The first Jägermeister racing car
Orange was the colour chosen by the herb liqueur manufacturer from Wolfenbüttel for its racing cars from the 1970s onwards. The first vehicle, this Porsche 914/6, was actually dark green like the bottles. However, this was deemed 'Not eye-catching enough,' by company boss Günter Mast after it’s first two races. It was therefore decided that a shade of orange, like that in the brand’s logo, should be applied to the body as quickly as possible. And so the 914/6 came to have a new paint finish more or less overnight. Without the Targa bar, as that made it quicker. And without the time for careful masking around the edges. As a result, some spray got through the slits in the doors and on to the pillars. On the inside, the vehicle remained dark green. The main thing was to be on the starting line on time.
The Porsche 914/6 was to be granted a thrilling life. In 1971, the Volkswagen and Porsche dealer Max Moritz decided to convert this vehicle into a racing car. The 914/6 with its two-litre engine was brought up to 220bhp. Fitted with a roll cage and relieved of all ballast, the vehicle was soon ready for the track. The driver team of Gerd Quist and Dietrich Krumm drove some unbelievable times with it. Although they dropped out in Le Mans, in both the 1000 kms of Spa and Nürburgring they achieved victory in the two-litre GT class. At the time, this vehicle was known as the 'fastest 914/6'. Eckhard Schimpf wanted just that for the 1972 season.
Schimpf won a total of eight victories during 1972-73, one of them at the KAC race on the South Loop of the Nürburgring. He took second place on the AVUS in Berlin and at the Flugplatzrennen (Airfield Race) in Diepholz. His fastest lap on the Nordschleife (North Loop) of the Nürburgring clocked in at 9:32.7 minutes. First published in 'Porsche Klassik 10' by Thorsten Elbrigmann. Photos by Thorsten Doerk.