The Racing Jeweller and His Legendary Cars
Today we pay tribute to one of the fathers of the Köchert family. Gotfrid Köchert, the most famous Austrian racing driver of the 1950s, went down in history as the Racing Jeweller. And thanks to his passion for sleek cars, his experiences and adventures were numerous and inspiring.
In 1956, for example, he drove the Mille Miglia in his new Porsche 550 Spyder, finishing in 4th place at the turning point in Rome. While he made it only as far as Florence due to clutch damage, his consolation was to claim victory at the Nürburgring a few weeks later.
The following year, Gotfrid raced – as the first Austrian since the war – his Ferrari 250 TRC in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He drove with the top team for hours until a faulty petrol pump put his car out of commission. However, this didn’t dampen his enthusiasm one bit.
Supporting Jochen Rindt
It’s noteworthy to mention that this Ferrari also had been driven by Jochen Rindt, as Gotfrid Köchert had recognised Rindt’s talent early on and would sponsor him with cars and mechanics. During the roaring 1960s, Rindt as well as several other legends, including Graham Hill, Piers Courage and Jackie Stewart, would frequent the Köchert villa at Hollereck, Altmünster am Traunsee – coming and going, as always, with their exciting energy.
His Second Love: Sailing
After a heart problem forced Gotfrid to give up racing, he turned his attention to his other love, sailing. After all, the lake – Traunsee – was at his doorstep! This passion even led him to the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, where he finished 7th with the Austrian team.
Gotfrid Köchert was a man of talent and ambition, and his legendary sports cars still set record prices at auctions today.
