Passion for automobiles

Frieder Bach

Talking to Frieder Bach about the history of the Saxon automotive industry is like a local history lesson. The 76-year-old is a walking encyclopaedia when it comes to the cradle of German automotive engineering - Chemnitz. In addition to history, the Chemnitz native also collected classic cars. As the number grew, he founded an association and initiated the establishment of a museum - the Museum für sächsische Fahrzeuge Chemnitz e.V. on Zwickauer Straße. An exciting place, not only for people with petrol in their blood.

What fascinates you about classic cars?
Frieder Bach: (Laughs) I always put it down to my grandfather. He started in car mechanics in 1907 and brought it into the family. From 1907 to 1912, he trained at Daimler in Berlin and then went to Hansa-Loyd in Oldenburg. He stayed there until the Great Depression. Attracted by the industry and the work that was available in Saxony, he set up his own business in 1931. He also went racing. In 1924, for example, he won the biggest race in Germany - the Reichsfahrt: from Eisennach to Hanover over 1,200 kilometres across Germany. So when my wife gets too much, I always say: "I have a hereditary burden. I can't do anything else."

Do you also tinker yourself? What is your current project?
It's the last sports car that Auto Union wanted to build. We found a drawing of it by chance. This sports car was supposed to be used in the Berlin-Rome race in 1938. Due to the war, however, this race didn't take place, but all the major factories had already started to build or plan special cars: Mercedes, BMW, Adler, Stoewer, etc.

The story behind the last Auto Union sports car is an exciting one, as Frieder Bach explains. The vehicle was ready on paper in the spring of 1940, but at the same time the sports department of the vehicle manufacturer was dissolved. Armaments production moved into the premises. Most of the vehicles previously produced by the sports department were sold to private individuals. Some were moved to a hall on what is now Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße to protect them from the war. These hopes of protecting the cars from the war were not realised. The hall was bombed so extensively that it was hit and all the cars were burnt. "These were milestones in car development," says Bach. "These sports cars are incredibly important for experts who specialise in classic cars." While researching for an exhibition at the vehicle museum, Bach came across documents relating to the last sports car. The design was signed by Günther Mickwausch, who was chief designer at Auto Union from 1932 to 1945, among others. In other words: it was real. "The shape is so inspiring that I had to build the car." The big problem with building an aluminium body, especially an open two-seater, is that it is very expensive and it is hard to find anyone who can do it. A coincidence came to his aid: "I got to know an employee of the Fraunhofer Institute. They were looking for a reference object to test a machine that could produce complicated moulds. The streamlined body of the sports car came in handy. My son and I have been building the vehicle for a good year now. I hope that we will be finished in April. We want to integrate the car into the current exhibition."

Where do you get the vehicle parts from?
Over the years that I've been involved with classic cars, I've collected a lot of parts. It would be impossible to collect them all now.

How did you come to found the association of all things?
It was more out of necessity: In 1969, I had a motorbike with a footboard and manual gearbox that I didn't want to throw away, but which I no longer rode. So I simply hammered two irons into the wall and put the motorbike on top. That was the beginning of my passion for collecting. A BMW motorbike was added a short time later. Word got round that I collected old motorbikes. After two years, I had about forty. Then I added cars. The rented barn was cancelled. So I had the idea of turning it into a museum. In 1983/1984, I went to the city's culture department. They were immediately enthusiastic. However, when I presented the concept and it included Auto Union vehicles, the enthusiasm disappeared. They didn't see the vehicles, but the armaments factory. There was nothing I could do. In 1990, we made a new attempt and founded the association.

Sounds like an exciting time?
It was all very time-consuming. I started my own business in 1990 and founded the association at the same time. The vehicles also had to be restored.

In 1995, the association moved into the Klaffenbach moated castle with the Museum of Saxon Vehicles. "On the opening day, there were several thousand visitors in the castle courtyard," recalls Frieder Bach. The floods of 2002 took away the museum's home. "We drowned, in other words." Since the end of 2008, the exhibition has been housed in the "Stern Garages" on Zwickauer Straße. "The building with its vehicle history suits us perfectly." It is one of the oldest German multi-storey car parks. "And its proximity to the city also brings us visitors during the week. With the Gunzenhauser Museum, the Industrial Museum and the Tram Museum, Zwickauer Straße has become a museum street. And we are part of it," says a delighted Frieder Bach.

