Australian Stoewer Museum - Tawonga South, near Mount Beauty Victoria
A tribute to the family behind Germany’s Third Car Manufacturer
Introduction - Stoewer Family, Entrepreneurs at a young age
Nestled in the picturesque Kiewa Valley at the foot of Mt Bogong is where I have chosen to locate my collection of Stoewer cars, sewing machines, typewriters, historic company photographs and other memorabilia from this now lost marque. Over the last 50 years I have become close friends of the Stoewer family descendants and the pioneering contribution of this family to the automobile and space industries deserves recognition.
In 1858 at the young age of 24, Bernhard Stoewer Snr established a sewing machine manufacturing business in the Baltic port city of Stettin in the Prussian State of Pomerania. This was just the second sewing machine company in Germany, Clems Muller having first established a factory in Dresden just three years before. Early on Bernhard Stoewer established a presence in Australia, and in the Sydney International Exhibition of 1879 was awarded a bronze medal for excellence in sewing machines. Business was very successful and by 1905 Bernhard was employing over 2000 people producing over 70,000 sewing machines per year. In 1893 Bernhard branched into bicycle manufacture and in 1903 commenced production of typewriters.
With the growing demand for steel to support his sewing machine manufacture, in 1893 Bernhard established a steelworks on the edge of Stettin. In this steelworks, Bernhard Snr groomed his two sons Emil and Bernhard Jnr for managerial positions. But in 1896 Emil (23) and Bernhard (21) said: “Dad, can we use the steelworks to build motor cars?” Dad agreed and “Gebruder Stoewer” was established as just the third car manufacturer in Germany after Benz and Daimler.
From the outset, these brothers were inventive and pioneered innovation in the automotive industry. Although commencing with petrol engines, by 1904 they were considered leaders in luxury electric vehicles. But in 1906 they introduced a reliable 6 cylinder, petrol engine and and electric production ceased. In the same year they were contracted to supply 200 double-decker buses to the county of London. In 1930 they built the first front wheel drive car in Germany and in 1935 built a four wheel drive, four wheel steering, light, general purpose vehicle for military use.
The company did not survive beyond WWII after the invading Russian army confiscated all equipment from the factory and the city of Stettin and State of Pomerania were handed to Poland.
While this branch of the Stoewer family were pioneers of sewing machine manufacture and the development of the automobile, a descendant of a parallel branch of the family (since about 1750) has been at the very forefront of aerospace engineering having helped develop the Saturn rocket for the Apollo Project and later as project manager of Spacelab, Europe’s entry into the manned space program.
In 1858 at the young age of 24, Bernhard Stoewer Snr established a sewing machine manufacturing business in the Baltic port city of Stettin in the Prussian State of Pomerania. This was just the second sewing machine company in Germany, Clems Muller having first established a factory in Dresden just three years before. Early on Bernhard Stoewer established a presence in Australia, and in the Sydney International Exhibition of 1879 was awarded a bronze medal for excellence in sewing machines. Business was very successful and by 1905 Bernhard was employing over 2000 people producing over 70,000 sewing machines per year. In 1893 Bernhard branched into bicycle manufacture and in 1903 commenced production of typewriters.
With the growing demand for steel to support his sewing machine manufacture, in 1893 Bernhard established a steelworks on the edge of Stettin. In this steelworks, Bernhard Snr groomed his two sons Emil and Bernhard Jnr for managerial positions. But in 1896 Emil (23) and Bernhard (21) said: “Dad, can we use the steelworks to build motor cars?” Dad agreed and “Gebruder Stoewer” was established as just the third car manufacturer in Germany after Benz and Daimler.
From the outset, these brothers were inventive and pioneered innovation in the automotive industry. Although commencing with petrol engines, by 1904 they were considered leaders in luxury electric vehicles. But in 1906 they introduced a reliable 6 cylinder, petrol engine and and electric production ceased. In the same year they were contracted to supply 200 double-decker buses to the county of London. In 1930 they built the first front wheel drive car in Germany and in 1935 built a four wheel drive, four wheel steering, light, general purpose vehicle for military use.
