When Peter Rau founded the Touring Garage in Oberweningen (in the Zurich Unterland) in 1977, he was one of the pioneers. He was initially ridiculed: how was it possible to earn money with old cars, including classic cars at the time?
But Peter Rau made his way, bought and sold younger and older classic cars and became one of the most important classic car dealers in Switzerland. And in 2027, Touring Garagen will be celebrating its 50th birthday. But that's not yet the case, there's another anniversary to celebrate.
10 years of Touring Garage under Katrin Rau
On April 1, 2011, Peter Rau's daughter, Katrin Rau, took over the Touring Garage from her father. It was not an easy handover, the daughter had to prove herself beforehand, supplementing her language skills and familiarizing herself with the multifaceted subject.
She had previously been interested in old cars, but more as a user and as a hobby. Even as a small child, she had naturally picked up the classic car virus, as she often rode in her dad's Aston, Ferrari or Fiat Topolino.
Young entrepreneur
When Katrin Rau took over full responsibility for the Touring Garage on April 1, 2011, she was still a veritable young entrepreneur. She had acquired some skills in the car industry and was no stranger to sales, but there were still completely new things to learn in her own company and new (mostly good) experiences to make every day.
Listening
Katrin Rau realized early on that it was important to listen to customers, prospective customers or simply visitors in the showroom. Even if it didn't immediately result in a deal, there was always something to learn. Katrin Rau often found out about cars that were for sale or people interested in a car that she currently had in her range.
"A conversation like that can last an hour or even longer ...", smiles the classic car dealer, but you can tell that she really enjoys her business and that she could no longer imagine working in a large company.
Changes and a lot of tradition
In recent years, customers have become younger and at the same time more demanding, explained Katrin Rau in conversation. At the same time, the cars have also become younger. As a result, the Touring Garage now also offers new classics and the proportion of so-called youngtimers (20 to 30 years old) is considerable.
Katrin Rau, who spends most of her time on sales and purchasing, does much the same as her father Peter Rau did. She has also changed a few things, focusing much more on online marketing and the Internet vehicle exchanges.
And, what is particularly nice, the cooperation with her father, who still likes to drop by the business, is always good for advice, but never questions her daughter's decisions, works very well. The result is a win-win situation: Katrin Rau learns something new and can make use of her father's experience, while he keeps in touch with his life's work and hobby.
The team has also changed. Today, Katrin Rau is supported by Mario Niffeler, an experienced mechanic in the in-house workshop. Mario carries out a technical inspection of every vehicle offered for sale in advance to ensure that it is in optimum running order. He also helps with problems after the sale. Yvonne Marchesi completes the team. She is responsible for the administration and presentation of the vehicles.
There are always around 50 to 70 cars for sale in the Touring Garage, and the range changes almost daily. Many customers also come from other parts of the country and even from (mostly northern) foreign countries.
Of course, Katrin Rau is far from thinking of giving up, although she is of course already aware of the changes in the sector and in the car industry. The increasing proportion of electronics is making newer vehicles ever more complex. "But that's precisely why our old cars, which are usually simpler and more robust, are so popular," laughs the entrepreneur, sitting down in a BMW Isetta for a few photos.
And Zwischengas congratulates on its 10th anniversary!
Further information about the Touring Garage can be found online on the company's website.
