Fritz Fahrkraft.
Who we are.
Our Story
Fritz Fahrkraft GmbH was born from the idea that knowledge must be available where it is needed.
Our story begins with a simple problem: Traditionally, knowledge is seen as an advantage that needs to be protected. As a result, it often isn’t available to those who need it most – you, the mechanics and professionals at the lift.
We know it from our previous lives as employees: The phone would ring again and again, and kind people would ask for help with their projects. Unfortunately, we could only offer advice and not really provide comprehensive assistance because there was simply no time, and the focus was on selling our own products. Of course, the community helps itself with forums, meetups, and similar platforms, but let's be honest, which forum can you really trust for very specific questions, and who wants to keep hearing that, if you have no clue, you should just go to the workshop? We got tired of that and decided to offer an alternative.
At Fritz Fahrkraft, knowledge is at the heart of everything we do. We share our knowledge openly and without limits. In both professional and personal settings, we have long been a go-to source, supporting engine and entire restoration and modification projects with the necessary information or calculations. Together, we’ve already found many solutions, even for unconventional challenges. We are clear: this is where we can enrich the scene.
Martin Mette, Founder
"My heart has always beaten for cars. Like many boys, I had a large collection of various 'Matchbox' cars in my childhood room. Even then, the first tuning experiments began: wheels were swapped from one car to another, and cars were repainted. Back then, it was all done with a glue stick and markers.
Several Lego and Revell model kits later, at the age of 16, the next level of my passion was ignited. The first real car, in full 1:1 scale, a Manta B, rolled onto the driveway. It found its use after a slight "performance" boost off-road, participating in car-ring rallies up in the northern part of the country. My first VW came when I was 18, shortly after I got my driver's license: a Kawasaki green T3 bus. This was converted into a party vehicle, complete with a disco ball, a large sound system, and a rooftop terrace. Of course, it also had wide wheels and the necessary modifications to the wheel arches and sliding door. A perfect car to drive to school during the week and a popular hangout spot in front of the club for "pre-drinking" on weekends. I've stayed loyal to VW buses ever since. While I was still driving the green T3 during my apprenticeship, I switched to a T4 during my studies in social economics. This was sold when I went to Ireland for my Master's degree in International Entrepreneurship Management. The connection to the air-cooled scene was rekindled upon returning to Germany with the purchase and restoration of a 1302 Beetle.
The short journey to Bargteheide brought me into contact with my future employer, Custom & Speed Parts, as a job advertisement on Facebook came just at the right time. Initially working in sales, I took over the production management at CSP Products GmbH after six months. I was able to continuously improve the company by optimizing processes and workflows, establishing connections with new suppliers, and hiring new employees.
This is also where I met my current business partner, Maximilian. Together, we worked on many exciting projects for our employer and had the opportunity to accompany the development of new products from the initial idea to series production. While Maximilian led the technical development of these products, my focus was on their feasibility from an economic standpoint, the implementation in production, and the organization of all other involved departments, from management and marketing to individual employees.
A 1303 Streaker has been my vehicle for a long time, and today, it is used by us in Baja-style as a car for long-distance rallies across Europe. My wife and I have covered nearly 50,000 rally kilometers in the last 8 years with this car, creating many wonderful memories along the way.