The company did not survive beyond WWII after the invading Russian army confiscated all equipment from the factory and the city of Stettin and State of Pomerania were handed to Poland.
While this branch of the Stoewer family were pioneers of sewing machine manufacture and the development of the automobile, a descendant of a parallel branch of the family (since about 1750) has been at the very forefront of aerospace engineering having helped develop the Saturn rocket for the Apollo Project and later as project manager of Spacelab, Europe’s entry into the manned space program.
Background to the Stoewer Collection
When at high school during the early 1960’s a highlight of the year was the Mt Kalorama rally organised by the vintage car clubs in Victoria. I decided I wanted to restore a vintage car, but it had to be a “good one”. During my first summer vacation from university in 1966 I gained employment with the Victorian Mines Department. They very kindly assigned me the task of sampling bore water on farms across the State. This meant collecting a pint of bore water, having a cup of tea and slice of fruit cake with the farmer and his wife while information was collected about the water bore and then having a look in the farm shed on the way out! I spotted many, desirable unrestored old cars. But it was in a 36 horse stable on a wheat farm in Minyip that I spotted what I wanted. It was a 1923, 4-cylinder, 2.2 litre Stoewer model D3A.
I had seen a smaller model D3 at Kalorama and so recognised the marque and soon became just the car’s second owner. Within just a few weeks of acquiring my D3A I received a letter smuggled out of communist East Berlin. Hans Mai wrote “I have heard that you have discovered a Stoewer car in Australia, can you please photograph everything you can see of this car and send them to this address in West Germany?” We thus established communication although our letters often got censored when intercepted by the STASI. Hans soon became a close friend and until his passing in 2014 became widely regarded as the preeminent Stoewer historian. I soon learned from Hans that my D3A was the only survivor of this model. He gave me the name and address of everyone else in Australia who had a Stoewer car (and I have since found only three cars that he did not know about) and he introduced me to Jürgen Stoewer the son of Bernhard and in turn, Jutta Barckmann, Bernhards granddaughter. Jürgen later gave me the negatives of all the photos he had been able to salvage from the factory after WWII and these works photos together with others sourced from Hans, now contribute significantly to my display in tribute to this pioneering automotive family.
In 1967 I wrote to the other Stoewer owners in Australia to share information and usually got a prompt response. But in one case I waited until 1983: “Sorry to have been so long in replying, the car is now at the Gold Coast in pieces, do you want it?” How could I refuse? This car was a 6-cylinder, 3.2 litre Model D5 from 1922 and I have since learned that it also is the sole survivor of its model in driveable condition. According to the original owner this car was purchased with the betting proceeds from a horse race. More likely it was owned by the bank! The owner lost his farm during the depression of 1930 but “the bank was not going to get the car”. Instead it was parked behind a brother’s house and then sealed in with corrugated iron. It remained there until the owner passed away in 1966.
In 1992 the owner of a 1924, sole surviving 6-cylinder, 3.4 litre Model D5/78 (the high performance version of the D5) passed away and his wife was happy to see the car stay in Australia. Although driveable at the time of acquisition, this car has now been fully restored to original specification. Another contact I made was with Alan Rose-Bray, a founder of the Veteran Car Club on NSW. Alan had the sole survivor of a 1911, 4-cylinder, 1.6 litre Model B1 in unrestored condition. It had broken an axle and the parts of the differential were wrapped in newspaper dated 1961.
