Renowned Liechtenstein wealth manager Fritz Kaiser is accelerating into the digital age with a futuristic vision aimed at transforming the world of classic cars. With the support of automotive icon Mercedes-Benz Heritage, Formula 1 world champion Kimi Räikkönen, and Swiss publishing magnate Michael Ringier, Kaiser plans to bring vintage car culture into the metaverse through his company, Roarington.
Kaiser, the founder of Kaiser Partner, a Vaduz-based firm managing around CHF 20 billion, is not just a financial heavyweight. He’s also a long-time motorsport enthusiast who played a pivotal role in the Formula 1 scene during the 1990s as a co-owner and chairman of Peter Sauber’s F1 team, helping land major sponsors like Red Bull, Petronas, and Ferrari.
Beyond racing, he’s been collecting classic cars for decades, especially those from the 1950s and 1960s. One personal highlight was winning the 2013 Rallye du Maroc in a vintage Mercedes 300 SL Roadster, alongside his wife Birgit.
At a recent gathering of The Classic Car Trust (TCCT)—a nonprofit founded by Kaiser—he outlined his next venture: creating a digital twin of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart within Roarington’s MetaLand, a virtual world for classic car lovers.
The museum, which has welcomed over 13 million visitors since 2006, will now be digitally recreated so that enthusiasts from around the globe can visit, race, and interact with classic cars virtually—without stepping inside the physical building.
The event attracted a high-profile guest list, including Kimi Räikkönen, publisher Michael Ringier, Japanese artist Hidetomo Kimura, and executives from Zagato, Pininfarina, and RM Sotheby’s. They were joined by Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage, who confirmed the partnership with Roarington to build the digital museum.
Roarington, originally known for its hyper-realistic racing simulators (priced at CHF 120,000 and designed by Zagato and Pininfarina), has grown into a broader digital platform. In May 2023, it launched MetaLand, a video-realistic space where fans can meet with avatars, race classic cars, and soon, explore the Mercedes-Benz Museum virtually.
ETH professor and Disney Research’s Markus Gross, a leading computer scientist, is backing the project scientifically. He believes advances in AI and digital avatars will soon revolutionize human interaction. Gross refers to these virtual environments as “digital universes” rather than the metaverse.
He sees Roarington as one of the most promising applications in this emerging space. In the near future, people will create digital twins of their classic cars, which can be rented or sold in the metaverse—offering commercial potential as well.
Kimi Räikkönen is on board as a brand ambassador, and Michael Ringier has joined as an investor through his family office, which is associated with Kaiser Partner. Ringier, although not a racing enthusiast, owns a vintage car and a Roarington simulator—which, due to its noise, ended up in his gym instead of the living room.
At the TCCT event, Räikkönen proved unbeatable on Roarington’s simulators, even outperforming seasoned eSports gamers—demonstrating the realism of the technology.
Fritz Kaiser’s initiative isn’t just about tech—it’s about preserving the culture and legacy of classic automobiles in a modern way. By merging passion, history, and cutting-edge innovation, he’s redefining what it means to be a car enthusiast in the 21st century.
