Lynn Rosevear and the Auto Haus Stores

[Prowagen]

Wow cool stories! Anyone know what happened to the AutoHaus shop front signs? They would make a lovely addition to a workshop How comes AH stopped was it when the VW scene bummed?
I wish we had cool speed shops here in the UK, where it is like a meeting ground as well as a parts supplier, the US seems to be or at least have been full of them.

Rob.

[speedwell]

I thought of the same thing about the front signs , they will look great above the door of a garage

[Rennsurfer]

Anyone know what happened to the AutoHaus shop front signs? They would make a lovely addition to a workshop

I don't know what happened to the many store signs. But rumor has it that a certain someone (Lounge member) has the Long Beach sign. I hope he (coughDavecough) has it proudly displayed in his garage. In fact, I'd love to drive out and get a picture of that (hint, hint). It would be surreal to see the sign again, after all of these years.

Does anyone know what happened to the rest of the store front A.H. logos/signs? That's a great question. Glenn or Bill... one of you two should rightfully own the Orange one. My friend, Dave, was at the Westminster store. I remember going to the Downey store, too. Great memories.

[Dave Rosique]

Anyone know what happened to the AutoHaus shop front signs? They would make a lovely addition to a workshop

I don't know what happened to the many store signs. But rumor has it that a certain someone (Lounge member) has the Long Beach sign. I hope he (coughDavecough) has it proudly displayed in his garage. In fact, I'd love to drive out and get a picture of that (hint, hint). It would be surreal to see the sign again, after all of these years.

Does anyone know what happened to the rest of the store front A.H. logos/signs? That's a great question. Glenn or Bill... one of you two should rightfully own the Orange one. My friend, Dave, was at the Westminster store. I remember going to the Downey store, too. Great memories.

Mark, your so subtle

Yes I have the Long beach sign, or at least that's what I was told by the guy I got it from... The only problem is somebody butchered it up by trimming off the "Auto Haus" logo leaving only the Dave Deal inspired cartoon VW. The sign is still really cool but if you were not famaliar with AH you would never know... I've displayed in inside my shop for years.

~DR

[Prowagen]

I bet its like many things though, these items are only valuable or sought after a long time after there gone, like VWs I have a friend that scrapped tons of split busses, that would be classed as easy resto's nowadays, he now shakes his head and thinks how he could have retired by now if he had only know how the bus market was going to boom!

[johnl]

The Auto Haus retails stores as I recall.  The Buena Park store existed when I started in September of 1971.  It was an old building and had been several things over the years so I was told.  That entire area went through redevelopement and not much looks the same today.  We drove down Beach Blvd. just last Sunday and there are many memories that run through my head every time I’m in the area.

As far as I know the 6460 Dale St. (warehouse) is still there.  Christie and I drove by it a few years back and everything looked very old and small.  I well remember Lynn and Ron parking their 450SE & SEL Mercedes under the awnings.  One of the photos posted of the warehouse shows Lynn’s car which was a baby blue (yuck) SE.  Ron’s was a dark metallic Blue SEL.  Those two were always in competition and that I’m guessing was part of the downfall of the company.

As I started with the company the Costa Mesa store was being opened.  A guy named Bruce Cooley was the manager.  He was a local and we became great friends.  How well I remember one day in July that Bruce was having problems with a leg and asked me to drive him to the Doctor.  He was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer that usually hits infants.  He was fully prepared to have the leg removed and continue on with his life.  Bruce was very active in snow skiing and was also at one time one of the people that worked for Disneyland and climbed the Matterhorn mountain.

During our time together he had met a gal that was hired to do secretarial work at the warehouse.  Her name was Sue and she was a real beauty and a very sweet girl.  Although against company policy they started dating and soon married.  It was not long after that that Bruce’s problems came to light.

He kept a very positive attitude, but you could see what it was doing to Sue.  I remember going to his 25th birthday party in May and he was down to about 80 pounds.  There was a photo taken of a bunch of us Auto Haus people around Bruce and I still have the photo and will try to dig it out and post it.