Alan passed away leaving the car to his brother Doug who did nothing with it. It stayed in a garage in Marrickville untouched for 45 years until Doug in turn passed on in 2005. The executor of Doug’s estate contacted me and was happy that I was interested in restoring the car. I have since tried to identify the original owner of this car and can narrow the options down to two. Just two cars of this model were registered in NSW within a four month period centred upon the probable delivery date in Australia. One was owned by Joshua Cox of “The Commercial Hotel, Yass”. Not much chance of tracing his descendants. The other was owned by Mary Mc Lauren of Germantown (now Holbrook). And yes, Mc Laurens are still in the district and can remember “Aunt Mary and her old car – she never drove the car herself: she had a gentleman friend ….”
The final Stoewer in my collection is a 1913, 4-cylinder Model C1. This car has four siblings, one of which is in Tasmania. My C1 was obtained fully restored from the estate of Reg Macdonald in Adelaide. Reg believed this car came from Penola. I have since found records indicating only one Stoewer car of this model was registered in SA. It was owned by De Garis & Sons, Stock and Station Agents, Penola! And yes, a phone call confirmed they are still in business and I spoke to the grandson of the original owner. As with the other Stoewer cars in my collection, I have endeavoured to have restoration done in a way that retains originality as close as is possible. I have been very fortunate to have had the services of a genius in Greg Doyle of Armidale, NSW. The standard of originality preserved in Greg’s restoration work is truly a credit to his diligence and skill. And, Greg provided a photo of everything he did, thus preserving a detailed record of each cars originality and authenticity.
I had seen a smaller model D3 at Kalorama and so recognised the marque and soon became just the car’s second owner. Within just a few weeks of acquiring my D3A I received a letter smuggled out of communist East Berlin. Hans Mai wrote “I have heard that you have discovered a Stoewer car in Australia, can you please photograph everything you can see of this car and send them to this address in West Germany?” We thus established communication although our letters often got censored when intercepted by the STASI. Hans soon became a close friend and until his passing in 2014 became widely regarded as the preeminent Stoewer historian. I soon learned from Hans that my D3A was the only survivor of this model. He gave me the name and address of everyone else in Australia who had a Stoewer car (and I have since found only three cars that he did not know about) and he introduced me to Jürgen Stoewer the son of Bernhard and in turn, Jutta Barckmann, Bernhards granddaughter. Jürgen later gave me the negatives of all the photos he had been able to salvage from the factory after WWII and these works photos together with others sourced from Hans, now contribute significantly to my display in tribute to this pioneering automotive family.
In 1967 I wrote to the other Stoewer owners in Australia to share information and usually got a prompt response. But in one case I waited until 1983: “Sorry to have been so long in replying, the car is now at the Gold Coast in pieces, do you want it?” How could I refuse? This car was a 6-cylinder, 3.2 litre Model D5 from 1922 and I have since learned that it also is the sole survivor of its model in driveable condition. According to the original owner this car was purchased with the betting proceeds from a horse race. More likely it was owned by the bank! The owner lost his farm during the depression of 1930 but “the bank was not going to get the car”. Instead it was parked behind a brother’s house and then sealed in with corrugated iron. It remained there until the owner passed away in 1966.
In 1992 the owner of a 1924, sole surviving 6-cylinder, 3.4 litre Model D5/78 (the high performance version of the D5) passed away and his wife was happy to see the car stay in Australia. Although driveable at the time of acquisition, this car has now been fully restored to original specification. Another contact I made was with Alan Rose-Bray, a founder of the Veteran Car Club on NSW. Alan had the sole survivor of a 1911, 4-cylinder, 1.6 litre Model B1 in unrestored condition. It had broken an axle and the parts of the differential were wrapped in newspaper dated 1961.
Alan passed away leaving the car to his brother Doug who did nothing with it. It stayed in a garage in Marrickville untouched for 45 years until Doug in turn passed on in 2005. The executor of Doug’s estate contacted me and was happy that I was interested in restoring the car. I have since tried to identify the original owner of this car and can narrow the options down to two. Just two cars of this model were registered in NSW within a four month period centred upon the probable delivery date in Australia. One was owned by Joshua Cox of “The Commercial Hotel, Yass”. Not much chance of tracing his descendants. The other was owned by Mary Mc Lauren of Germantown (now Holbrook). And yes, Mc Laurens are still in the district and can remember “Aunt Mary and her old car – she never drove the car herself: she had a gentleman friend ….”
