The "Golden Piston of F-kubik" award for 2020 goes to Dieter Dressel, initiator and operator of the vehicle history Central Garage in Bad Homburg v.d.H. The Forum for Vehicle History, better known as F-kubik, has been using this trophy since 2006 to honor personalities at the Bremen Classic Motorshow who have made a special contribution to the historical authenticity of vehicle history through their public work.
Long-standing commitment to the automobile
On January 31, 2020, the "Golden Piston 2020" will be presented to Dieter Dressel in the form of a certificate and a polished engine piston at a festive evening during the Bremen Classic Motorshow in the presence of selected guests and media representatives. The F-kubik jury thus honored Dieter Dressel's many years of commitment, who opened the CENTRAL GARAGE automobile museum to the interested public in 2007 by taking over a former car dealership in Bad Homburg. With changing exhibitions on all aspects of automobility, an informative meeting place was created for many classic car enthusiasts in the Frankfurt area, which developed its special appeal far beyond the regional borders.
This was achieved primarily through the efforts of an active and highly motivated group of friends, who are responsible for selecting and researching themes under the name "Freunde der CENTRAL GARAGE e.V.".
Themed exhibitions with historical exhibits
"Visiting the themed exhibitions is free of charge and is financed exclusively by donations," says Dieter Dressel, explaining the steadily increasing number of visitors. Since the opening, the public has been able to experience exciting topics in pictures and text as well as historical exhibits. These included brand histories such as Horex, Adler, Aston Martin, BMW, DKW, Opel, Porsche, Tatra and Vespa - but also topics such as small and micro cars of the 50s and 60s or the development of racing and sports cars. With no role models, topics such as "By car to the spa town" and "Women step on the gas" were particularly well received by visitors and the general public.
Preserving automobile periodicals for posterity
Dieter Dressel and the circle of friends are particularly involved in finding topics by recording sources and collectors' collections. Dressel also gives high priority to cataloging his library, which is constantly growing and will soon comprise 10,000 volumes. Many rare automotive periodicals have already been digitized in order to preserve them for posterity. Dressel: "The CENTRAL GARAGE library will continue to grow in order to document the diversity of historical technological developments.
This is why we are also cooperating closely with the existing "Swiss Car Register", a model for us to establish a documentation center for German technology and vehicle history as well. A long-term goal for Dieter Dressel.
Enthusiasm since early childhood
Dieter Dressel has been working on his vision for many years. Born on July 22, 1955 in Frankfurt am Main, Dressel has been interested in cars since childhood. What began with plastic Wiking toys grew over time into an extensive collection of model cars. The inspiration probably came from his grandmother, who was already passionate about cars in the 1920s. Dressel also started working on cars while still at school, long before he ventured into his first restoration: a 1953 Mercedes-Benz truck as a coal trolley, with which his father had to earn his living in the fuel wholesale trade at the time.
While studying business administration, Dressel started to build up his own vehicle collection with a focus on the Daimler and Benz brands. The focus is particularly on early automotive history with literature, photographs, archives, registers and automobilia. Today, Dressel is fortunate that his two sons Philipp and Moritz also follow their father's interests. They work in the same profession as master car mechanics and as curators of the technology museums in Sinsheim and Speyer. After a Benz Victoria from 1896, they work on the next project: a Benz 29/60 hp cardan car from 1911.
Unbridled passion for Mercedes-Benz
The workshop belonging to the former car dealership is not used commercially, but for the company's own collection and its maintenance. Dressel's passion for Mercedes-Benz vehicles is no secret. In 2013, he also became president of the Mercedes-Benz Kompressor Club. Dressel also takes on historical responsibility in the ASC, the Allgemeiner Schnauferl Club, and organizes anniversary events such as the "Gordon Bennet Race of 1904", the "Kaiserpreis-Rennen von 1907" and "Auf den Spuren der Prinz Heinrich-Fahrt von 1910", which were organized by the Hesse regional group and reached a national audience.With Dieter Dressel, the F-kubik group has added a personality to the circle of honorary piston owners for the preservation of automobile history. Individuals and institutions with this award have contributed significantly in their own way to the positive development of the German classic car scene and, in particular, have selflessly promoted the subject in the public eye. The "Golden Piston" is awarded annually by the F-kubik group unanimously and independently according to these criteria.
