Edgar Kittner

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Edgar Kittner (born May 8, 1901 in Namslau , Silesia , † December 12, 1989 in Lübeck ) was an entrepreneur, founder of the Kittner Group and racing driver .

Career

After finishing school , Edgar Kittner studied architecture in Breslau. Parallel to his studies , he was involved in the factory of the automobile manufacturer Otto Beckmann . The practical work on racing cars was based on participation in lectures on the subject of engine construction at the Technical University in Wroclaw.

At the age of 22, Edgar Kittner founded his first motor vehicle company in his hometown of Namslau. Motorcycles from the brands Norton , AJS and Zündapp were in the shop window . The first automobile that Edgar Kittner sold during the period of inflation and economic crisis was a Grade from the house of the Berlin aircraft, tractor and small car manufacturer Hans Grade. The business grew and in addition to motorcycles, Edgar Kittner also sold Hanomag and Opel automobiles . From 1933, after the takeover of Opel by General Motors , Edgar Kittner concentrated on selling Opel cars and trucks.

In parallel to the motor vehicle trade and the associated workshop operation, Edgar Kittner successfully operated actively in motorsport. His sporting career began at the age of 24. In the saddle of an AJS motorcycle, he immediately became "Silesian Mountain Champion 1925". At the endurance events of that time, he was also able to leave competitors like Rudolf Caracciola behind. As a driver in the Zündapp works team, he won the demanding “ Seven Countries Drive ” in 1927 or the “144-hour drive” held by the ADAC in 1930 at the Nürburgring . The gold medal at the “International Six Day Trip” held in Switzerland was one of the great awards that Edgar Kittner was able to achieve. For his numerous successes he was awarded the ADAC Golden Sports Badge in 1931.

In line with his business focus, Edgar Kittner switched from motorcycles to automobiles in 1933. In the years leading up to the war, he took part in international rallies and long-distance tests with various Opel models. His numerous successes included victories in the " Mittelgebirgsfahrt " in 1936 and the " International Alpine Tour " in 1938 and 1939.

The war brought them to flee from Silesia. Edgar Kittner came to Lübeck and founded a Volkswagen agency with Edgar Kittner KG in 1948 . At the same time, he supported Ferry Porsche in his plan to develop his own sports car. Porsche returned the favor with a sales and service agreement.

Kittner took the flourishing Volkswagen business into account by founding additional companies. In 1952 the young company received wholesaling status. From now on, Kittner looked after Volkswagen sales partners from the Ostholstein area to Lauenburg, on the Elbe. This is why TRAVAG, Trave Automobil GmbH, was founded. In the decades to come, further operations were opened and taken over in the Schleswig-Holstein area .

Edgar Kittner died in 1989 at the age of 88.

Kittner group

The Kittner Group was one of the largest car dealerships in Germany. The scope of the company included car dealerships and service companies as well as car rental companies and large petrol stations in Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In addition, the Kittner Group operated the wholesale and retail trade for Porsche and Volkswagen in the Baltic States. The company headquarters was in the Hanseatic city of Lübeck .

Since 2004, the motor vehicle company “Autohaus Hansa”, which formerly belonged to the Lübeck-based company Possehl, has been integrated into the Kittner Group.

In November 2009 the company was threatened with bankruptcy . It was avoided for the time being, but a short time later the company ran into difficulties again. In 2012, the remaining dealerships were taken over by the Senger dealership from Rheine .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lübeck news : Shock news for Lübeck's economy: Kittner Insolvent  ( page no longer available , searching web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.ln-online.de , access on 20 November 2009
  2. ↑ Gerhard Krüger, Curd Tönnemann: Banks give new money: Kittner is saved! In: Lübecker Nachrichten of November 26, 2006, p. 1
  3. ^ Ostholsteiner Anzeiger : Senger takes over Kittner dealerships , accessed on July 2, 2016
personal data
SURNAME Kittner, Edgar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German entrepreneur, founder of the Kittner Group and racing driver
DATE OF BIRTH May 8, 1901
PLACE OF BIRTH Namslau , Silesia
DATE OF DEATH December 12, 1989
Place of death Lübeck