The final Stoewer in my collection is a 1913, 4-cylinder Model C1. This car has four siblings, one of which is in Tasmania. My C1 was obtained fully restored from the estate of Reg Macdonald in Adelaide. Reg believed this car came from Penola. I have since found records indicating only one Stoewer car of this model was registered in SA. It was owned by De Garis & Sons, Stock and Station Agents, Penola! And yes, a phone call confirmed they are still in business and I spoke to the grandson of the original owner. As with the other Stoewer cars in my collection, I have endeavoured to have restoration done in a way that retains originality as close as is possible. I have been very fortunate to have had the services of a genius in Greg Doyle of Armidale, NSW. The standard of originality preserved in Greg’s restoration work is truly a credit to his diligence and skill. And, Greg provided a photo of everything he did, thus preserving a detailed record of each cars originality and authenticity.
History of Stoewer Motor Cars
The brothers first experimented with motor tricycles using de Dion motors but by 1999 had developed their first, fully in-house designed and constructed motor cars. Their very first car, a twin cylinder model was taken by the Russian army at the end of WWII and disappeared for many years. It has now reappeared in the Moscow Polytechnic Museum. It is the oldest car in Russia.
In parallel with designing petrol engine cars, Emil and Bernhard saw a future for electric cars as being more reliable, quieter and less polluting. By 1904 they had become a leading supplier of electric vehicles. Sadly, none have survived. But development of petrol engines continued and in 1906 they produced Germany’s first six-cylinder car. This model P6 engine had a capacity of 8.8 litres and the car had a top speed of 100 kph. Only 10 were made. In the same year Stoewer won a contract to supply the county of London with an order for 200 double-decker buses. These used a four-cylinder engine of 5.9 litre capacity. It was a nice order to help this young company get established.
In 1911, Stoewer engaged the expertise of Russian emigrant Boris Loutzkoy to develop an aircraft engine. (Little known Loutzkoy/Loutsky independently built a self-igniting engine contemporary with overhead camshaft and overhead valves. He licensed this concept to Daimer in 1903. He also built the first petrol engine with vertical cylinders in 1889 and the first Russian car in 1897). This aircraft engine had four-cylinders, was of 8.6 litre capacity and had overhead camshaft with hemispherical combustion chambers. It developed 100 HP. Stoewer fitted this engine to their F4 car of 1912 giving it a top speed of 120 kph. Only 5 F4 cars were built. In 1912 Stoewer built a 6-cylinder version of the Loutzkoy engine but this never went into commercial production. However, it was one of these engines developed by Loutzkoy that established a world air speed record of 165 kph in 1912.
Later in WWI Stoewer built aircraft engines under licence to Argus. These were 6-cylinder pushrod OHV engines of 11 litre capacity developing 120 HP. On the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, Stoewer were permitted to use 10 of these engines in motor cars. One of these model D7 cars established a speed of 183 kph on the sand flats in Denmark in 1921, While these small numbers of large engine cars were made, the core business of Stoewer in their first 20 years was a range of much smaller cars. There were many models, each experimenting with some new idea and innovation. But all were engineered without compromise to quality and reliability. Even very early on their engines had fully pressurised lubrication, multi-plate clutches and 4-speed gearboxes. All made extensive use of high quality alloy castings. Production numbers were always low with just a few hundred of each made.
Before the end of WWI Stoewer began tooling up for its post war range of cars. These were designated D types and they had a range of engine sizes. All had an imposing Vee shaped radiator. The D3 had a 2.1 litre 4-cylinder engine developing 24 HP and 1200 were produced. The “high performance” D3A had a 2.2 litre 4-clinder engine developing 32 HP. 800 were made. Similarly the D5 had a 3.2 litre 6-cylinder engine developing 36 HP (1180 were made) and the “high performance” D5/78 was 3.4 litre 6-cylinder developing 45 HP. Only 350 of these were made.
