38 replies to this topic

[Jimmy Piget]

Does somebody know the town where he lived (or still lives...) ?
Sometimes, in race programs, the location of drivers residence is mentioned. But I don't own German programs back from these years (around 1962-1963)...

[Paul Taylor]

It'll be good if we could have ANY information on this guy

[Richard Jenkins]

When I found his birthdate Jimmy, I found out where he was living up to, at least, the 1970's - I'll check it for you tonight when I get home, because I can't remember off the top of my head. TTBOMK, Seiffert is still alive.

[Richard Jenkins]

Kassel, Germany.
That's what I've been led to believe anyway.

[Paul Taylor]

How do you know he is still alive, and would it be possible to contact him somehow?

[Richard Jenkins]

I presume he is still alive - generally, until I see some kind of proof they're dead, then they're alive -I can't "kill off" people just because I think they're gone. (ie Thiele - I need to find more) However, I presumed Bonomi was still alive & find he's actually been dead since 1992, so you can never tell....

As for contact, I suppose any of the address websites (ie Infobel) might be worth a try.. FWIW, I think he was still based in Kassel around 10 years ago but that's presumption rather than hard fact.

[uechtel]

My question in the Swiss magazine motorsport aktuell received the following answer today from Gregor Schulz (of Ferrari World magazine):

Seifert was from Oldenburg, born on 18.10.1937. This information is from a contract he made when buying a Ferrari 250 GT SWB, that he bought in 1963 from Hermann Cordes. During the late nineties Seifert lived in Belgium and at Cologne."

They gave also a picture:

[Richard Jenkins]

Very interesting - I obviously got the wrong Gunther Seifert's details : Ah well, you live & learn, I suppose.

Thanks, Uechtel. At least this information comes from a reliable source & to get a photo too is amazing I take it we are to presume he is still alive?

[David McKinney]

I may be 'way off here, but the only other photo I remember seeing of Gunther Seifert was surely of a much stockier gent
Do we have two of them?

[uechtel]

Sorry, that´s all the response contains. I´m afraid for more info you will have to contact Mr. Schulz.

[alfredaustria]

I am wondering, if you got any update on this thread? Is Günther Seiffert still alive? Where does he live?

By the way there is also another mystery: Richard (oldracingcars.com) writes Gunther Seifert.
In Wikipedia he is listed as Günther Seiffert.

[Ted Walker]

Did he not race a Lotus 24 in the 60s as a private entrant ( and NO I dont mean Jo Siffert !!!!! )

[David McKinney]

He raced an 18 and a 24 as a member of Autosport Team Seidel in the early '60s

[Bjorn Kjer]

As well as a Porsche for the same team , crash in his only race with that. 6 races with the 18 and 1 with the 24BRM(nq GermanGP).

For 1963 he had 2 Seidel races in the 24BRM , then 3 races in the Rhine -Ruhr Racing Team ditto (same chassis).

[Gabrci]

My question in the Swiss magazine motorsport aktuell received the following answer today from Gregor Schulz (of Ferrari World magazine):

Seifert was from Oldenburg, born on 18.10.1937. This information is from a contract he made when buying a Ferrari 250 GT SWB, that he bought in 1963 from Hermann Cordes. During the late nineties Seifert lived in Belgium and at Cologne."

They gave also a picture:

There is one Günther Seifert in Cologne. Someone that can speak German might give him a call on this number.

[Parkesi]

Since I`m German it was easy to call the number you mentioned
but unfortunately Mrs Seifert has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the former racing driver.
So there is no trace to follow in Cologne - I´m sorry.

[Gabrci]

Since I`m German it was easy to call the number you mentioned
but unfortunately Mrs Seifert has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the former racing driver.
So there is no trace to follow in Cologne - I´m sorry.

Anyway, thanks very much for trying! I think it was reasonable to ask - too bad it's not him.

[alfredaustria]

Well, but I am still confused it the correct name is Gunther Seifert or Günther Seiffert?

