About Us

1970s

Bernhard Schad discovers his passion for perfect restoration while still in his boyhood. Working first on old mopeds, then on the family’s Goggomobil, he experiments with paints and techniques for anti-corrosion protection.

1980s

Bernhard Schad becomes a certified master craftsman in automotive mechanics, completing his accreditation as the youngest in Germany and with the best marks in the state of Hesse. He becomes a certified master craftsman in two further areas as well, automotive electronics and bodywork, adds a special qualification as a paint sprayer for historical paints, and also obtains a diploma in management for the skilled trades sector.

1985

Founding of SCHAD in Bad Vilbel, Germany, with a focus on restoration of vintage Mercedes-Benz cars. Michael Kunz joins the company, with responsibility for vintage Mercedes-Benz technology.

1988

Relocation to new premises in Bad Vilbel, enabling the company to significantly expand the size of its workshop and to set up an in-house paint shop. The company’s operations are divided into three areas: restoration of vintage Mercedes-Benz cars, body and paint work for contemporary vehicles, and restoration of bodywork on vintage cars of all makes.

1990s

Kai Leuthold assumes responsibility for the management of body and paint work for contemporary vehicles. Bernhard Schad focuses exclusively on the restoration of vintage cars. The special expertise of the Vintage Car Restoration Workshop becomes the reproduction of sheet metal components which are no longer available, and a patented anti-corrosion protection for vintage bodywork through an industrial cathodic dip coating process using a rotation method, the “Oldtimer-Ro-Dip process”. In addition, Bernhard Schad specialises in high-quality conservation with oils and waxes. The “conservation of car bodies for all time” gives the company a unique positioning in the market, not only in Frankfurt but far beyond.

2010

As one of the first tenants, SCHAD establishes its Mercedes-Benz Vintage Car Workshop in the newly opened classic car centre “Klassikstadt”, and thus now also has a location in the eastern part of Frankfurt. Michael Kunz heads the team at this new workshop, housed in the unique ambience of a historic industrial complex, offering all services required for the long-term preservation of Mercedes-Benz vintage cars.

2012

The workshop in Bad Vilbel is expanded to some 4,000 m². With more than 50 employees in three divisions, the company offers a unique bundling of competencies in the restoration of vintage and contemporary vehicle bodies. As a result, it now enjoys an outstanding reputation among car enthusiasts and experts alike, both throughout Germany and abroad.

2016

A proven approach is now reflected in a common name: SCHAD Originale. The three divisions – Vintage Car Restoration Workshop, Mercedes-Benz Vintage Car Workshop and the Body & Paint Workshop – now present one face to the customer. SCHAD Originale is a byword for what has inspired Bernhard Schad ever since he was a boy: finest craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology, out of a passion for cars.

2019

With the opening of the Porsche Classic Workshop in the Klassikstadt in Frankfurt am Main, SCHAD Originale’s expertise in the restoration and repair of classic Porsches now has a home of its own. In the early 1980s, when he was responsible for the upkeep of the private vehicles of U.S. generals stationed in Germany, Bernhard Schad had already become well acquainted with these legendary German sports cars. Today, he and his team are still fascinated by Porsche’s outstanding technology and the cars’ unique design, from the air-cooled 356 to the more recent models.