Beyer Talk - «My great-granduncle’s story shall not be forgotten.»

Lorenz Schmid has always been a lover of automobiles. One of the reasons may be his family’s history. His great-granduncle was none other than Josef Ganz, engineer and journalist – and inventor of the VW Beetle. That’s why Lorenz is a really proud owner of a unique heirloom: an early prototype of the Beetle car model.

When Lorenz Schmid found out that he was related to the jewish engineer Josef Ganz, he went looking for artifacts of his relative’s life. During the second world war Ganz had to leave Nazi Germany. His contribution to the invention of the beetle has since been forgotten. Lorenz made it his mission to fight for the rehabilitation of Josef Ganz as the inventor of the VW Beetle.

“We don’t want to take any recognition away from anyone. We just want to add the deserved recognition to Josef’s name again. He was an impressive man with great accomplishments”' says Lorenz in the Talk with René Beyer. For this reason, the newly restored Standard Superior Lorenz inherited, a prototype of the VW Beetle, is now part of the collection at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne where it shall honor Josef Ganz.