We pay visit to Tom Fischer

Tom Fischer Classic & Race Car Service was founded in 1991 and has since then been a major name in the circle of serious car collectors. Historically significant cars and racing heroes, concours-winners and unique examples: the walls of Tom’s workshop have seen it all. From the extremely coveted Ferrari 250 TDF and GT Berlinetta SWB, to pre-war Bentleys and Lamborghini Miuras, there is no challenge that the team at Tom Fischer doesn’t take on. We at Schaltkulisse have maintained a fruitful relationship with Tom over the years. The facility is located in Brannenburg, less than an hour from Munich, in picturesque Bavaria, surrounded by mountains and endless green fields. Saying we love to visit the workshop is an understatement, and we are therefore always looking for an opportunity to make the 60-km journey. It was a natural decision to visit when we heard that the German Bugatti Club would be there during their rally through Bavaria. We happened to have a few jewels from the brand and decided to display two significant cars from our collection: a Bugatti EB112 and a Bugatti Divo. Visiting Tom Fischer is always an experience full of surprises. We quickly decided to do a tour of the facility before the arrival of the Bugatti club. And we were in for a surprise: hidden under a cover sat the unique Pininfarina Dino Prototype, a car even Enzo Ferrari adored.

The Dino Berlinetta Speciale Prototype was Ferrari’s first mid-engined design study, and the last car to receive the Battista Pinin Farina treatment before his death in 1966. The overwhelmingly positive response the car received was the indirect reason why Ferrari is still building mid-engined cars today: the cars that came after this success, namely the Dino 206 GT and 246 GT/GTS, generated a much-needed financial lifeline for the company. Such are the cars that crown the workshops of Tom Fischer: on our left, a completely original Lamborghini Miura, still in its first paint, and a Maserati 3500 GT patiently waiting for its first coat of colour. Conservation and preservation are what Tom tries to achieve in all his projects — originality only exists once. The rumble of the incoming Bugattis interrupted our guided tour. The thick rain didn’t scare the pre-war cars, and all made it on their own axis. The line-up was striking: a myriad of Type 35s and Type 57s in all shapes and colours, each trying to find a space on the tight driveway.

Some cars were restored, others seemed to be completely original, such as this Type 35, which barely had any paint left on its body. It was a joy to see these cars from the 1920s and 1930s still being driven as Ettore Bugatti intended. A closer look reveals fine details that show the artistic origin of the Bugatti brand. Having the EB112 and Divo next to their older siblings was a rare occasion to find common design elements that wouldn’t be obvious at first look. Even today, and after several ownerships, Bugatti still pays homage to its beginnings and history, and it shows. Visiting Tom Fischer was also an occasion to get an update on some of our ongoing projects, such as the Ferrari 250 Pininfarina Cabriolet Series II we sold to a loyal client of ours. A full restoration was commissioned, with the car stripped to bare metal. It will be finished in its original combination of Bianco Polo over a blue leather interior — in our opinion, an exceptional specification for this highly collectable Pininfarina-bodied Ferrari. The PF Cabriolet is awaiting a full engine rebuild, after which the restoration process can be completed. We cannot wait to see the final result.

View all 20 imagesHide remaining 11