Behra-Porsche was a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

constructor which entered four World Championship Grands Prix across the

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

and

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

seasons. The constructor started - and finished - two races, both in the 1960 season, but scored no championship points in the process.

Jean Behra Jean Marie Behra (16 February 1921 – 1 August 1959) was a Formula One driver who raced for the Gordini, Maserati, BRM, Ferrari and Porsche teams. Appearance and personality Behra was small in stature, stocky, and weighed 178 pounds.''B ...

was a French racing driver, who by the end of the 1950s was a stalwart of the Formula One paddock. He had achieved success earlier in the decade with the

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

team, but was contracted to

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

for the 1959 season. Despite his obligations to Ferrari, Behra commissioned Porsche to build a

Formula 2 Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name return ...

single-seater car, taking componentry from the

Porsche 718 The Porsche 718 is a series of one- or two-seat sports-racing cars built by Porsche from 1957 to 1962. An open-wheel single-seat model was developed for Formula racing. Details The 718 was a development of the successful Porsche 550A with impr ...

'RSK'. The chassis for the car had already been designed by former Maserati engineer

Valerio Colotti Valerio Colotti (19 April 1925 – 19 January 2008) was an Italian automotive engineer, known for his early work with Ferrari and Maserati chassis and transmission systems. Born in Modena, Colotti joined Ferrari in 1948, working under Aurelio Lam ...

, who subsequently adapted it so that components from the 718 RSK could be used. The vehicle was named the 'Behra-Porsche' and painted in the Bleu de France colour of the Frenchman's homeland. The car made an initial outing at the

1959 Monaco Grand Prix The 1959 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on 10 May 1959. It was race 1 of 9 in the 1959 World Championship of Drivers and race 1 of 8 in the 1959 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. It w ...

, with Behra's good friend

Maria Teresa de Filippis Maria Teresa de Filippis (11 November 1926 – 8 January 2016) was an Italian racing driver, and the first woman to race in Formula One. She participated in five World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1958, but scored no championship ...

at the wheel. de Filippis was unable to qualify, however, and the car did not start the race. After the

French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de France), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championsh ...

, Behra was dismissed from the Ferrari team following an altercation with the team manager. This meant, however, that Behra was able to race the Behra-Porsche himself in the upcoming

German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Deutschland) was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history; the Nürburgring in R ...

. The German Grand Prix was the only one ever to be held at the

AVUS The Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße ('Automobile traffic and training road'), known as AVUS, is a public road in Berlin, Germany. Opened in 1921, it was also used as a motor racing circuit until 1998. Today, the AVUS forms the northern par ...

circuit in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Not only had Behra entered the Behra-Porsche into the Grand Prix, he had also entered his RSK sportscar into a support race. It was in this race that Behra crashed fatally, spinning out over the top of the infamous AVUS banking and being thrown from his vehicle. Behra hit a flagpole and fell to the ground, fracturing his skull and breaking many ribs. It was concluded by a doctor on the scene that he died on impact. Following Behra's death, the Behra-Porsche was acquired by

Lloyd Casner Lloyd Perry Casner (August 30, 1928 in Miami, Florida – April 10, 1965 in Le Mans, France) was an American race car driver and the creator of the Casner Motor Racing Division team. An airline pilot by trade, "Lucky" Casner developed an interest ...

for the

Camoradi International Casner Motor Racing Division – also known as America Camoradi (casner motor racing division), Camoradi USA or Camoradi International – was an American racing team of the 1960s known for racing Maserati Birdcage sports car racing, sports cars, ...

team. The first of the Behra-Porsche's two outings in

was in the

Argentine Grand Prix The Argentine Grand Prix (Spanish: ''Gran Premio de Argentina'') was a round of the Formula One championship, held intermittently from to , all at the same autodrome in the Argentine national capital of Buenos Aires. Origins and history The Bu ...

on 7 February.

Masten Gregory Masten Gregory (February 29, 1932 − November 8, 1985) was an American racing driver. He raced in Formula One between and , participating in 43 World Championship races, and numerous non-Championship races. He was also a successful sports car r ...

took 12th place in the race, four laps behind the leader. Towards the latter half of the season, Fred Gamble became the last driver to pilot the Behra-Porsche in a World Championship Grand Prix. The

1960 Italian Grand Prix The 1960 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 4 September 1960. It was race 9 of 10 in the 1960 World Championship of Drivers and race 8 of 9 in the 1960 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was w ...

, which was noted for a boycott by the three British teams, saw Gamble take 10th place. He was the last finisher, nine laps down on the leader.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

)

References

Porsche at GrandPrix.com
{{Formula One constructors 1959 establishments in France 1960 disestablishments in France Formula One constructors Formula One entrants French auto racing teams French racecar constructors Auto racing teams established in 1959 Auto racing teams disestablished in 1960