Nevertheless, you get the feeling that many people in Chemnitz still don't realise that there is a museum here.
That is correct. We run this museum as an association and have to see how we can make ends meet financially. You can't survive as a museum on admission fees alone. We are dependent on funding and sponsorship. Unfortunately, this means that we can't invest a lot of money in advertising. However, I must also say that it is not least up to the people of Chemnitz themselves to take an interest in their city and what it has to offer.

The new exhibition in the vehicle museum opened on 7 February: what is on show?
The title is "Fast ahead with front-wheel drive - 90 years of DKW racing cars".

The special exhibition from 7 February to 4 October 2020 shows that the Saxon car and motorbike manufacturer DKW not only used motorsport as a testing ground for new technologies, but also as a cleverly chosen marketing strategy. In the 1920s, buyers first had to be convinced of the benefits of front-wheel drive and two-stroke engines in cars. So why not prove how quickly and reliably this technology worked in car races? The special exhibition features a selection of works racers, record-breaking cars, private sports cars and children's racing cars from three decades.

Do you spend a lot of time volunteering at the vehicle museum?
Definitely. Once you start something like this, you have to take care of it for as long as you physically and mentally can. I've been retired for twelve years now and have put even more time into the museum than before - especially in a special exhibition like the current one. Through the "classic car business", I have contacts with many collectors from whom you can borrow vehicles. However, you have to know these people personally, otherwise they won't lend out the sometimes very expensive vehicles. For example, we recently got a car from Saarland - I still knew the owner's father. I met him at the Nürburgring in 1989. That's how I got the car. Other people probably wouldn't have got the car at all. That's why I don't think the exhibition would have materialised in any other place.

As a pensioner, you're not necessarily bored now?
(Laughs) No, I wonder when I used to go to work.

Do you still have goals for the vehicle museum?
We have more themes for special exhibitions in mind than we can manage in terms of time. We usually organise a special exhibition twice a year. It's the same with writing books. I've now written my twelfth or 13th book and I'm still putting things off for time reasons.

In 1932, four regional vehicle manufacturers (Wanderer, Audi, Horch, DKW) joined forces, founded a public limited company in Chemnitz and traded under the name Auto Union. The company grew rapidly and became the second largest German car manufacturer before the war. Classics of German automotive history rolled off the production line here. The well-known four rings became famous as a trademark. After the Second World War, Auto Union was re-established in Ingolstadt and continued to build DKW vehicles until the early 1960s. After that, the company reverted to the old Audi brand name.

Does it make a car enthusiast like you bleed if Chemnitz is not properly honoured as the origin of the automotive industry?
Yes, the best example is the widespread opinion that the Audi rings are the symbol of Audi. But they are not. They are the Auto Union rings. The four plants were in Saxony. I've got into the habit of saying that over and over again. It doesn't help (laughs). That's why I wrote books so that everyone can read the story. Here's an anecdote: I wrote a book about DKW motorbikes at the end of the 80s. And when I wanted to publish it, the publisher I asked told me they didn't have the paper for it. So that was dead. Then they received an enquiry from Motorbuchverlag Stuttgart asking if there was a book about DKW motorbikes in the GDR. Suddenly the paper was there after all (laughs).

In October 2018, you were honoured for your work in promoting Saxony's museum landscape. What does this honour mean to you?
I don't primarily relate this honour to myself, but to the association that does the work. It's a good team that I'm proud of. We don't have any major problems with young talent like other clubs. In the past, a relatively large number of young people have joined us and have hit the ground running. Last year, for example, we decided to rebuild the museum, move the exhibits to a different location and move the lecture corner further into the centre. Whereas a few years ago there were only three to four members, this time ten to 15 joined in. Nothing better could happen to us and I'm very happy about that.

Chemnitz is bidding to be European Capital of Culture 2025, are you confident that we can achieve this?
I very much hope so and also that our museum can contribute to its success with the exhibitions.