Hans Lothar Schoenfeld is another page in the American success storybook. He initially learned his trade in Germany working at an Opel assembly plant after WWII ended. After working as an apprentice for several years, Lothar decided to emigrate to the United States in 1957. He immediately joined Foreign Cars of Rockland in West Nyack and soon after became General Manager of the shop. Five years after arriving to the United States, Lothar moved his family to the farms and fields of rural Orange County. In 1962 the dream of owning his own business became a reality and Lothar’s Body Shop was born. Since that time, Lothar’s building additions coincided with the rapid growth of his business and the Middletown “miracle mile” retail area as a whole. When he opened, it was one of the first auto body repair shops in the area.
Lothar’s Body Shop has a reputation of being the first to introduce new technologies of the auto repair industry. During the gas crisis of the 1970’s lightweight, unibody constructed cars were being built, thereby completely changing the way vehicles were repaired. Lothar’s Body Shop was the first in the area to utilize the newest frame measuring and straightening equipment for that type of vehicle. In the early 1980’s, Lothar’s was one of the first shops to install a downdraft spray booth. The concept of using down drafted airflow to pull paint overspray down and away from the car during the painting process greatly improved the overall quality of the paint job. It also made for a cleaner, healthier work environment. When scientists first identified “acid rain” and its effect on car finishes in the late 1980’s, Lothar’s was the first shop in the area to utilize the latest revolution in paint technology; a two-step paint process. All finishes now consist of base coat and clear coat to withstand the challenges of a harsh environment. Resistance spot welding, panel bonding, and computerized frame straightening were all technologies that Lothar added to the Shop as soon as they became available.
Lothar decided to retire from active daily operations of the body shop in 1989. Although growing up around the business all her life, Lothar’s daughter Christine was formally added to the business in 1990. A second generation business had emerged.