Biography

could not work in the shop until he was 18 years old. Pieter van Rossum was born in a small village, Montfoort in the Netherlands. His father ran a small DKW dealership (Auto Union) which later became Audi. In 1968 the dealership was sold and the van Rossum’s moved to Miami, Florida. His father got a job as a technician at L. P. Evans Mercedes Benz where he worked for 27 years. In 1972, his father got Pieter a part time job at the dealership working in the parts department, as he could not work in the shop until he was 18 years old. In 1972 he also got his first Mercedes Benz which he restored himself. In 1976 Pieter started as an apprentice in the service department where he worked and received factory training. In 1977, he was offered a job at Bill Ussery Motors Mercedes Benz in Coral Gables, Florida. He worked in the service department there until 1979. In 1979, Bill Ussery Mortors opened the first Mercedes Benz factory authorized body shop and Pieter became the assistant manager. In 1982, he left the dealership and opened an independent Mercedes Benz repair facility Mercedes Service, Inc. He ran this shop successfully until 1987. In 1987 the decision was made to find a place to live and raise his family with a better quality of life. He found that place in Topton, North Carolina where a small shop was built and he opened Silver Star Restorations.