In 1928 straight-8 engines were introduced to a new range of models. This was poorly timed as the approaching Depression and high fuel prices made large expensive cars unpopular and the Company became almost bankrupt. In order to save this situation, Bernard Stoewer’s next major innovation was the construction of Germany’s first front wheel drive car. The fuel efficient V5 Sport was the star of the Berlin Motor Show in February 1931. It had a small 1200 cc V4 engine, an all alloy sporting two seater body with independent suspension all round. Engineer Bernhard Stoewer was immediately convinced that front wheel drive was the future of motor cars and by 1933 had built a very attractive Greif model with a 2500 cc V8 engine and a smaller R150 variant with a 1500 cc 4-cylinder engine.
In parallel with designing petrol engine cars, Emil and Bernhard saw a future for electric cars as being more reliable, quieter and less polluting. By 1904 they had become a leading supplier of electric vehicles. Sadly, none have survived. But development of petrol engines continued and in 1906 they produced Germany’s first six-cylinder car. This model P6 engine had a capacity of 8.8 litres and the car had a top speed of 100 kph. Only 10 were made. In the same year Stoewer won a contract to supply the county of London with an order for 200 double-decker buses. These used a four-cylinder engine of 5.9 litre capacity. It was a nice order to help this young company get established.
In 1911, Stoewer engaged the expertise of Russian emigrant Boris Loutzkoy to develop an aircraft engine. (Little known Loutzkoy/Loutsky independently built a self-igniting engine contemporary with overhead camshaft and overhead valves. He licensed this concept to Daimer in 1903. He also built the first petrol engine with vertical cylinders in 1889 and the first Russian car in 1897). This aircraft engine had four-cylinders, was of 8.6 litre capacity and had overhead camshaft with hemispherical combustion chambers. It developed 100 HP. Stoewer fitted this engine to their F4 car of 1912 giving it a top speed of 120 kph. Only 5 F4 cars were built. In 1912 Stoewer built a 6-cylinder version of the Loutzkoy engine but this never went into commercial production. However, it was one of these engines developed by Loutzkoy that established a world air speed record of 165 kph in 1912.
Later in WWI Stoewer built aircraft engines under licence to Argus. These were 6-cylinder pushrod OHV engines of 11 litre capacity developing 120 HP. On the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, Stoewer were permitted to use 10 of these engines in motor cars. One of these model D7 cars established a speed of 183 kph on the sand flats in Denmark in 1921, While these small numbers of large engine cars were made, the core business of Stoewer in their first 20 years was a range of much smaller cars. There were many models, each experimenting with some new idea and innovation. But all were engineered without compromise to quality and reliability. Even very early on their engines had fully pressurised lubrication, multi-plate clutches and 4-speed gearboxes. All made extensive use of high quality alloy castings. Production numbers were always low with just a few hundred of each made.
Before the end of WWI Stoewer began tooling up for its post war range of cars. These were designated D types and they had a range of engine sizes. All had an imposing Vee shaped radiator. The D3 had a 2.1 litre 4-cylinder engine developing 24 HP and 1200 were produced. The “high performance” D3A had a 2.2 litre 4-clinder engine developing 32 HP. 800 were made. Similarly the D5 had a 3.2 litre 6-cylinder engine developing 36 HP (1180 were made) and the “high performance” D5/78 was 3.4 litre 6-cylinder developing 45 HP. Only 350 of these were made.