[ReWind]

Neither.
According to post # 7 resp. the answer from "Motorsport aktuell" in 2004:
Günter Seifert
(no h, one f).

[Tuboscocca]

Well, but I am still confused it the correct name is Gunther Seifert or Günther Seiffert?

According to Steve Small's Who is who

Gunther Seiffert.

(The one who raced the Seidel Lotus/BRM Formula 1 cars...(1962)

Regards Michael

[Tuboscocca]

As well as a Porsche for the same team , crash in his only race with that. 6 races with the 18 and 1 with the 24BRM(nq GermanGP).

For 1963 he had 2 Seidel races in the 24BRM , then 3 races in the Rhine -Ruhr Racing Team ditto (same chassis).

According to Thomas Mehne's (old ) Solitude book:

Solitude results are:

15 July 1962 #23 Günther Seifert -Autosport Team W.Seidel Lotus 18-Climax dnf (5 laps)

28 July 1963 #28 Günther Seifert -Rhein-Ruhr Racing Team Lotus 24 dnf (18 laps)

Regards Michael

[Richard Jenkins]

Gunter Seifert has intrigued me as he seems the least known of anyone who was in a World Championship Grand Prix event that is still alive - but if this is him, then the information from Motorsport aktuell is possibly slightly out - I mean how many Gunter Seifert's raced in the 1960's?

http://www.verlag-vw...e...1[uid]=1532

[ReWind]

I mean how many Gunter Seifert's raced in the 1960's?

Obviously more than one.
The Günter Seifert from your link was from the GDR (East Germany). It is very unlikely that he had a ride in the 1962 (West) German Grand Prix for Wolfgang Seidel's team.

[Gabrci]

Obviously more than one.
The Günter Seifert from your link was from the GDR (East Germany). It is very unlikely that he had a ride in the 1962 (West) German Grand Prix for Wolfgang Seidel's team.

I think the person shown in Richie's link can easily be the person shown in post #7. I think it's definitely worth a question.

[David McKinney]

Something odd going on here

I have no record of a Günter Seifert racing in East Germany in the 1960s

However, Siegfried Seifert was one of that country's leading men in that period

[Tim Murray]

The man in Richard's link was born in Kunzendorf in what is now Poland, and has lived in Weimar since 1971. This doesn't match the info from Uechtel in post 7:

Seifert was from Oldenburg, born on 18.10.1937. This information is from a contract he made when buying a Ferrari 250 GT SWB, that he bought in 1963 from Hermann Cordes. During the late nineties Seifert lived in Belgium and at Cologne.

[uechtel]

Seifert is a very common name, with concnetration in particular in Saxony, but also spreaded all over the country. Geogen say there are about 70,000 people of this name currently living in Germany. Günther/Günter was even leading the hitlists between 1919 and 1950, so there should be quite many Günter Seiferts in this generation...

[Bjorn Kjer]

eh , dont you meen Gunther Seiffert ?

[PonysiteEd]

http://en.wikipedia....ünther_Seiffert

Since he obviously raced later with the Rhine-Ruhr Racing team, I may ask a member of it (Rolf Kienen), who is still active today.
He certainly will remember him or know somebody who does. Seidel sounds familiar as well. I will dig for more information.

[arttidesco]

While we are on the subject of mystery German drivers and possibly one not unknown to Gunter Seiffert, does anyone know anything about Hermann Cordes mentioned above ?

 

He appears to have started his racing career driving a couple of Ferrari's and a MB 300SL and ended it driving NSU's, can't help but feel something may be missing like the true start of his racing career, also he is mentioned as living in Deelsen Germany at the time he owned the two Ferrari's, Google Maps knows of know such place ?

[Tuboscocca]

Ralph, maybe not his complete career, but a very good story by Gregor Schulz on Hermann Cordes and his silver 250 GTO appeared in OLDTIMER Markt 04/2006, still available from the publisher..

 

Regards Michael

[Tuboscocca]

While we are on the subject of mystery German drivers and possibly one not unknown to Gunter Seiffert, does anyone know anything about Hermann Cordes mentioned above ?

