The Next Generation: Cornelius Pfützner of Stellmacherei Pfützner

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

It seems that over on the Continent, there is no shortage of young enthusiasts looking to go into business as pre-war car specialists, and it’s always encouraging to hear of more. One hard-working young restorer who has recently come to our attention is Germany’s Cornelius Pfützner, of Stellmacherei Pfützner. Cornelius is only 24 years old and went into business in 2022. Now, he is becoming increasingly well-known as a builder and restorer of wooden coachwork and wooden wheels.

His projects so far have included the substantial reconstruction of a 1936 BMW 319 cabriolet, a wooden roof for a 1929 Adler Standard 6 Limousine, a two-seat racing body for a 1924 Fiat 501, and a new Kübelwagen body for an ex-German army Mercedes-Benz Type Stuttgart. Lately, Cornelius has also been heavily involved with the restoration of a 1935 Marendaz Special on behalf of Kranz Oldtimer-Service, whose workshops will already be well-known to many European readers.

Cornelius explains how his interest in pre-war bodywork came to be: “Pre-war cars have always played a rôle in my life. When I was a child, my father had a small collection of historic cars and a private workshop where he spent his free time. I was fascinated by making, repairing and restoring parts, so I spent a lot of time in there and gained a lot of experience working on pre-war vehicles. Even back then, I preferred working with wood.

“At the age of 15, I knew I wanted to become a coachbuilder. The only question was how could I do that? I met probably Germany’s last old master of wooden car construction, Uwe Thiede, at an event. He was a third-generation coachbuilder and gave me the perfect opportunity to learn the rare profession. After completing my carpentry apprenticeship, I worked in his workshop for a few years. Thanks to him, I learnt the skills to produce wooden bodies on old machines in the original ways. At the age of 19, I bought my first pre-war vehicle, a 1927 Fiat 503 in very poor condition. Within two years I completely restored the car as a racing-style two-seater, and also gained some experience working with aluminium in combination with wood.”

Sadly, tragic circumstances made it practically necessary for Cornelius to go into business by himself at such an early stage: “Due to the sudden death of my old master, I continued to run his workshop alone for over six months and completed customer projects that I had started. Then I decided to move to Dresden and set up my own workshop there. For me, Dresden is Germany’s most beautiful city and it has a lot of history with car body construction, and at the time most of my contacts in the pre-war sphere were there.”

Cornelius is now happily established in his own small but well-equipped workshop, and continues to drive his Fiat in addition to a small collection of pre-war motorcycles. He works on his own but enjoys the different challenges presented by each new project. “All my projects have their own charms. I prefer to build vehicles from the late ’20s and early ’30s, and I particularly like sports cars, but the oldest vehicle I have worked on so far has been a 1910 MAF. It’s always challenging when there’s almost no original wood available. Then I have to reconstruct according to original photographs, or using the metal skin as a guide. Original drawings and sketches have almost never survived. I have also completely reconstructed vehicles where only the chassis has been present—it’s very interesting and challenging, but a lot of fun.”

When it comes to body construction, Cornelius has mastered practically every part of the process, and the manufacture of wooden artillery wheels is another of his specialities. He evidently derives a lot of satisfaction from his work and enjoys meeting new customers, so we hope his early efforts are but the beginning of many interesting and fruitful years in the coachbuilding trade. While he’s got plenty to keep him busy at the moment, he envisages being able to expand the business in the future.

If you’d like to get in touch with Cornelius about a project, Stellmacherei Pfützner is located at Fritz-Schreiter-Straße 31, 01259 Dresden, Germany, with visits available by prior appointment. Alternatively, speak to him on +49 151 67854760, or visit www.stellmacherei-pfuetzner.com for more information.

Words: Zack Stiling
Photographs: Steve Bauerschmidt and Cornelius Pfützner

Make a comment, ask a question, give your opinion, share additional information or start a discussion by filling in the fields below.