derBayerische January/February 2023 - 20

■ (Above) Which Z would you take?
to in his E30. (Sometimes it pays to
be 5'6 " rather than 6'5 " , like when it's
time to figure out who can fit into the
1937 328's passenger seat, but Mike
seemed to be having a great time
nonetheless.) I think he was grinning
during the entire drive home.
The other key aspect to Lothar's
car-acquisition strategy is timing.
In the life of every model that eventually
becomes a collectible, there is a
time when it's just a used car. Why
would you want a used 2002 Z8 (400
hp, 3500 lbs, seats 2, trunk big
enough for two medium-sized duffel
bags) when you can have a brand new
2009 E92 (414 hp, 3500 lbs, seats 5
in a pinch, and has a full size trunk)?
If you're a visionary, that's the time to
pounce. The window is short. Lothar
put out the word that he was in the
market, and eventually he got a call
20
that a Z8 was available in San Diego.
So Lothar asked his stepson-in-law,
Mike, whether he'd like to fly to
California with him to check the car
out. Road trip! The rest is history,
and now the car is in Lothar's garage.
And what a car it is. The lines
are simple, flowing, curvaceous without
being overdone, elegant. The
silver dashboard, black gauges, and
red-and-black interior convey beauty
and class in their simplicity and
functionality. This is a driving enthusiast's
car. My wife said " Just looking
at it sitting in our garage, I'm falling in
love with it. You better take it back
before I have to have it. "
Driving the car is sublime. The
suspension is firm without being
harsh. The brakes effortlessly bring
the car to a quick halt. The steering
places you where you want to go
without being darty. The V8 engine
growls as you wind it up and it
presses you back in the seat. Taking
it on my favorite twisty back roads,
I discovered that the Z8 is a road
carver. This is a purpose-built instrument
with which to experience the joy
of driving. By the way, with regards to
" sport mode " - you won't need it.
During our visit, I asked whether
he was ready to start selling off the
cars. He said " not yet " , and made it
clear that he's had many offers from
well-heeled prospects and their
brokers. However, he also made it
clear that he's particular about who he
deals with (no surprise). He said, if I
don't know you personally, you don't
get to buy a car. If I don't like you, you
don't get to buy a car. If you want to
buy one of my cars to resell it, then
you don't get to buy a car. If you're
not an auto enthusiast who wants the
car because you love it, then you
don't get to buy a car.
Lothar is a generous soul, and
he loves to share his passion (and his
cars) with genuine fellow enthusiasts.
However, he made it clear - these are
my babies. I've decided to let you
borrow the cars, but don't damage my
babies. If you bend a car then you
better just shoot yourself or leave
the country. He even has a poster
to that effect, thanks to der
Bayerische's Production Manager,
Raine Mantysalo. Lothar is a straight
shooter; you always know where you
stand. As he explains it, if you can't
tell a friend what you really think,
including about them, then you're not
really a friend.
Just in case the don't-damagemy-babies
directive wasn't clear,
derBayerische
derBayerische January/February 2023

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