Porsche race fans the world over are mourning today’s passing of Herbert Linge, former Porsche racing driver and Operations Manager of Porsche’s Weissach Development Center. Mr. Linge is also renowned for his tenacious advocacy for life-saving race-course driver safety. Mr. Linge died on January 5, 2024. He was an enviable 95 years old.
Porsche asserted today that Herbert Linge “has been, and will always be, an integral part of Porsche’s history and racing heritage.” One of Porsche’s main reasons for this acknowledgment occurred when Mr. Linge was among the Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen company’s very first apprentices in the late Fifties.
Weissach, Germany, was Mr. Linge’s hometown. Born on June 11, 1928, there, he brought to Ferry Porsche’s attention that a particular site in Weissach, as well a site in nearby Flacht, would be ideal proving grounds for Porsche’s sports-car testing and development.
The rest, as they say, is history. To this day, Porsche research and development originates exclusively out of Porsche’s Weissach Development Center, and all Porsche GT and racecar development emanates from Flacht.
Porsche’s Michael Steiner and Dr. Wolfgang Porsche Condolences
“We are saddened by the news of Herbert Linge’s death,” says Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development. “Not only was he a Porsche man from the very beginning, but also a friend for many decades. We would like to thank him for his commitment as a racing and rally driver, as a source of ideas and as a technician.
“Linge was a visionary and one of the great characters of the Weissach Development Centre. He played a leading role in establishing an aftersales network in the U.S. and was particularly committed to safety in motorsport. We and the global Porsche family will never forget him.”
Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG, adds: “Herbert Linge knew my grandfather personally. Thanks to employees like him, Porsche was able to re-establish and internationally expand its business activities in Stuttgart with my father Ferry. For that, we are very grateful. Our thoughts are with his family.”
Herbert Linge Origins at Porsche
Incredibly, at the very tender young age of 14, Herbert Linge obtained his first Porsche ID card on April 7, 1943.
Six years later, when Porsche moved from Gmünd after WWII, Mr. Linge became the first mechanic hired by Porsche to work at the Stuttgart manufacturing facility.
This is in major part why, until his death, he was among the last living individuals who personally knew Ferdinand Porsche.
Herbert Linge Chief Contributions to Porsche
Herbert Linge’s many major accomplishments contributed to Porsche’s successes.
After Porsche returned from Gmünd to Stuttgart, Mr. Linge oversaw the development of the first Porsche 356 units constructed in Stuttgart. In fact, he test-drove these early sports cars. None of them was delivered until he gave his personal seal of approval.
In these, the company’s fledgling years, Porsche highly encouraged its prominently gifted employees to further expand their various skillsets. Linge was no exception. He went even further to shine as an accomplished development driver.
Starting in 1952, Linge made routine business trips to the United States in order to establish and oversee a nationwide aftersales network.
As if all of the foregoing wasn’t enough, he went on to become the envy of racing drivers and colleagues alike. They held him in high esteem for not only his mastery as a gifted mechanic and analyst, but also for his adroit skills as an accomplished racer.
His admirers developed a consensus recognizing his precision of deftly handling sports cars on the track, as well as his uncanny level-headedness and relentless poise.
Herbert Linge Diverse Racing Achievements
Herbert Linge notched vast and varied racing victories during his motorsport career on his belt.
As a co-driving mechanic, Mr. Linge garnered the Mexican Order of Merit for his three consecutive class victories in the Carrera Panamericana from 1952 to 1954.
Next in 1954, Linge teamed up with fellow Porsche racing icon Hans Herrmann for that year’s Mille Miglia. They snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by winning a class victory in a 550 Spyder.
As the legend goes, both Linge and Herrmann narrowly escaped that aforementioned defeat when they ducked down in the nick of time in their careening 550 to barely pass under the descending barrier arm at a railway crossing — defying instantaneous decapitation.
Further class wins followed for him not only at the Mille Miglia, but also at the Targa Florio.
Linge went on to garner very impressive overall wins at:
- The 1954 Liège-Rome-Liège Rally
- The 1960 Tour de Corse and
- The 1967 Marathon de la Route at the Nürburgring
His triumphs rolled on. Some of his 24 Hours of Le Mans accomplishments include:
- Starting 11 times at the Circuit de la Sarthe, with eight rankings and several class wins
- In 1965, along with Peter Nöcker, he earned the Index of Performance award for the most economical ratio of fuel consumption to engine capacity
Also in 1965, Linge and then future Porsche racing director Peter Falk finished fifth in the Monte Carlo Rally. This was a landmark achievement because it was the first major motorsport success for the early 911.
Herbert Linge, “Le Mans” the Movie — and Steve McQueen
Then, during the 1970 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Mr. Linge ran a peculiar Porsche 908 that had been converted into a motion-picture camera car.
Afterward, the indefatigable Swabian made his movie debut in the iconic Porsche racing film, “Le Mans,” stunt-doubling for none other than Steve McQueen in the picture’s racing scenes.
“Porsche and McQueen had an extremely good relationship,” Mr. Linge once reminisced. “Our racing director at the time was fully behind the film, and we supported McQueen wherever we could.
“Steve couldn’t take part in the real race himself for insurance reasons and didn’t have a car that complied with the official regulations. But he wanted the real pictures for his film — and I got them for him with the 908.”
Linge’s Federal Cross of Merit Honors
With firsthand awareness of the many dangers of auto racing, Linge was devoted to improving safety in motorsport. So quite naturally, in 1972, he founded the safety arm of Germany’s Supreme National Sports Commission for Motorsport (ONS).
Among other improvements, he and ONS championed the fitting of fire extinguishers inside racecars. His various safety mandates saved the lives of many a racing pilot in the 1970s and ‘80s.
A decade after the founding of ONS-Staffel, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit in honor of his lifetime achievement.
As an amusing side note to this, his first ONS service car was a Porsche 914/6 GT (seen above), which competed in the 1971 Monte Carlo Rally. Equipped with safety apparatus and a fire extinguishing system, racing insiders dubbed the racecar the “fastest fire engine in the world.”
Herbert Linge “Retirement” Years
Ultimately, Mr. Linge retired from his longtime position as Operations Manager at the Weissach Development Center. But he definitely didn’t rest on his laurels in his so-called retirement.
He immersed himself further in many other aspects of sports-car racing. He expanded his involvement as a motorsport consultant, for example.
In addition, he lived up to his reputation as a true visionary in 1990. He transitioned to the helm of, and helped develop, the Porsche Carrera Cup known and celebrated the world over.
Today, the 911 GT3 Cup car-only Porsche Carrera Cup is still alive and well. It runs in multiple national and regional series. Examples include Asia, Australia, Brazil, Deutschland (Germany), Great Britain, Italy and North America, to name only a few.
Linge continued to devote the rest of his life in close association with Porsche. He was an ambassador — in the truest sense of the word — for the Porsche marque.
He made appearances on behalf of Porsche at shows and events to celebrate the company’s numerous milestones in its rich history. Fans adored seeing and listening to him as he regaled them with his many stories and anecdotes about his life and times with Porsche.
So, as all can see, Mr. Linge truly lived a very long, wonderful, rich life both with Porsche and in motorsport. Most of all, he enriched countless people’s lives and careers with not only his presence, but also his efforts and accomplishments in which they participated in close collaboration with him.
Most if not all of us can only dream of living a miniscule sliver of such a rich, rewarding life.
Herbert Linge Cause of Death
Mr. Linge left us and this Earth only today. So his cause of death is yet to be announced. Once revealed, we will update you here with this heartbreaking information.