When Ed Schoenthaler bought his car dealership in West Chicago, Ill., USA, he acquired another thing: a commitment to Rotary.

The seller, a Rotarian, “insisted on taking me to his Rotary club for lunch,” Schoenthaler says of that fateful day in 1983. Within a year, he was a member of the Rotary Club of West Chicago.

It’s only fitting, then, that Schoenthaler brought his two passions together for a November fundraiser that raised $3,300 for the club’s scholarship fund for local high school students. Schoenthaler and his wife, Judy, hosted the hors d’ouevres and drinks event at their private car museum in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.

“We [the club members] were looking for a way to raise money, so I said I’d be happy to open the museum to Rotary,” Schoenthaler says.

The museum is normally only opened to car clubs and friends, so it was a unique opportunity for 48 guests to see Schoenthaler’s meticulously restored, one-of-a-kind classic cars. Attendees were treated to the stories behind the vehicles, which include a 1938 Horch special parade car, built for the German Luftwaffe; three Cord convertibles; and a 1947 Delahaye. 

The collection, made up primarily of pre-World War II automobiles, is so significant that Schoenthaler was named by Sports Car Market magazine as one of the top 50 car collectors in North America in 2006.

“Everyone who saw it was just blown away,” says club president Ed Hedeen. “I know so many more people who have heard about it would die to go there.”