By early August he was admitted into Hoag Hospital in Costa Mesa and never came out.  He and Sue had chosen to let nature take it coarse.  I well remember not being able to go to the hospital for the last visit as it was just to hard for me to deal with.  We were on vacation when he passed and I feel guilty to this day for not seeing him that last time.

I can’t remember if the Orange or San Bernardino  store came next, but I was involved with both of them in the initial set up and openings.  The Orange store, 1211 N. Tustin Ave. was later to become the Proformance store that Dave Greiner ran.  I think it is a small grocery store today.

San Bernardino was a 5000 foot furniture store that was fully carpeted and was at 1158 E. Highland Ave.  That location was big into Baja stuff as the customer base called for it.  Next to it I remember a small German Restaurant that had really good breakfast.  Lynn and I use to leave the warehouse about 7:30am and make the 60 mile drive and then have breakfast. 

As that store was opening Lynn’s marriage to his first wife Linda was falling apart.  She was a real beauty and a great gal.  They had met in High School and have remained friends over the years and I saw Linda at one of their son’s wedding a few years back.  She looked the same and was wonderful to Christie and myself.  It seemed odd as we all sat at the same large table and ate.  I guess we were consider family.

There was a guy named John Seeds that managed the San Bernardino location and also a Jim (Roundman) Bangs that worked there.  Don’t know what ever became of John Seeds, but I ran into Jim at a VW event a few years back and did recognize him due to his weight loss.  I remember one Monday when I went up to the SB location and Roundman was in the back due to a very bad sun burn he had received over the weekend.  We all laughed, because he looked like the Goodyear Blimp on fire!!  To my knowledge that building still exist.

The Rosevears started offering franchises and so Ed Craig and I both took the option.  Ed finally left and opened his own store that he ran for many years in Westminster, CA.  I never did anything with mine and may still have the paper work today. 

Eventually Ed closed or sold his store and came to work for me at Royze for a number of years before moving on to Suzuki of America.  Ed and I are still good friends and share e-mails and see each other at car events.  He currently has a couple of 911’s and his daughter has a very nice VW sedan.

Dave Greiner had also left and opened his own franchise in Long Beach.  He remained there for several years and I think once the company of Auto Haus went away moved to Orange and opened the Proformance Store which was the original Auto Haus of Orange.

There was also a Whittier store run by a local policeman and his sons.  His sons had the names I think bestowed  by Ed Craig as “No Help” and “Anti help”.  They weren’t the sharpest pencils in the box when it came to car stuff. 

One time I’ll never forget is we had a sales meeting and dinner which involved Mickey Thompson (yes, that one).  He had just come out with a new line of DeCarbon (spelling??) gas shocks.  In the middle of the meeting “Anti Help’s” had went up and he posed the question, “what’s an orifice?”  Needless to say the place came apart.  Mickey was explaining about “orifice” size regarding valving in the shocks.

There was also the Provo, Utah location.  Once again I can’t remember the owner’s name, but I do remember Lynn, the new owner, Ed Craig and myself flying in the company Cherokee six from Fullerton, CA to Provo, UT to help set it up.  We were there a day or two and then Lynn, Ed and I flew back.

I’ve always had a fear of height and I well remember we were directly over Las Vegas and hit an air pocket.  It sounded like the wings were ripped off and felt like we dropped about 500 feet in about two seconds.  My eyes were wide open for the remainder of that flight.

I guess the last store I should mention is Van Nuys, CA.  Don’t remember if Lynn or I found that location as we both use to go out scouting.  It was located on Sherman Way only about a block from the Van Nuys Airport. 

Every Wednesday the one employee we had Bob (can’t remember his last name) was off and I drove my ’71 Bus with a 2ltr motor and Kadrons up and back with a load of inventory.  That was about 120 mile round trip through downtown Los Angeles.  I  hated that drive even back then.  That location was actually two building with a hole knocked through an interior wall to access each side.  It was just weird and was never really that successful in my opinion.