 

He appears to have started his racing career driving a couple of Ferrari's and a MB 300SL and ended it driving NSU's, can't help but feel something may be missing like the true start of his racing career, also he is mentioned as living in Deelsen Germany at the time he owned the two Ferrari's, Google Maps knows of know such place ?

DEELSEN

 

http://www.orte-in-d...de-deelsen.html

 

Deelsen is a 'part' of Verden..which is correct, as his cars have had VER-numberplates..

 

Michael

[Naglafar]

I'm sorry to reopen this thread, but do you think this can be the Gunter Seifert driver from the 60's in this orbituary ?

https://www.abschied...er-seifert-1937

 

The birthdate is not the one we know but is very similar through.

[ReWind]

The deceased one was from Halle (Saale) which is located in Eastern Germany (former GDR) - far away from Oldenburg which is said to be the racing driver's hometown.

And it has to be repeated: Günter Seifert is a common name.

[Paul Taylor]

Just been doing some sleuthing on the internet.

 

According to this page, Guenter Seifert's business was based in "Hansaring 113, 5 Köln"

http://www.barchetta...909GT.250GT.htm

 

He advertised his business in Auto Motor Und Sport a few times into the mid-60s. He was selling exhausts, wheel rims etc. for Fiat Abarths:

https://www.zwischen...49-5674f8b70a11

 

And also racing gear:
https://www.autodiva...=637500#p637500

 

According to these posts, in the late-60s he was selling slotcar tracks and his store in Hansaring was the first commercial slotcar racing centre in all of Germany

https://www.slotforu...ny.44943/page-3

https://www.facebook...479997475445820

 

Here is one of his slotcar catalogues from 1966 which was sold on eBay some time ago:
https://picclick.de/...ml#&gid=1&pid=1

 

(Tentative) There was a company called Günter Seifert K.G. based in Cologne from 1966 to 1977. Not sure if it is the same one, but could be.

https://www.northdat..., Köln/HRA 6222

Edited by Paul Taylor, 07 November 2021 - 03:48.

[Gabrci]

I have absolutely nothing to back it up and do not know whether it is just yet another mix-up with someone else with the same name but I've been told from Germany that Seifert passed away on 11. November 2020. 

 

I hope it is not true and he is still happily with us, even if thoroughly uninterested in his racing past. 

[Richard Jenkins]

I have absolutely nothing to back it up and do not know whether it is just yet another mix-up with someone else with the same name but I've been told from Germany that Seifert passed away on 11. November 2020. 

 

I hope it is not true and he is still happily with us, even if thoroughly uninterested in his racing past. 

 

Well, it seems to stem from here - https://www.facebook...064752807073512

 

I can only presume Michael Waltenspiel is an autograph hunter who has tried to make contact with Seifert and received some kind of acknowledgement that he's died. It's perfectly viable, of course, but ideally, I'd like some more 'meat on the bones' as it were. A Google search gets no further clarification.

[Gabrci]

Well, it seems to stem from here - https://www.facebook...064752807073512

 

I can only presume Michael Waltenspiel is an autograph hunter who has tried to make contact with Seifert and received some kind of acknowledgement that he's died. It's perfectly viable, of course, but ideally, I'd like some more 'meat on the bones' as it were. A Google search gets no further clarification.

 

Thanks, could well be. He says "it came up" in December 2021 so it's probably not even first hand info. Doesn't mean it's not true of course, just that it would be good to have a bit more firm confirmation or denial. 

[19500513]

I asked Herr Waltenspiel, he does not know any more detail as most probably Herr Seif(f)ert used another name (if it is true, it is interest, but anyway, should be minimum an evidence).

Then I asked the birthplace (Oldenburg), unfortunately they can not say anything as he finally moved from the town in the 90's.

 

If someone knows, what name he used (again, if it is true), or where he lived, could ask the information of the town, we could go ahead in this investigation.