Safe journey, Heidi Hetzer (obituary)
04/24/2019
Almost everyone knows Heidi Hetzer. In recent years, she often appeared at classic car events and trade fairs, usually together with her Hudo, a 1930 Hudson Great Eight, in which she traveled around the world from 2014 to 2017. She set off on her last journey three days ago and passed away on the evening of April 21, 2019.
Born in Berlin in 1937, Heidi grew up in a car and motorcycle environment, which she never let go of her whole life. Whether she was cruising around in a DKW before she was even allowed to get a driver's license or making Berlin unsafe on her Lambretta, engines and wheels were part of Heidi Hetzer's life. After her first entrepreneurial attempts and a longer stay in the USA, she had to take over her father's business (Opel Hetzer) at the age of 31 when her father passed away. She turned the over-indebted company into a healthy business, but still found time to take part in rallies, including the Rallye d'Europeand the Carrera Panamericana.
In 2012, she finally had to sell the Opel dealership, but two years later she set off on her big trip around the world with "Hudo", as she called the Hudson. The grande dame did not have an easy life, but certainly not a boring one either. We will miss her.
