Owners, Pete & Suzy take pride in the qualified and friendly staff at European Motors.
Interested in Joining our team? View Our Current Openings.
Pete & Suzy
Chief Car Guy and Gal
Pete’s future career was seemingly determined with his first word “car”, much to his mother’s dismay. As time has gone on, he has developed a love and appreciation for all things requiring rubber tires whether it is restoring/customizing bicycles or tinkering in the garage with his wide array of hobby cars or just “killing bugs” on a nice evening in his 1968 Citabria aerobatic airplane.
Some of the cars in his early childhood were VW Squarebacks, a VW 412, and a ’64 Sunroof Beetle. As a result, VWs have always had a soft spot in his heart. During his college years, he developed a greater appreciation for VWs by spending many weekends racing Volkswagen Sciroccos and VW GTIs on an amateur level in SCCA. They were an awesome car for the tight turning, short straightaway venue that eventually hooked him on larger, road racing tracks. Eventually he raced BMW M3s, Lotus and Porsche 911s for fun on many famous race tracks, including Road America.
His current (and always changing) collection includes VW pickups, VW Sciroccos, a Model A named Abby, and a patina 1960 Mercury Commuter station wagon that you find him driving frequently on the weekends with his beloved dogs, Dino and Ginger. His passion has made him a very knowledgeable resource for European Motors since he started in 1998 washing cars and worked his way through sales, service and on to his ultimate dream of owner. Although he has moved on from the sales side to a more managerial position, the enthusiasm when you talk to him about cars has never dimmed. His top priority is making sure the customer has a great experience with their European vehicle for years to come.
Suzy
Don’t let the pretty face fool you, Suzy is a knowledgeable “car guy” like the rest of us. She has owned many European cars over the years including two beloved BMW sticks, one she sold with over 200K miles on it that the last we heard is still going with nearly 300K today! She has a beloved ’85 VW rabbit convertible that she mechanically restored, complete with a “hot rod”, screaming 2 liter 16V engine out of Scirocco donor car. She turned every bolt on this car herself and calls it her labor of love.
She is currently restoring a 1990 Cabriolet. She is our extended warranty specialist and can custom tailor the perfect extended coverage for your new ride. Call her today for more details on your next vehicle.
Kyle
General Manager
Kyle Hunter is a lifelong car guy who just couldn’t stay away from European Motors! After working here years ago, he made his grand return in 2024 as General Manager—because, let’s be honest, once the car business is in your blood, there’s no escaping it. A true BMW lover (but with a soft spot for Volkswagens), he’s spent his entire life around cars and wouldn’t have it any other way.
When he’s not talking torque and tuning, he’s all about family—proud husband to his beautiful wife and father to an amazing daughter. He’s also a dedicated community leader, serving on the boards of the Kingdom Community Center and the Good Friday Prayer Breakfast. Meanwhile, his wife leads the charge at CareNetwork in Cedar Rapids, making them quite the dynamic duo.
A car enthusiast through and through, he’s always up for great conversations, good company, and, of course, anything with four wheels and a roaring engine! 🚗💨
Tommy
Sales Manager
We met Tommy when he was just a polite, well-mannered boy who came in with his Mom and Dad, who gave Tommy the European car bug. Tommy started working here washing cars shortly after earning his driver’s license and has been with us ever since. Today, Tommy is also Pete’s “right hand man” with regards to managing the vehicle inventory during the arrival process, being our main sales associate, and managing the Detail Department at European Motors. Tommy owns a BMW M3 (E90) 6-Speed manual. Tommy’s daily contribution to European Motors is invaluable and our customers love his wide array of knowledge and enthusiasm of all things European car related. If you ever have any questions, sales or service related, Tommy can help you.
Service & Parts Staff
DJ has been an import car enthusiast since high school when he bought his first car, an Audi 90. His household fleet consists of a BMW 335i M sport, VW Passat wagon TDI with 500,000 miles (and counting) on the odometer and his beloved Lexus IS300 Turbo with over 700HP. DJ has great “small town Iowa” values and personality. His goal is to make sure your service experience here is second to none. DJ takes the time to explain exactly what your car needs and when it should be performed. If your European Car or luxury import needs service, give DJ a call and he will get you taken care of.
Erik is a German born Mercedes Benz and Audi enthusiast who came to us factory trained from a Mercedes Benz, Audi, VW dealership. He has a small fleet of German thoroughbreds consisting of a Mercedes C63 and a twin turbo Audi Quattro with a 6-speed. Erik enjoys working on many of our Audis, VWs and Mercedes. He loves doing timing belts and other involved work that many other people may shy away from. He also loves custom work including track prep and performance modifications. He has hand built two Porsche 911 engines for track use, one of which is still being actively used today. If you want your Euro Car or exotic to perform better, he is your guy.
We are super excited to have Tyler on board. Tyler is great at diagnostics and any repair that is thrown at him. He came to us with over five years of experience in the car business and was actively recruited by Pete and D.J. every time he came in to buy parts for his BMW! His current vehicles include a BMW E46 he is modifying and a VW TDI for everyday use. He is an excellent motorcycle rider and loves his KTM motocross bike and enjoys off road endurance racing as well as his high performance jet ski! Whether Tyler is taking care of you in customer service or repairing your vehicle, you are in great hands!
Blake came to us with over 10 years of prior Import repair experience. He is very detail oriented and conscientious when working and is always the first one here in the morning. He has owned a variety of neat import cars and trucks but is currently restoring a Mercedes W126. His hobbies include wicked fast R.C. cars, fishing and going to airshows and races with his wife and two kids. Blake will always get the job done right and we love working with him.
Emma is the newest member of the European Motors team having started in August of 2023. She is currently training in reception and greeting.
Dino and Ginger have been with the European Motors team since 2011. They specialize in greeting and welcoming. They have also dabbled in overnight security and feline alerting. They are happy to inform the sales staff that customers may need help when browsing the inventory on the lot. No matter, they are always enthused to see you and your European car when you arrive for service help or eager to aid in your automotive decision. Their hobbies include car rides, spherical object retrieval and sunny naps. They tend to prefer German sport wagons, but also enjoy doorless Jeeps and their beloved 1960 Mercury Commuter wagon with the roll-down rear window.