In 1928 straight-8 engines were introduced to a new range of models. This was poorly timed as the approaching Depression and high fuel prices made large expensive cars unpopular and the Company became almost bankrupt. In order to save this situation, Bernard Stoewer’s next major innovation was the construction of Germany’s first front wheel drive car. The fuel efficient V5 Sport was the star of the Berlin Motor Show in February 1931. It had a small 1200 cc V4 engine, an all alloy sporting two seater body with independent suspension all round. Engineer Bernhard Stoewer was immediately convinced that front wheel drive was the future of motor cars and by 1933 had built a very attractive Greif model with a 2500 cc V8 engine and a smaller R150 variant with a 1500 cc 4-cylinder engine.
History of Stoewer Motor Cars - continued
But when Hitler gained power in 1933 the military authorities dictated: “front wheel drive would not be dependable in a war effort”. Emil Stoewer was replaced as financial head of the company with a Nazi. Bernhard disagreed with the new management and directive to discontinue front-wheel-drive and in 1934 also resigned. Ironically, the following year the German military let a contract for the development of a light, 4-wheel drive, general purpose vehicle. Stoewer of course won the contract and delivered not just 4-wheel drive but also 4-wheel steering. This was seven years before the Americans built their Jeep.
The final model Stoewer built before WWII was released in 1937 and called the Arkona. It was a conventional, rear wheel drive, 6-cylinder car of quality and comfort. On display in the Berlin Motor show of 1939 it seems that this car impressed Hitler and his Generals. In a photo from the Berlin Motor Show Hitler is seen discussing the car with Stoewer manager, Karl Treftz, Goebbels is seated at the wheel and Goring can be seen standing behind. This same car was souvenired by the US servicemen after the war but has since returned to Germany and been fully restored.
As a further irony to the actions of Hitler in removing the Stoewer family from involvement in their company, in 1945 when President Truman attended functions in Germany, he arrived chauffeured in a Stoewer Arkona! At the conclusion of WWII the Russian army confiscated all the equipment from the Stoewer factory including the very first Stoewer car. The German people of Pomerania were relocated further west and Stettin became part of Poland. Today, of a total production of about 40,000 vehicles no more than 250 Stoewer cars/trucks/tractors survive and of these only 50 are driveable and nine of these plus the sole surviving tractor remain in Australia.
Stoewer - Pioneer of Aerospace Engineering
But what about pioneering aerospace? Heinz Stoewer is believed to have descended from a branch of the family that separated from the automotive family line about 1750. Has was a final year engineering student in 1960 when he attended a conference on rockets in Heidelberg. This conference was attended by many of the world’s leading space pioneers and afterwards Heinz was offered a job at the Boelkow company which is now part of the Airbus Group.
After some five years he resigned saying “in Germany we are talking of building a rocket, in the US they have a budget to send a man to the moon.” Heinz then joined Douglas Astronautics Company in California, today part of Boeing, experienced the Apollo program and was given major responsibilities to help shape the “Post Apollo” Program. But afterwards he returned to Germany and was appointed the first program manager of the Spacelab development, Europe’s entry into human spaceflight.
He was later appointed Managing Director for Germanys national and international space projects. He oversaw several Space Shuttle missions and sent satellites and astronauts up from South American, Russian and US space ports.He has now retired from these responsibilities but continues to hold important positions with European industry, NASA JPL and professional organizations worldwide. Having been appointed as Europe’s first Space Systems Engineering Professor in the mid-1980s, he continues to teach at renowned universities in three continents. He has indeed been responsible for many advanced space achievements and reached more than he had ever dreamed of as a little boy. In 2007, Heinz Stoewer and I returned to Peenemunde with my Australian bodied Stoewer D5 coupe. Peenemunde is where von Braun developed the V2 rocket, the forefather of the giant Saturn rocket that Heinz helped further develop for the Post Apollo project.
The final model Stoewer built before WWII was released in 1937 and called the Arkona. It was a conventional, rear wheel drive, 6-cylinder car of quality and comfort. On display in the Berlin Motor show of 1939 it seems that this car impressed Hitler and his Generals. In a photo from the Berlin Motor Show Hitler is seen discussing the car with Stoewer manager, Karl Treftz, Goebbels is seated at the wheel and Goring can be seen standing behind. This same car was souvenired by the US servicemen after the war but has since returned to Germany and been fully restored.