Back to the Cherokee, one day Lynn and I flew from Fullerton to Van Nuys late in the afternoon.  On the way back  we took off toward the Santa Monica Mountains in s steep climb.  I had settled back into my seat as I was tired.  With my eyes closed all at once there was no engine noise!!!  I sat up like a rocket and could see the prop barely moving.  Lynn had throttled back to far and although the engine was still running it didn’t sound or feel that way.  He thought it was funny that I was scared out of ten years of my life, but he was always the practical joker.  That was the last time I ever flew with him and shortly afterwards the plane was sold.

There will be further installments as they come to mind.  If I’m going on to much someone tell me to stop.

John Lazenby

[speedwell]

There was also the Provo, Utah location.  Once again I can’t remember the owner’s name, but I do remember Lynn, the new owner, Ed Craig and myself flying in the company Cherokee six from Fullerton, CA to Provo, UT to help set it up.  We were there a day or two and then Lynn, Ed and I flew back.

john i hope that will help you for the provo in utah 

rgd
fabs

[speedwell]

i meet ed craig this year at the bug in 33  and yes his girl 've a very nice  bahamas blue bug

[johnl]

Yep, that is the place and now I see that the owner was Mike Stickle.  He had a repair shop in Anaheim on the corner of St. College and Broadway or South Street prior to moving to Provo.  He had been an Auto Haus customer for a long time.

The photo with the fellow looking at the headers on the wall I believe to be Lynn.  I think we all had beards back then.  At one time he got a perminate in his hair and we affectionately refered to him as "Turbo Head". 

Dave Greiner always refered to him as the "Weasle" and so we all got paid with "Weasle Bucks".

John

[bugnut68]

I was just reading an old Hot VWs the other day that had an ad listing all of their SoCal stores...  they had like eight or nine at one time.  Why did they go under, did they grow too fast and couldn't keep up?  Just curious.

[johnl]

As stated before I think there were several reasons that it failed.  Lynn & Ron were always trying to out do each other in cars, motorhomes, aircraft, etc.  I suspect a lot of the funding for these things came from the company and not their own pockets.  Being a business owner I know that you can't do much of that even if times are good as sooner or later it will catch up.

There was more competition that came into the market, Small Car Accessories, Truehaft, etc. and I know over the years some items were carried that were real dogs as far as saleable.  Originally when I started they were aquiring a company that made wood dash panels and also did fiberglass fenders, hoods, deck lids and Baja kits.  That once purchased by Rosevear Ent. became the Race-Trim line.  Back in the late 60's and early '70's the wood stuff was popular but as time marched on the demand went away.

I'm sure there are more reasons that I don't know about as I had already moved on, but I still heard the stories.

Speaking of stories her is one.  I didn't see this, but was informed after the event.

There was a gal, (Hippie Type) that use to come into the Costa Mesa Store.  She would purchase a soda from our machine and then plant herself in one of the accessorie seats we carried.  This went on for a while and finally someone advised her that she couldn't just sit the all day. 

She supposedly left the store and went into a small area between our building and the Antque Store next to us which years before had been the Costa Mesa (originally refered to as "Goat Hill") Police Station and jail.  The cells had been converted into retail spaces when it became the Antique operation.

Anyway, once in this area with tall grass she decided to remove all of her close and sun bathe!!  Once the guys in the store figured out what was going on they went up on the roof of our building with a camera and shot numerous photos that I did see later.  I think the crew involved in that one was Doug Nadasdy, Doug Mische, Mike Olivieri and possibly some others.

Also remembered the name of the guy at the Van Nuys store.  Bob Rook.  Last in a previous post about an employees 356 Porsche getting run over by the trash truck at the Buena Park store, his name was Mike Ahlstrom who lived in Costa Mesa and sometimese worked at that store as well.

