in the car when Lothar found it in an old barn and the car’s
interior was non-existent. Since then Lothar has completely restored more than a
dozen Vintage BMW cars and motorcycles
and has several more in various stages of
restoration.
In 2006 Lothar started building his “dream
garage” that would not only house his ever-expanding BMW collection but equally
importantly provide ample space for his
restoration projects. After untold hours
of hard labor on his part, Lothar finished
the garage in spring of 2009 and on May
10th Lothar invited his family, friends, and
loyal customers to a Garage Warming to
celebrate the new space. It was a picture postcard perfect day, the driveway
lined with spectacular BMWs, and more
than 200 guests consumed vast quantities of German food, beer and wine while
a great band played lively German music
and haunting tunes on an Alphorn from the
garage’s upper balcony. A fitting tribute to
the BMWs, Lothar, and the garage he built.
For the restoration of this ex-Huschke von
Hanstein 1937 328 Lothar organized a special
room at Excluservice, with all the special
tools and devices he needed to return this
car to its original condition.
Huschke von Hanstein in a letter to Jack Frasher of Greenville, SC in March 1991 confirmed that
#85014 had been his car, and had been registered in Berlin with license plate SS 333 at that time. Mr.
von Hanstein would be very pleased to now see Lothar’s recreation of his gem
Lothar’s current restoration project is to bring
this 1958 502 one-owner car to “better-than-new”
condition
If any BMW enthusiasts should find themselves in the DC area, Lothar would be
happy to show them his collection of cars
and his on-going restoration projects.
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December 2009
BMW Vintage & Classic