ZM

Peter Müller - Zündapp Müller - ZM!

Martijn Stehouwer about Peter Müller:
"The Müller Story in big steps is as follows: Peter Müller learnt Automotive Technics at the
Dresden University. After his study he got a job and after some time a 50cc racing class would
start in the DDR. In those days racing was popular and there were a lot of races everywhere.
The first 50cc race was held 1962 ,and it interested young engineers like Peter Müller and and
also Reiner Till to build something for themselves. Reiner Till bought a Victoria Avanti to
race (he liked the picture in a west German magazine) in those days that was still possible.
He immediately started building a racer from it. Learning from the troubles these real
pioneers had Peter decided to use a Simson ,when he finally decided to start racing after a
few more years. To get 6 gears the Simson riders used the sixdays Simsons 2 speed reduction box.
This annoyed Peter ,and he decided to get something more usable. Luckily he had family working
at Zündapp München ,and he worked at MZ sidecar factory in Leipzig. There were official contacts
between Zündapp and MZ because of the rims Zündapp bought from MZ for the Sixdays team.
This was the beginning of a steady supply of Zündapp 5 speed engines to Müller ,traded
for MZ rims."
Peter Müller Zündapp

71 version of Müller´s Zündapp. Peter Müller at an east-german championship.

Müller racing his Zündapp

Müllers Zündapp engine

"The little Zündapp racer evolved from a pistonported 5 speed to a rotary inlet watercooled 6 speed.
Final HP figure was just over 15." Peter Müller at Sachsenring.

Müller Zündapp "Being a successful rider he got a “wildcard” for the Sachsenring GP ,and here he got a
real GP point. The only 50cc Zündapp rider ever to get a GP point."

"In 1976 it was over for the Zündapp ,Peter switched to Kreidler. The Zündapp did not survive over
15hp on long tracks. Peter Müller never got his DDR championship ,he was outclassed by Gernot
Weser who was 9 times champion on his Kreidler. But Peter was the better technician. This he
proved when he stopped and his talented son got hold of daddies bike. He immediately sweeped
the championship with it. The good driving of Tommy Müller lead to a small team for the new
80cc championship. The ZM-80 (Zündapp Müller ,a name he could not get rid of anymore) was a
totally homebuilt 80cc racer, which in fact looked a lot like the 83 Zündapp factory 80cc
racebike. It was a good bike ,and Tommy was very successful with it. Power was 29hp ,carefully
breeded in by the other team member ,in fact chief-engineer of the Simson motorsport department.
The class of this bike was demonstrated in 1990 when the wall came down and the German 80cc
championship was the last resort of the former 80cc Worldchampionship. Totally alienated in
this new world the small team made a 5th place at Hockenheim between the worlds best.
Perplexed drivers asked Tommy which factory made that bike ,and he answered: “my daddy,in
our basement”. Both the last 50cc Kreidler and the 80cc still exist and are driven a few times
each year by Tommy and Peter."
M.Stehouwer 2006

Listen to the high winding ZM- Kreidler engine! Peter Müllers ZM Kreidler - Sweden 2004

The bikes of Tommy and Peter Müller. The 80cc ZM engine.

When we first met - Linköping 2004. In may 2021 we lost Peter Müller - a big loss to the 50cc classic race community!
Peter was always a friendly face in the paddock, wherever I met him. Always giving good advice
and promoting his "Müller Scheisse" (read ZM race parts), in a humorous way. Peter and I had a good
working relationship, and he was a big help supplying special- fabricated transmission parts via
his extensive network in the east. Simson, Sachs as well as Puch axles and gears were made to order
and in return I handled heavy duty Kreidler crankcases from UK. Peter and Ilse were the nicest people
to visit in their home in Lucka and when Ilse and Lena went for flowers in the garden Peter commented:
"Sie kriegen der schnellsten blumen in Deutschland!" We were treated to a sight seeing tour to Dresden
area, and that was a drive to remember - Peter drove the Mercedes coupe swiftly through the landscape
pointing out curves where he had ditched his car earlier!!! Never a dull moment with Peter.

Herr und Frau Müller arrives. In 2016 they visited us here in Copenhagen and I was treated to drive Ilse´s
souped- up BMW coupe to my remote workshop. Peter had to tell me how disappointed he was after the trip
for me not having floored it once! I would like to think they enjoyed the Copenhagen city tour.
I miss Peter and our many conversations over the phone, where he politely and patient saw through my
slow german stuttering and ended in an: "Alles klar".

Numerous ZM Kreidler were built by Peter - here follows pictures of various ZM´s: Müller´s ZM Kreidler - Linköping 2004.

Linköping 2004 - Hans Peter Neumann - ZM Kreidler. The third ZM rider present at Linköping 2004, Peter Weise.