As a further irony to the actions of Hitler in removing the Stoewer family from involvement in their company, in 1945 when President Truman attended functions in Germany, he arrived chauffeured in a Stoewer Arkona! At the conclusion of WWII the Russian army confiscated all the equipment from the Stoewer factory including the very first Stoewer car. The German people of Pomerania were relocated further west and Stettin became part of Poland. Today, of a total production of about 40,000 vehicles no more than 250 Stoewer cars/trucks/tractors survive and of these only 50 are driveable and nine of these plus the sole surviving tractor remain in Australia.
Stoewer - Pioneer of Aerospace Engineering
But what about pioneering aerospace? Heinz Stoewer is believed to have descended from a branch of the family that separated from the automotive family line about 1750. Has was a final year engineering student in 1960 when he attended a conference on rockets in Heidelberg. This conference was attended by many of the world’s leading space pioneers and afterwards Heinz was offered a job at the Boelkow company which is now part of the Airbus Group.
After some five years he resigned saying “in Germany we are talking of building a rocket, in the US they have a budget to send a man to the moon.” Heinz then joined Douglas Astronautics Company in California, today part of Boeing, experienced the Apollo program and was given major responsibilities to help shape the “Post Apollo” Program. But afterwards he returned to Germany and was appointed the first program manager of the Spacelab development, Europe’s entry into human spaceflight.
He was later appointed Managing Director for Germanys national and international space projects. He oversaw several Space Shuttle missions and sent satellites and astronauts up from South American, Russian and US space ports.He has now retired from these responsibilities but continues to hold important positions with European industry, NASA JPL and professional organizations worldwide. Having been appointed as Europe’s first Space Systems Engineering Professor in the mid-1980s, he continues to teach at renowned universities in three continents. He has indeed been responsible for many advanced space achievements and reached more than he had ever dreamed of as a little boy. In 2007, Heinz Stoewer and I returned to Peenemunde with my Australian bodied Stoewer D5 coupe. Peenemunde is where von Braun developed the V2 rocket, the forefather of the giant Saturn rocket that Heinz helped further develop for the Post Apollo project.
Summary - About John M Stanely and his collection of Vintage & Veteran car
The Stoewer cars from left to right - see above photo and history of each vehicle below.
The blue car on the far left is a Model B1 from 1911 (sole survivor in the World)
The red car is a Model C1 from 1913
The middle red car is a Model D5 from 1922 (sole survivor in the World)
The mustard coloured car is a Model D3A from 1923 (sole survivor in the World)
On the far right is a Model D5/78 from 1924 (sole survivor in the World)
John enjoys a diverse and interesting life. He was the first Australian in the Australian marathon championship of 1983 and he represented Australia in 18 international marathons. He was Captain of the Australian marathon team that placed 3rd in the World Championship of 1981.
Professionally he was a scientist (geophysics). He developed the first atomic resonance device in Australia for the extremely precise measurement of the Earth’s magnetic field. He then established a Geophysical Research Institute at the University of New England and together with his colleagues developed and patented sub-surface mapping technologies for use in mineral exploration, archaeological site investigation and the detection and mapping of buried unexploded ordnance. Today, after further development, this technology is widely considered to be World State-of-the-Art. John had the unprecedented (as a representative of a non-NATO country) privilege of being invited to Chair a NATO workshop for the purpose of developing NATO’s strategy to the emerging threat of global terrorism. For his contribution to sub-surface exploration technology he was awarded the Medal of the Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
John is a devoted family man bringing up a son who has represented Australia in the Triathlon and who is now the physiologist supporting Australia’s endurance track cycling team (Gold medallists and World Record breakers in the 2018 Commonwealth Games) and some of our elite swimmers. He has a daughter who is making a significant contribution to environmental chemistry as a specialist in nano-particle catalyst development for environmentally sustainable chemical processes.