John

[Shubee2 (DSK)]

Well Here is my Auto Haus Story I started Working at Auto Haus in Pomona in 1973 the owners name was Bill Choski  and His Son Billy Was in DVB along with Mark Rosevear, Mark is also married to Billys sister Linda I work there from 1973 to mid 75 then worked at the warehouse and AutoGear for a few weeks before moving over to the Buena Park Store I worked there about a year before Lynn came to me and Ask How I would Like To Manage the Van Nuys Store I told him What it would take Money wise to get me to Drive all tha Way Buy the End of the Day Lynn called And Said he thought it over and wanted me to start there the following monday  Worked there about three years befre they decided to close that store after tha I went back to work at the Warehouse  for about a month and decided to leave I moved on To Work at Barrett Ent. In Azsua where I was Ast: Manager for about six years , then got a Call from Geno Combs which was also a DVB member and had also worked at the Auto Haus warehouse he was Now Working for Small Car Specialities and he told me they were hiring and paid good money so I started working at SCS I worked the Counter there along with Geno Combs and Ron Grinder, Over the Years in VW I have Met A Ton Of VW Nuts  at One Time I Had An Empi Collection of just about everything they ever made About 12 years ago I got out of VW's and Got rid of most of my stuff. I sell on E Bay All the Time And A Friend told me about the Samba I went On the samba Site and was looking at 67 VW's when I noticed this 67 that Caught my eye  I started looking at the pictures on the site and noticed the plate 67 CONV  t was my ld 67 convert I had sold 20 years ago I E Mailed the owner and talked to him about the car we decided to meet at the 2005 VW Classic I took my old pictures of the car to show him  he was amazed, as I walked around the Clasic that Day I noticed that so many of the Old Guys were still in to it And I Got The Bug To Get Another VW So I Serched for a while and came across a nice Ruby Red 67 Sedan I bought it when I lived in Calif  and Brought it with me to texas in Dec,2006 Since I have Been Here I bought my 58 Ragtop it seem once a VW is in your blood its there for ever, my 67 is an all stock body with all chrome and Bumbers a set BRM's a 1914cc Motor with a 120 cam and 42 DCNF Berg Specials, My 58 Ragtop is in Progress it will be a full on old school cal look Americans,t bars, custom dash with gauges, 2332 cc with 48 IDA's (237 Hp on the dyno) Built trans super close 4:37 r/p 1:58 3rd 1:32 4th it is not a freeway flyer trans LOL but a ton of fun on the street....  After SCS I went to Work for Volvo worked there as a parts manager for 18 Years I moved to Texas in Dec, 06 and I Retired LMAO      My 67 is my 48th VW and my 58 ragtop is my 49th VW I have Owned

[johnl]

Hi Gary,

I remember Linda, Mark Rosevear's wife, but I think that ended several years ago.

What year was the Van Nuys store closed and also what year did Auto Haus close its doors?

John

[Shubee2 (DSK)]

Hi Gary,

I remember Linda, Mark Rosevear's wife, but I think that ended several years ago.

What year was the Van Nuys store closed and also what year did Auto Haus close its doors?

John

I think it was around 82 or 83  its been along time hard to remember when you get to be as old as dirt LOL dont know if you remember marks old white oval window he use to race but I got that car and redid it years ago it was my blue oval

The Thing I remember most about Lynn He was always out in that little trailer parked in back ot the warehouse with some young Gril inside LOL Damm PERV   

[dyno don]

>>OMG...im losing my mind with this thread..!!   john..thanks for the memories...i have always had the utmost respect for you personally and of course your car as well as i use to ogle as i walked by the pickwick hotel when DKP hung out back in 67/69?...and the american racing wheel stories..LOL    i started working at auto haus  as a direct result from meeting mark rosever and his HUGE sidekick jim thompson(auto gear warehouse) when i blew him off in the first thre e gears with my 1600 single port engine to his 48ida equipped 1835...back in 1972..!!   working in the warehouse  i can still remember counting over 100 sets of bitchin' 48IDA's on the warehouse shelf at one time or another when i worked there with my room mate at the time the late great walter gadzynski (who designed the first super beetle lowering kit and first person to have used the first renowned kadron carb kit from truehaft/i had my first set shortly thereafter..73?)he then went on to work with the late great ray stoddard in the R/D dept at treuhaft ...   ...i can still remember the sibling differences with ron and lynn as well...whew..what a handful...the article says it all..!!  LOL   .....    ok...fast forward...im eating dinner at this great steak place in pico rivera with my friend mike smith(bug in/NHRA fame) last month.. and i told him that ive been eating here for a while and it has a shroud of mystery for me as i have a memory but not vivid so we continue to drink our glass of wine before dinner when all of a sudden...BLINK...the light comes on in my head...THIS IS the very same steak place that we had our AUTO HAUS Christmas dinner at back in 1972...!!! WOW...!! and shubee...that picture is perfect for this story as that was first tim fapianos oval window(now a CHP officer for the last 30+ year)  ..then was sold to mark rosevear and the SAME car that got me into where im at today....and i bought that same car(your car) from ron barret years ago in a package deal with the help of scott bakken and sold to my friend akira...and never even recogized it from years gone by....I AM BLOWN AWAY///FULL CIRCLE...!!!! i love my vw life/peace out

