Walter Baumer Alive and Well | FerrariChat

Walter Baumer Alive and Well

Discussion in 'Maserati' started by Portenos, Nov 25, 2015.

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  1. Portenos

    Portenos Formula 3

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    #1 Portenos, Nov 25, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    After the Sept Car Guy Tour I took the occasion to spend the second half of the month in Germany. I visited Maserati friends in Cologne and Paderborn.
    I also visited the Frankfurt Autoshow which is v e r y big.

    From Dusseldorf as you travel North to Essen you will pass the small village of Ratingen, here lives one of our most distinguished yet phantom Maserati research experts Herr. Walter Baumer.

    Although we had never met, we greeted each other as if we had know each other for decades.
    Walter, like a lot of you, felt that he knew me - although we have never met - through my writings and photos in the VCM magazine that Janet and I published for 28 years beginning in 1976 with our last issue being #83.

    He told me that my magazine has been very helpful to him in his research work and that he has gone through all of them selecting information here and there.

    For me it was a great pleasure to spend the afternoon with Walter in his beautiful home, with his wonderful dog Theo and his cat Chruschtschow.
    We spent a couple hours reminiscing about this car and that car and all the serial numbers and all the players in Modena and around the world.

    He showed me some pages from his upcoming book on the Vignale Spyder which is fantastic!
    I can hardly wait to get my copy. I predict this will be a very successful book with sales in the thousands.

    His passion is extraordinary and his work precise. He comes across a little gruff at times, and has a bit of arrogance, but in his eyes and heart after you cut everything away he is the real deal and a guy I have a great deal of respect for.
    Ciao,
    FGM

    In the photos you can see Walter in and outside his home office playing with Theo and the cat coming to get in on the act.
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  2. italiancars

    italiancars F1 Rookie

    Apr 18, 2004
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    #2 italiancars, Nov 26, 2015
    Walter emerges from the bunker! :)
     
  3. BJJ

    BJJ Formula 3
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    #3 BJJ, Nov 26, 2015
    If my memory does not take me wrong, he had an early LP400 many years ago. He did not change significantly in the decades since then (optically, in contrast to me) :D.

    Cheers, Bernhard
     
  4. emsiegel13

    emsiegel13 Formula Junior
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    #4 emsiegel13, Nov 26, 2015
    It's nice to know that Walter is working on a new Maserati book. He is a true Maserati historian and I always regretted his leaving our discussions but given his dedication to the factual recording of Maserati history I am glad for anything he produces on whatever terms he wishes to operate on.
     
  5. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    #5 staatsof, Nov 28, 2015
    Be nice Joe ... ;)
     
  6. redfred84

    redfred84 Formula Junior

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    #6 redfred84, Nov 28, 2015
    Thanks for the update Frank. Great to see that he is still passionate, and still into what we adore. A shame he wasn't able to be coaxed into re-joining us. I, for one, learned a great deal from him, and wish he wasn't offended by one of the list.
    RF.
     
  7. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    #7 staatsof, Nov 29, 2015
    No one forced, belittled or insulted Walter on this forum that I'm aware of.

    As I recall he claimed at the time that this forum was not serious enough for him.
    He then CHOSE to leave the Maserati section all by himself.

    I don't remember anyone insulting him. Perhaps I missed that? If so then please point that out.

    I do remember someone making a flippant remark about his query of a racing team which I thought was pretty funny. So did others. Hardly the sort of stuff worthy of storming off in a huff.

    So perhaps he is seeking much more highly technical and historical discussions than can be found here and that's fine.

    But I don't see why that precludes participating here as well or that he feels insulted?
     
  8. fidjeland

    fidjeland Karting

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    #8 fidjeland, Nov 29, 2015
    An abusing verbal bully is always easy to detect. I think many of us understand why he left.
     
  9. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    #9 staatsof, Nov 29, 2015
    How long have you known Walter?
     
  10. BBBBBBB

    BBBBBBB Formula Junior

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    #10 BBBBBBB, Nov 29, 2015
    I need some explanation here please, cannot follow this.
    Ben
     
  11. emsiegel13

    emsiegel13 Formula Junior
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    #11 emsiegel13, Nov 29, 2015
    Here we go again. All I can say is that while Walter was part of the forum he provide much appreciated information for all of us. I, for one, miss the knowledge that he imparted to the forum. However, for whatever reasons that caused Walter to leave the forum, real or imagined, he is entitled to his decision as would be any of us making that choice. It's done so let's move on to other things.
     
  12. BBBBBBB

    BBBBBBB Formula Junior

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    #12 BBBBBBB, Nov 29, 2015

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