Thomas Meister is an entrepreneur, as he successfully proved with his company "Meister Abrasives", which he sold to a group of investors a few years ago. Now Meister could have spent his time on the golf course or at the tennis club or simply leaned back. But this would hardly be in keeping with his nature.
A love of cars from childhood
Meister was connected to the car from an early age. The Meister family traveled a lot, initially in spacious Americans. In 1952, his father founded his own company and initially drove a Beetle as the company car. Later, when business was going well, he was also allowed to drive Mercedes limousines and his son Thomas had a say in the specifications. And he remembers well how they used to load up the car together on the evening before leaving on vacation. He would have loved to spend the night in the garage, he loved the smell.
The pursuit of special vehicles
Later, around 20 years ago, Thomas Meister started buying the cars from his childhood again. The first classic car was a Jaguar 340, in which he traveled half of Europe. This was followed by a Mercedes-Benz Pagoda, but above all many limousines from the sixties and seventies, which Meister is always enthusiastic about. He buys what inspires him and what he sees a purpose for. And they should also have a special history.
A trip through France
This is how Thomas Meister came to own the 1977 Peugeot 504 TI pictured here.
It once belonged to a winegrower in Provence who took good care of the car. Virtually everything is still in standard condition. Meister bought the robust French car for an extended trip throughout France, which lasted around four months. The Peugeot made many spontaneous acquaintances and managed the long journey without any breakdowns.
Olive plantations as a way of life?
In 2017, Thomas Meister handed over his company "Meister Abrasives" to the management and an external investor. Although he stayed with the company for a while, he was soon looking for a new entrepreneurial challenge. He thought he found this in a "masseria", a large estate in Italy with 3,500 olive trees.
Business plans were drawn up and conversion plans forged. The signs were almost green, but the Italian authorities kept putting new obstacles in Meister's way until he finally abandoned the project.
Back to the beginnings
However, the entrepreneur did not want to be idle and so he developed a new project called "Autohalle". A vacant plot of land that he owned provided the basis for giving his enthusiasm for cars a new framework. Geographically located on the Zurich-Stuttgart axis, Andelfingen offered the opportunity to build a meeting center for car enthusiasts.
Initial proposals were drawn up back in 2018 and an experienced architect was consulted. Meister had looked at many existing projects and facilities and came up with many new ideas. The aim was to create a coherent whole in the car hall with event facilities, a restaurant, a garage and accommodation for cars.
Synergetic areas of activity
The ground-breaking ceremony was held in 2019 and the first employees were hired. From the outset, care was taken in the detailed design to ensure that the individual focal points complemented each other. For example, the integrated maintenance operation should not only generate revenue but also attract hotel and restaurant guests. Tenants of the parking spaces should also benefit from the garage and the entertainment on offer in the car showroom. Event visitors should get a taste for eating in the restaurant. Visitors to the restaurant, which is equipped with an extensive range of barbecues and a proven cooking talent, will be able to stay overnight in one of the hotel rooms if the evening gets longer.
The organized events are intended to introduce new customers to the offers, for example "Experience Drives", where participants have the opportunity to drive various classic cars and get to know them. Thomas Meister also provides vehicles from his own collection for these events.
Swiss quality standards
When building the car showroom, Thomas Meister used local suppliers wherever possible and focused on high quality and durability. The hotel rooms, for example, are mounted as a floating unit to suppress unwanted acoustic influences from the event area. The beds are of the best Swiss quality. Nothing has been spared in the restaurant either. Different areas ensure that everyone will feel at home, whether they want a light meal or an extensive gourmet dinner.
And as a delicacy, a glazed passageway leads directly past the restaurant, through which cars can access the indoor parking spaces, a kind of "cat walk".
Opening in November 2021
The car showroom is set to open in late fall 2021, initially with a trial run, then from November for all interested parties. Entrepreneur, family man and car enthusiast Thomas Meister is already looking forward to the many guests who will hopefully soon be making a pilgrimage through his car showroom.
A profile of the Autohalle
The Autohalle is a classic car experience center in the greater Zurich/Schaffhausen area, directly on the Stuttgart - Zurich axis. It offers a variety of services related to gastronomy and classic cars. The business includes:
- Restaurant with bar and cigar lounge
"Lucie's Classics" with simple, authentic barbecue classics and "Lucie's Finest" for upscale gastronomy: The heart of the Autohalle kitchen is the charcoal grill in the middle of the open kitchen. Great importance is attached to product-oriented, seasonal and sustainable cuisine. - Hotel with 20 rooms
Modern, extensively digitized hotel rooms, equipped with high-quality furniture and materials from Switzerland. - Event location
Up to 600m2 of event space on two floors with modern equipment for events of all kinds - Classic car parking spaces
Space for around 100 vehicles in the building, with 24/7 access - Classic car workshop
Workshop specializing in old cars for service work, repairs and restorations as well as vehicle refurbishment - Classic car rental
The vehicle pool of the Autohalle is rented out as part of the supporting program at events under the name "Classic Car Experience Drives", as well as to private customers for single or several days/weeks.
Contact details
Hostbachstrasse 4
8450 Andelfingen
Tel: +41 52 301 20 06
Email: [email protected]
Further information can be found on the website of the Autohalle.