[Shubee2 (DSK)]

LOL Dyno its a small world I remember the Barn Burner Dinners the Auto Haus Empolyees use to do at the Barn steak house in Costa Mesa on Harbor Blvd. with all the guys from the stores it was a blast last one I went to the bar bill was about $1300.00 we use to have arm wrestling contest there I remember putting Ron Grinder down two out of three times LOL Those were the good old days Great Memories  Jim Thompson was a Nut I Remember him Skin packing Rats, pieces of pizza and Turds on auto Haus Display Cards and sending them To The Stores he was a real Jokester  Should Have A Auto Haus Reunion  LOL

[Stephan S]

COOL stories John - Thankyou Speaking of Dave Greiner I spoke with him about a month ago, He's an awsome guy and he also supplied my SPG Roller crank

Yeah, he's been trying to sell that crank since he left Autohaus.















Just kidding! 

[Shubee2 (DSK)]

>>OMG...im losing my mind with this thread..!!   john..thanks for the memories...i have always had the utmost respect for you personally and of course your car as well as i use to ogle as i walked by the pickwick hotel when DKP hung out back in 67/69?...and the american racing wheel stories..LOL    i started working at auto haus  as a direct result from meeting mark rosever and his HUGE sidekick jim thompson(auto gear warehouse) when i blew him off in the first thre e gears with my 1600 single port engine to his 48ida equipped 1835...back in 1972..!!   working in the warehouse  i can still remember counting over 100 sets of bitchin' 48IDA's on the warehouse shelf at one time or another when i worked there with my room mate at the time the late great walter gadzynski (who designed the first super beetle lowering kit and first person to have used the first renowned kadron carb kit from truehaft/i had my first set shortly thereafter..73?)he then went on to work with the late great ray stoddard in the R/D dept at treuhaft ...   ...i can still remember the sibling differences with ron and lynn as well...whew..what a handful...the article says it all..!!  LOL   .....    ok...fast forward...im eating dinner at this great steak place in pico rivera with my friend mike smith(bug in/NHRA fame) last month.. and i told him that ive been eating here for a while and it has a shroud of mystery for me as i have a memory but not vivid so we continue to drink our glass of wine before dinner when all of a sudden...BLINK...the light comes on in my head...THIS IS the very same steak place that we had our AUTO HAUS Christmas dinner at back in 1972...!!! WOW...!! and shubee...that picture is perfect for this story as that was first tim fapianos oval window(now a CHP officer for the last 30+ year)  ..then was sold to mark rosevear and the SAME car that got me into where im at today....and i bought that same car(your car) from ron barret years ago in a package deal with the help of scott bakken and sold to my friend akira...and never even recogized it from years gone by....I AM BLOWN AWAY///FULL CIRCLE...!!!! i love my vw life/peace out

Dyno you got it Backwards it was Marks Car First then Tims Then I Traded Tim A 63 Ragtop for the Oval later on Tim Had Steve Walker do the Body and Paint On The 63 RagTop I traded him

[Lee.C]

COOL stories John - Thankyou Speaking of Dave Greiner I spoke with him about a month ago, He's an awsome guy and he also supplied my SPG Roller crank

Yeah, he's been trying to sell that crank since he left Autohaus.















Just kidding! 

lol I am sure he has lol 

[bugnut68]

I feel like a real horse's patoot... if I'd scrolled down the page a bit more I would have had the answer to my question.  Lol.

