On September 21, 2023, Lawrence “Larry” William Wagner, age 82, passed away peacefully in Ludington, Michigan surrounded by his loving family. The founder of Appletree Automotive located in Silver Lake, Michigan, Larry was a true pioneer in the VW industry for his many contributions. They elevated and progressed the sport of high-performance Volkswagens and custom-built off-road vehicles in the Great Lakes Region, dating back several decades to the mid-1960s. A humble, brilliant and soft-spoken gentleman who was well known by many individuals and also shared long-lasting friendships with countless people he met over the years, Larry left behind a legacy that’s challenging to articulate in the limited amount of space provided inside this issue of hotVWs.
Larry was born in Royal Oak, Michigan on August 29, 1941, to parents Wilbert…