The Perfectionist

Mr. Stoschek, who are you?

That’s not so easy to answer. The problem is there are only twenty-four hours in a day, and I have an incredible number of interests. I’m a perfectionist who is never satisfied because I always have too many things on my mind. I’m always on the go, always on the move.

So your life is a constant race?

Absolutely. I spent thirty-five years running our family business. Then I foolishly gave up my role as managing partner. That was a mistake. The company was doing extremely well, both technologically and financially, and my successors thought we could rest on our laurels. But it’s like in competitive sports: getting to the top is hard enough, but staying there is even harder. The new management took it easy. At the same time, however, our customers and the competition were becoming more and more demanding.

Despite these challenges, you don’t seem worried.

I’m not. Brose is still a great company with many motivated employees, first-class products and an excellent reputation. But the management has to significantly improve the organization’s performance and achieve better results with fewer employees at lower costs. 

You mentioned a perfectionist streak. Does that also show in your hobbies?

Definitely. In motorsport, equestrianism or photography, in music or analogue sound engineering – everything has to be done at a professional level. Maybe that’s why I’m not a relaxed person, and I’m not a fan of the Olympic ideal. In sports, second place is the first loser. 

You really never relax?

Rarely. I tried that in February during a week-long getaway at Lanserhof on Lake Tegernsee. Sylt was too swanky for me. That’s not my world.

Your love of cars is no secret. What are you driving at the moment?

I had a BMW M1 Coupe modified a few years back and have had a lot of fun with this rather inconspicuous car. Recently I started driving a Porsche 911 S/T. It’s parked next to the historic S/T that Gérard Larrousse drove to second place in the 1972 Monte Carlo Rally. With this car, I won the 2006 European Historic Rally Championship and entered the 2015 Rally Monte Carlo Historique. 

You have a special relationship with the Lancia Stratos. What can you tell us about that?

I love its uncompromising and unique design. On top of that, the Stratos was the most successful rally car in the seventies and early eighties and it continues to captivate spectators in historic racing events today. Many of the details of the Lancia Stratos were simply extraordinary, like the helmet compartments in the doors – or the transmission, where you can change the gear ratio in a matter of minutes by simply loosening a few bolts on the side.

Was that the motivation behind building your own car? 

The technical concept was certainly one of the main reasons. My passion for the Stratos also goes back to an article by Eckhard Eybl in Auto Revue, where he described his “Green Mauritius”. Developing a new version of this car decades later has been an incredible journey. Luckily, some of the world’s best designers are huge Stratos fans and I was able to discuss every detail of the body and the interior with them. Of course, the idea of creating a modern version of an icon wasn’t new – there’s the New Beetle, the new Mini, the Ford GT and others. But there had never been a modern Stratos. Austrian automotive expert and Stratos fan Chris Hrabalek put the idea in my head, and at some point I said, “That’s it, I’m going to build one of my own.” 

So how did you get started?

We visited several design offices and finally ended up at Pininfarina. There we took every part of the car in our hands and asked ourselves, “How can we make it lighter and better?”

(...)

→ Read the entire interview in rampstyle #67 "Friends with Benefits".