[dyno don]

thanks  gary....i knew i was close and  just remembered after your post/reply the costa mesa steak house as well...long time ago.....its a small world...and the "other car" in the deal was bob carmona's....     thanks guys/speedwell... for the scan time...truly a tribute to great place to work..!!

[speedwell]

     thanks guys/speedwell... for the scan time...truly a tribute to great place to work..!!

 

rgd
fabs

[axam48ida]

I recall a store in Westchester on PCH. Around the early eighties I worked in culver city and use to go to the Hoff bau next store. my brother was in bugs back then and I checked it out then one day it was gone.
 Dyno, it sure sounds like some wonderful memories!

[Sarge]

>>OMG...im losing my mind with this thread..!!   john..thanks for the memories...   ok...fast forward...im eating dinner at this great steak place in pico rivera with my friend mike smith(bug in/NHRA fame) last month.. and i told him that ive been eating here for a while and it has a shroud of mystery for me as i have a memory but not vivid so we continue to drink our glass of wine before dinner when all of a sudden...BLINK...the light comes on in my head...THIS IS the very same steak place that we had our AUTO HAUS Christmas dinner at back in 1972...!!! WOW...!

That would be Clearman's Steak and Stein on Whittier Blvd just west of the 605 FWY, right?  John and I along with our wives had many a dinner there over the years.  The best was leaving the restaurant and heading east on Whittier Blvd past Bob's Big Boy for the cruise back to Orange County.  Good times

[volksnut]

damn what a thread...I grew up looking at VW Trends #1 and AH catalog....and the blue car on the back cover was my insperation ...who's car was it?

[WCB Hitler's Hot Rod]

This has to be my favorite thread. The GODS of cal-look have come back and spoken. This is sooo cool! Thankyou! Buena Park was always my favorite store and I can remember ripping up and down Beach Blvd along that stretch (Johneys Speed and Chrome) on my way to Whitter Blvd on cruze night; back in the early '80's. Had to open up the 48 IDA's from my maroon split. Hehehe 

[low oval]

great subject, brings back alot of good memories of where I spent my money and where I was employed (auto craft in La Harbra),   Looked through some old receipts and found some I thought I would share.







these are receipts for my current bug,
jim

[nlvtinman]

Don, Thanks for stiring up a long ago fiiends name. I've often wondered what happened to Tim Fapiano. A CHP officer!
I recall the long nights I spent getting his 63 sunroof bodyworked and then towing it to shop I was painter at to spray it green.
That must have been 1976 or 77.  Like Gary said, those long past days are none too easy to recall.
Steve Walker

[Rennsurfer]

Good call, Jim... I have a pile of those, too.

[johnl]

That would be Clearman's Steak and Stein on Whittier Blvd just west of the 605 FWY, right?  John and I along with our wives had many a dinner there over the years.  The best was leaving the restaurant and heading east on Whittier Blvd past Bob's Big Boy for the cruise back to Orange County.  Good times   

Dyno and Jim (Sarge), Christie and I started eating at Steak n' Stein back in the '60's.  I had been told about it from a freind and once we were there we were hooked.  It became so bad that when we had our second rentened house in Anaheim and were looking to purchase  home we were trying to budget $20.00 a week to do Steak n' Stein or as we refered to it as the S&S food clinic!!  Somehow we did make it almost every Tuesday night and we kept the pieces of wood stick in the steak to tell how it was cooked.  Christie had a LARGE jar of those things.

It was me that first got the Rosevear's going there for business meetings and Christmas dinners, etc.  I can still remember Mike Oliviier and Ron Greiner going around to the plates after everyone was finished and continuing to eat like there was no tomorrow.  I see Mike Oliviveri almost weekly and we still talk about those days!!

We don't go much anymore as I simply can't handle the food because it is so rich, but we got to know the Mater-de rather well in those early days and we even invited to his home for his birthday party.  He also gave us one of the wood backed menus that we still have in our den to this day.  I think the most expensive thing on it is about $12.00 as it was from the '70's.

Jim, don't know if you remember this one, but one time you, Sharon, Christie and I went' two days back to back!!  The second meal almost killed all of us!!!

Ah, sweet memories!!!!

John