Since his teenage years, John has had a passion for the restoration and maintenance of significant examples of automobile development. In particular he has been devoted for over 50 years to researching and preserving the history behind the Stoewer family in Germany and their contribution to the Industrial Revolution. Of the five Stoewer motorcars in John’s collection, four are the sole survivor of their model and all are preserved in near perfect original detail as a tribute to this family.
In his retirement, John enjoys the peaceful and beautiful environment of the Kiewa Valley at the foot of Mt Bogong in Victoria. He remains active in mountain hiking, kayaking and cycling when not in his workshop restoring a horse drawn buggy or maintaining his museum of early motoring and his collection of geophysical exploration instruments.
Content provided by John Stanley in May 2018.
Photos provided by John Abbott, Shannon Morris and John Stanley.
Contact John for bookings by appointment on 0409 001 836 P.O. Box 192, Tawonga South, Vic, 3698.
Email: [email protected] Web: www.stoewer-cars.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoewer
Mount Beauty Air BNB Visit Mount Beauty
Wineries and Breweries Restaurants in Mount Beauty Victoria
The blue car on the far left is a Model B1 from 1911 (sole survivor in the World)
The red car is a Model C1 from 1913
The middle red car is a Model D5 from 1922 (sole survivor in the World)
The mustard coloured car is a Model D3A from 1923 (sole survivor in the World)
On the far right is a Model D5/78 from 1924 (sole survivor in the World)
John enjoys a diverse and interesting life. He was the first Australian in the Australian marathon championship of 1983 and he represented Australia in 18 international marathons. He was Captain of the Australian marathon team that placed 3rd in the World Championship of 1981.
Professionally he was a scientist (geophysics). He developed the first atomic resonance device in Australia for the extremely precise measurement of the Earth’s magnetic field. He then established a Geophysical Research Institute at the University of New England and together with his colleagues developed and patented sub-surface mapping technologies for use in mineral exploration, archaeological site investigation and the detection and mapping of buried unexploded ordnance. Today, after further development, this technology is widely considered to be World State-of-the-Art. John had the unprecedented (as a representative of a non-NATO country) privilege of being invited to Chair a NATO workshop for the purpose of developing NATO’s strategy to the emerging threat of global terrorism. For his contribution to sub-surface exploration technology he was awarded the Medal of the Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
John is a devoted family man bringing up a son who has represented Australia in the Triathlon and who is now the physiologist supporting Australia’s endurance track cycling team (Gold medallists and World Record breakers in the 2018 Commonwealth Games) and some of our elite swimmers. He has a daughter who is making a significant contribution to environmental chemistry as a specialist in nano-particle catalyst development for environmentally sustainable chemical processes.
Since his teenage years, John has had a passion for the restoration and maintenance of significant examples of automobile development. In particular he has been devoted for over 50 years to researching and preserving the history behind the Stoewer family in Germany and their contribution to the Industrial Revolution. Of the five Stoewer motorcars in John’s collection, four are the sole survivor of their model and all are preserved in near perfect original detail as a tribute to this family.
In his retirement, John enjoys the peaceful and beautiful environment of the Kiewa Valley at the foot of Mt Bogong in Victoria. He remains active in mountain hiking, kayaking and cycling when not in his workshop restoring a horse drawn buggy or maintaining his museum of early motoring and his collection of geophysical exploration instruments.
Content provided by John Stanley in May 2018.
Photos provided by John Abbott, Shannon Morris and John Stanley.
Contact John for bookings by appointment on 0409 001 836 P.O. Box 192, Tawonga South, Vic, 3698.
Email: [email protected] Web: www.stoewer-cars.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoewer
Mount Beauty Air BNB Visit Mount Beauty
Wineries and Breweries Restaurants in Mount Beauty Victoria