der Bayerische July/August 2021 - 19

T H E M A N Y C A R S O F L O T H A R S C H U E T T L E R
84 year-old car, tires squealing as a
local legend wheels it around the
corners. Sometimes it pays to be
5'6 " ; I was the one who fit in the car.
(Besides, Mike was the designated
photographer!)
Naturally, Lothar's approach to
building his home was the same as
his approach to restoring his cars.
He did most of the work himself,
and the result is beautiful. Lothar
bought the lot in the 1970s and
began building the house in the
1980s, finally completing it in 1991.
Initially he slept on a military cot
while the house was under construction.
The house is intentionally
a blend of Bavaria and the American
Southwest: lots of cream colors,
natural wood, and expansive windows
to let in the view and the sun. The
hearth, made of adobe, must be 6'
tall and 10' long. It puts out enough
warmth to heat most of the house.
The home has a very functional first
floor; no space is wasted, every room
is used and lived in. The Great
Room is the heart of the house, and
surrounding it are an open kitchen
and dining nook, the patio, and the
master bedroom.
Using the same architectural
style and attention to detail, Lothar
built his detached garage on the
other side of his circular driveway
in 2003. The construction of that
facility, with its expansive use of
wide, glass garage doors rather than
the conventional, opaque variety,
makes it possible to see the
contents before even entering the
building. The main floor houses
Lothar's collection of cars while the
lower level is a voluminous workshop,
big enough to hold six or
seven cars. The day we were there,
the workshop contained a BMW
2002 that was in the process of
being restored. Out back, down in
the woods, is a Quonset-style hut
where all the projects begin.
Lothar's collection has been
47 years in the making, and what a
collection it is. We feasted our eyes
our eyes on a treasure-trove of
automotive delights:
July I August
19
(Left) A pair of red coupes - the
E31 850ci with manual transmission
and E24 635i with manual
transmission. Hard tops for the
Z1 and Z8 mounted on the wall!
" Life has been good to me " ,
* circa 1934 AM-4 (the first BMW
automobile designed entirely by
BMW) in cream & turquoise
* 1937 328: the famed Pebble
Beach Concours d'Elegance car
* 1938 327 in brown & cream a
WWII Afrika Korps motorcycle
complete with sidecar
* 1958 502 in gray, with 3.2 liter
motor, imported by Hoffman
* 1964 3200 CS with body by
Bertone. This pearl white beauty
was purchased from a watchmaker
in the Black Forest.
* 1973 2002 tii in tan; looks like a
brand-new car
* 1973 3.0 CS in silver. Every-thing
on this car (inside and out) was
cracked, bent or broken until
Lothar bought and restored it.
* A police motorcycle complete
with uniform-wearing mannequin.
Lothar says that his
grandson won't come near the
bike if the mannequin is on it.
* 1987 635 in red
* 1990 Z1 in blue-green, with the
drop-sill doors
* 1992 850ci in red, with a 12cylinder
motor
* 2002 Z8 roadster in silver with
red interior, my favorite!
Lothar declared, " but nobody handed
it to me. I built what I have with
my own two hands. " Lothar loves to
share his stories, his automotive
passion and knowledge, and even
his cars. " When you come back for
another visit " , he said, " you can
drive anything you want - except the
328. " I call dibs on the Z8.
Mike's Reflections
The story continues with Mike
Bevels' reflections on the visit to
Lothar's home and workshop.
I think Wayne and Garth said it
best when they met rockstar Alice
Cooper: " We're not worthy. " That's
how I felt about meeting BMWrockstar
Lothar Schuettler, and being
given the opportunity to see his
collection of award-winning, vintage
BMW cars and motorcycles. In his
retirement Lothar continues his
passion of using his own hands to
(Below) It's hard not to feel like a kid in a candy store when looking at this many pristine vintage BMWs in one garage.

der Bayerische July/August 2021

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