Yet another ZM.

The first ZM in Denmark - ex Mathias Schultze - rider Peter Christensen.

ZM Kreidler of

The ZM of Stanko Marcotic.

Details of Tommy Müller´s ZM.

Peter and Tommy preparing the fast ZM Kreidler. Tommy Müller´s ZM with DRM mag- wheels.

One of four ZM Kreidlers in Denmark.

ZM Kreidler - rider Søren Lemming. The ZM of Søren Lemming.

Johannes Ehrensberger. Joachim Schadeck.

The ZM creation of Jean-Marc Torro. ZM Kreidler of Jean-Marc Torro.

Jean-Marc Torro´s 2024 version of his ZM Kreidler - beautiful!

ZM Kreidler of Philippe de Lespinay.

Martijn Stehouwer about Peter Müller: "The Müller Story in big steps is as follows: Peter Müller learnt Automotive Technics at the Dresden University. After his study he got a job and after some time a 50cc racing class would start in the DDR. In those days racing was popular and there were a lot of races everywhere. The first 50cc race was held 1962 ,and it interested young engineers like Peter Müller and and also Reiner Till to build something for themselves. Reiner Till bought a Victoria Avanti to race (he liked the picture in a west German magazine) in those days that was still possible. He immediately started building a racer from it. Learning from the troubles these real pioneers had Peter decided to use a Simson ,when he finally decided to start racing after a few more years. To get 6 gears the Simson riders used the sixdays Simsons 2 speed reduction box. This annoyed Peter ,and he decided to get something more usable. Luckily he had family working at Zündapp München ,and he worked at MZ sidecar factory in Leipzig. There were official contacts between Zündapp and MZ because of the rims Zündapp bought from MZ for the Sixdays team. This was the beginning of a steady supply of Zündapp 5 speed engines to Müller ,traded for MZ rims."



"The little Zündapp racer evolved from a pistonported 5 speed to a rotary inlet watercooled 6 speed. Final HP figure was just over 15."
	"Being a successful rider he got a “wildcard” for the Sachsenring GP ,and here he got a real GP point. The only 50cc Zündapp rider ever to get a GP point."
"In 1976 it was over for the Zündapp ,Peter switched to Kreidler. The Zündapp did not survive over 15hp on long tracks. Peter Müller never got his DDR championship ,he was outclassed by Gernot Weser who was 9 times champion on his Kreidler. But Peter was the better technician. This he proved when he stopped and his talented son got hold of daddies bike. He immediately sweeped the championship with it. The good driving of Tommy Müller lead to a small team for the new 80cc championship. The ZM-80 (Zündapp Müller ,a name he could not get rid of anymore) was a totally homebuilt 80cc racer, which in fact looked a lot like the 83 Zündapp factory 80cc racebike. It was a good bike ,and Tommy was very successful with it. Power was 29hp ,carefully breeded in by the other team member ,in fact chief-engineer of the Simson motorsport department. The class of this bike was demonstrated in 1990 when the wall came down and the German 80cc championship was the last resort of the former 80cc Worldchampionship. Totally alienated in this new world the small team made a 5th place at Hockenheim between the worlds best. Perplexed drivers asked Tommy which factory made that bike ,and he answered: “my daddy,in our basement”. Both the last 50cc Kreidler and the 80cc still exist and are driven a few times each year by Tommy and Peter." M.Stehouwer 2006 Listen to the high winding ZM- Kreidler engine!

	In may 2021 we lost Peter Müller - a big loss to the 50cc classic race community! Peter was always a friendly face in the paddock, wherever I met him. Always giving good advice and promoting his "Müller Scheisse" (read ZM race parts), in a humorous way. Peter and I had a good working relationship, and he was a big help supplying special- fabricated transmission parts via his extensive network in the east. Simson, Sachs as well as Puch axles and gears were made to order and in return I handled heavy duty Kreidler crankcases from UK. Peter and Ilse were the nicest people to visit in their home in Lucka and when Ilse and Lena went for flowers in the garden Peter commented: "Sie kriegen der schnellsten blumen in Deutschland!" We were treated to a sight seeing tour to Dresden area, and that was a drive to remember - Peter drove the Mercedes coupe swiftly through the landscape pointing out curves where he had ditched his car earlier!!! Never a dull moment with Peter.
	In 2016 they visited us here in Copenhagen and I was treated to drive Ilse´s souped- up BMW coupe to my remote workshop. Peter had to tell me how disappointed he was after the trip for me not having floored it once! I would like to think they enjoyed the Copenhagen city tour. I miss Peter and our many conversations over the phone, where he politely and patient saw through my slow german stuttering and ended in an: "Alles klar".
Numerous ZM Kreidler were built by Peter - here follows pictures of various ZM´s: