Walt Hansgen
Jaguar Racer and Four Times SCCA Champion
Walt Hansgen was an American racing driver from the 1950s and 60s, and though while not very well known in the UK he is well remembered in the US as he won four Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) championships and was one of the main drivers for American team owner Briggs Cunningham.
He started his racing life, fairly late aged 31 driving his own Jaguar XK120 which he turned into the hand-built Hansgen Special, then went on to race XK120s, XK150s, C and D-types and Jaguar’s Prototype E2A for a number of other car owners/racing teams.
Hansgen drove one of the cars in the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust’s Collection – our 1956 Jaguar D-type – chassis XKD605, registered 393 RW, which won the Reims 12 hour race and then went on to race at Le Mans, finishing sixth. It was then shipped out to the US where it was one of the D-types in Briggs Cunningham’s stable.
He died in April 1966, four days after an accident while testing a Ford GT40 for that year’s Le Mans 24 Hour Race.
This article deal’s primarily with Hansgen’s time driving Jaguar cars (and Jaguar engined cars – including his own Hansgen Special and Jaguar engined Listers), and related events, and is not meant to be an exhaustive review of his whole life and career. For full details of his life and career read his very comprehensive biography written by Michael Argetsinger – Walt Hansgen – His Life and the History of Post-War American Road Racing.
Early Days Working for His Father
Walt Hansgen was born on 28th October 1919 in Westfield, New Jersey, into a family that was already working with motor vehicles. His father Fred (F K) Hansgen had been running a carriage repair business from horse drawn days and this progressed into mechanical and body repairs as the automobile industry expanded in the US. While at school he was very sporty and a bit of a speed demon keen on football, ice skating and body surfing. He helped out in the family business and his first drive was an unauthorised foray in his fathers’s Model T Ford derived beach buggy. He progressed into working for his father after graduating from high school, and started learning his trade.
When he was called up into the Army during World War II he was assigned to the motor school where he quickly became bored with the lessons as he wasn’t learning anything new, but found his metier when he was assigned to the motor pool. When his time came to be shipped abroad for active service he was moved sideways as he was far too valuable being in charge of the motor pool as he kept a higher proportion of vehicles running than any of his predecessors.
Jaguar XK120 and Hansgen Special
After the war he returned to the family business and started racing in 1950 in local car gymkhana events. In 1951 he bought himself an XK120 with a loan from his mother, much to the annoyance of his wife. He nicknamed it Quicksilver and, then to the annoyance of both, started racing it at the age of 31.
His early racing can best be described as somewhat maverick leading to a suspension of his racing licence, although over time he was to develop a very smooth, consistent, fast driving style. After a fairly successful first year driving Quicksilver he hankered after a faster car. Jaguar had announced their new C-type but there was very limited supply, and even if he could have found the $5,860 needed to buy one he almost certainly wouldn’t have been allocated a car.
He set about dismantling the XK120 to make a new car. He kept the engine and running gear but discarded the steel chassis and the bodywork. He made up a tubular steel space frame (similar in concept to that of the new C-type) and his father’s body man, Emil Hoffman, worked with him on the sheet metal, all-enveloping body, shedding about 600 lbs (272 kgs) in the process.
The Hansgen Special emerged about a year later, during which period Hansgen was fortunate enough to have secured drives in Don McNought’s XK120 Coupe. The Special’s first outing in May 1953 at Bridgehampton NY was marred by the race being abandoned part way through. Hansgen came 2nd in its next race at Thompson on 4 July and then he won his first race two weeks later in the 100 mile race at Cumberland, Maryland.
Racing Jaguar C-types and D-Types
After campaigning his Special in nine races from May to October 1953, he drove a Jaguar C-type (chassis XKC022) belonging to Masten Gregory, which he bought that same weekend.
Unable to persuade his father to lend him the money he took out a second mortgage on his house, much to his wife’s annoyance. He had it re-painted from Gregory’s colour of electric blue to crushed strawberry, and went racing.
He sold the Hansgen Special to his good friend and fellow racer, Paul Timmins on a gentlemen’s agreement that Timmins would pay for it when he could.
Hansgen failed to finish his first few races in XKC022, before taking a 2nd and then a 1st at races at Thompson in September and a 5th in the Watkins Glen Grand Prix.
He never did receive payment for the Special as Timmins died in a road accident in Pennsylvania in March 1955 and Hansgen decided that Timmins’ estate should not be pursued for the outstanding debt.
In 1956 Hansgen started racing a Jaguar D-type for Auto Engineering, run by Lindy Hansen and John MacPhee. He claimed two wins, at Thompson and then Cumberland, where he beat Briggs Cunningham’s three factory prepared D-types, prompting Cunningham to offer him a job. He honoured his contract with Auto Engineering competing in three more races for them in 1956 and two in 1957, at events where the two teams did not clash.
He raced D-types for Cunningham four times in 1956, seventeen in 1957 and twice in 1958 before Cunningham started racing Jaguar engined Listers which were his preferred cars for most of the 1958 and 1959 seasons. The long nose D-type in the Jaguar Collection, chassis XKD605, which won Reims and came 6th at Le Mans in 1956, was bought by Cunningham and raced by Hansgen nine times during 1957 and 1958.
Jaguar Dealership
Throughout most of the 1950s motor racing was an amateur sport which stretched Hansgen’s finances despite the improving income from the family business. On 1 January 1957, with sponsorship from Cunningham, F K Hansgen & Son became a Jaguar dealership. Three of the workshop bays were converted into a showroom and as his racing successes continued, Jaguar used him for public appearances which helped drive customers to his new dealership. In between races he would often display one of Cunningham’s D-types in the showroom.
Within a year he was also contracted to Jaguar Cars as a technical advisor writing reports on the Cunningham cars. The combination of the dealership and his paid work secured Hansgen’s financial situation allowing him to concentrate on his racing until the sport would become professional generating prize money.
Jaguar E2A and Le Mans
After they had ceased production of the D-type, Jaguar worked on two experimental cars, E1A and E2A, as part of the development of what would become the E-type. The Experimental Department commenced building E2A on 1 January 1960. It was very much like the D-type with a slightly longer nose and the rear monococque adapted to take the independent rear suspension unit. The body had an open cockpit with two doors, unlike the D-type, and there were air intakes in the body above the rear wheels for cooling the brakes. It was fitted with a 3-litre fuel-injected XK engine developing nearly 300 bhp and driving an aluminium-cased five-speed gearbox. Ted Brookes, who was in charge of the building of the car, tested it on Saturday 27 February 1960 and the next day it was driven around the factory site, along Browns Lane and up to the by-pass and back. Brookes appeared satisfied and the E2A was taken to the MIRA track early on the Monday morning.
Norman Dewis was not that impressed with the first drives at MIRA and had a long list of suggestions on how the E2A could be improved. At this stage, Briggs Cunningham entered the picture. He was in England with Hansgen and his exceptional mechanic Alfred Momo and the trio met with Dewis that Monday and discussed various racing matters. In the past, Jaguar had supplied or loaned Cunningham D-types which had all been carefully prepared by the factory. Cunningham wanted to compete at Le Mans in 1960 but had no suitable car, he asked Lyons if he could help out and in turn Lyons asked Heynes to see what he could do.
The upshot was that it was decided to loan Cunningham the E2A, which would now be prepared for the notoriously taxing 24-hours race and testing shifted into high gear to resolve all the problems in time for the race.
Intensive testing at MIRA was carried out during February and March and gradually the hand-built E2A was improved. The troublesome five-speed gearbox was changed for a four-speed all-synchromesh D-type unit and the original engine, which had been prone to misfire at 5,000 rpm was replaced. Tyres, suspension, anti-roll bars and a myriad of smaller items all came under scrutiny and were all tested to the limit. With the Le Mans practice scheduled for the weekend of 8 April, the E2A was not as race-prepared as it should have been but it was taken over to France in its unpainted state.
By this time the raised headrest had been given a D-type fin, which was taken off for some of the practice straight line runs for comparison purposes.
At Le Mans practice, Hansgen reached 190 mph down the Mulsanne straight and achieved a lap time of 4 min 8.4 secs in E2A, this against Phil Hill’s Ferrari at 3 min 58.5 secs.
Initially, Ed Crawford had been teamed up with Hansgen for Le Mans, but he was replaced by Formula 1 BRM driver Dan Gurney for the race. Norman Dewis was now put down as a reserve driver.
Once the practice weekend was over the E2A was returned to Browns Lane and painted in Briggs Cunningham’s US racing colours of white and blue.
At the race itself, initially, Hansgen took the Jaguar into third place but it had to make a pit stop after the third lap and could not get back with the race leaders. After 89 laps the E2A retired after fuel injection problems led to head gasket failure and a burnt piston.
Dan Gurney recalled: “The drive in that Jaguar was a big pearl for me, and it was a privilege to be sharing it with Walt Hansgen, one of my heroes. But we had had some difficulty with the car’s handling. It was new, this was its first race, and the Jaguar engineers running it regarded Le Mans as their specialty.
But at first that car had been difficult to drive just down the straightaway. The least disturbance would send it into a series of tank slappers. My co-driver Walter Hansgen was such a faithful Jaguar man he didn’t criticise, but I guess I was only interested in trying to win. I felt that if we left the car the way it was and it rained, we’d be in real trouble. So I made myself unpopular by tenaciously asking ‘Can’t we find why it is doing this?’ with Walter standing quietly like it didn’t bother him. Through my constant questioning we finally found that they’d set up the car at the MIRA test ground with a fair amount of toe-out on the rear wheels. If the car leaned just a little, one way or the other, it was leaning on a wheel which would direct the tail in a different direction. We got them to change it, and it became a normal, good handling car.”
Following Le Mans, E2A was shipped back to Browns Lane and although he was disappointed not to have won in France, Cunningham liked the car and asked Heynes if he could borrow it for a race in the USA. Jaguar fitted it with a 3.8-litre XK engine and in August it was dispatched to New York. To accommodate the taller engine the bonnet acquired the long central bulge which later became the signature of the E-type.
Cunningham immediately entered it for a race at Bridgehampton, Long Island, which Hansgen won. The car was then prepared for the Road America ‘500’ on the Elkhart Lake circuit in Wisconsin. A larger fuel tank was fitted with only one fuel stop planned. Hansgen was soon in second place behind Augie Pabst’s Ferrari but sadly E2A lost a place and finished third, with six gallons of fuel remaining. This was Hansgen’s last race in E2A.
Le Mans and Other Races
As well as driving Jaguars, Hansgen drove virtually every make of racing car in period: Aston Martin, Austin Healey, Cooper, Ferrari, Fiat-Abarth, Ford, Lola, Lotus, Maserati, MG, Porsche, and participated in virtually every form of racing on the calendar.
He drove at Le Mans on five occasions, four of them for Cunningham but failed to finish in all five races. He drove a Lister Jaguar there in 1959 for Brian Lister and then E2A in 1960 for Cunningham. For 1961 and 1962 he drove Cunningham’s Maseratis before taking a seat in a Lightweight E-type with Augie Pabst in 1963, but only managing to complete 8 laps.
He drove in Formula One in 1961 for Momo Corporation and in 1964 for team Lotus.
He drove for Kell Qvale at the Indianapolis 500 in 1964 and 1965 finishing 13th and 14th respectively.
He introduced Formula Junior to the USA from Italy, by importing the first Stanguellini in the country and campaigning it at four races in 1959, encouraging others to follow suit.
Race Results – Jaguar Related including Jaguar Engined
| Year | Date | Race | Result | Car / Co-Driver | Entrant / Team (If not himself) |
| 1951 | 26 May | Bridgehampton, New York Hamptons Cup (His first race) | DNF | Jaguar XK120 | Walt E Hansgen |
| 15 September | Watkins Glen, NY Watkins Glen Grand Prix | 9th overall 2nd in class | Jaguar XK120 | ||
| 20 October | Convair Airport Allentown, PA | 2nd | Jaguar XK120 | ||
| 1952 | 3 May | Keene, NY Mountain House Hill Climb | 2nd | Jaguar XK120 Coupe | Don McNought |
| 24 May | Bridgehampton, NY Hayground Cup | 2nd | Jaguar XK120 Coupe | Don McNought | |
| 17 August | Thompson Raceway, Connecticut | 3rd | Jaguar XK120 Coupe | Don McNought | |
| 1953 | 8 March | Sebring, Florida 12 Hour Race | 12th 5th in class | Jaguar XK120 | Don McNought |
| 18 May | Bridgehampton, NY Bridgehampton Cup | Race abandoned | Hansgen Special | ||
| 4 July | Thompson, CT SCCA Regional | 2nd | Hansgen Special | ||
| 19 July | Cumberland, Maryland 100 Mile Race | 1st | Hansgen Special | ||
| 29 August | Brooklyn, NY Floyd Bennett Cup | 2nd | Hansgen Special | ||
| 6 September | Thompson Raceway, CT SCCA National | 2nd | Hansgen Special | ||
| 19 September | Watkins Glen, NY Watkins Glen Grand Prix | 1st | Hansgen Special | ||
| 11 October | Thompson, CT SCCA Regional | DNF | Hansgen Special | ||
| 25 October | Albany, Georgia Sowega International Races King George Cup 75 miles | 6th | Hansgen Special | ||
| 25 October | Albany, GA Sowega International Races C Modified 250 miles | 10th | Hansgen Special | ||
| 1954 | 7 March | Sebring, FL 12 Hour Race | DNF | Jaguar C-type (XKC022) | |
| 9 May | Westhampton, NY SCCA Regional | 2nd | Jaguar XK120 | ||
| 16 May | Cumberland, MD Cumberland Cup, SCCA National | DNF | Jaguar C-type | ||
| 15 August | New Hampshire Mount Washington Hill Climb | DNF | Jaguar C-type | ||
| 5 September | Thompson CT, Thompson Raceway | 2nd | Jaguar C-type | ||
| 5 September | Thompson CT, Thompson Raceway (Open) | 1st | Jaguar C-type | ||
| 18 September | Watkins Glen, NY Watkins Glen Grand Prix | 5th | Jaguar C-type | ||
| 1956 | 22 April | Thompson CT, Thompson Raceway SCCA Regional | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Auto Engineering |
| 20 May | Cumberland, MD Vandergrift Memorial | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Auto Engineering | |
| 3 June | Fort Worth, TX Eagle Mountain 40 miles | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 3 June | Fort Worth, TX Eagle Mountain 100 miles | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 24 June | Elkhart Lake, WS June Sprints | DNF | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 2 September | Thompson, CT Thompson Raceway | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Auto Engineering | |
| 3 September | Thompson, CT Thompson One Hour | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Auto Engineering | |
| 7 October | Thompson, CT Thompson Raceway | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Auto Engineering | |
| 28 October | Thompson, CT Thompson Raceway | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 1957 | 24 March | Sebring, FL 12 Hour Race | 5th | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham |
| 28 April | Lime Rock, CT | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 19 May | Cumberland, MD Vandergrift Memorial | 2nd | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 26 May | Thompson, CT Thompson Raceway | DNF | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 9 June | Lime Rock, CT | 4th | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 23 June | Elkhart Lake, WI Road America, June Sprints | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 14 July | Marlboro, MD Marlboro Prelim 10 lap ‘Tobacco Road’ | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Auto Engineering | |
| 14 July | Marlboro, MD 25 lap ‘Lavender Hill Mob Trophy’ | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Auto Engineering | |
| 4 August | Danville, VA Virginia Intl. Raceway SCCA Prelim | 2nd | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 4 August | Danville, VA Virginia Intl. Raceway SCCA National | 2nd | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 18 August | Montgomery, NY SCCA National | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 1 September | Thompson, CT Thompson Raceway | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 2 September | Thompson, CT Thompson Raceway SCCA National | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 8 September | Elkhart Lake, WI Road America 500 | DNF | Jaguar D-type with Phil Forno | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 21 September | Watkins Glen, NY Watkins Glen Grand Prix | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 29 September | Bridgehampton, NY SCCA National | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 27 October | Danville, VA Virginia Intl. Raceway President’s Cup SCCA National | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 16 November | Riverside, CA Riverside Intl. Raceway 5 laps SCCA Qualifying | 3rd | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 17 November | Riverside, CA Riverside Intl. Raceway President’s Cup | 4th | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 1958 | 12 January | Miami, FL Orange Bowls National 8 lap Prelim | 3rd | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham |
| 12 January | Miami, FL Orange Bowls National 25 lap SCCA National | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 22 March | Sebring, FL 12 Hours | DNF | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 20 April | Marlboro, MD President’s Cup National | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 27 April | Lime Rock, CT New England Championship | 3rd | Jaguar XK150S | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 4 May | Danville, VA Virginia Intl. Raceway 30 minute Prelim SCCA | 2nd | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 4 May | Danville, VA Virginia Intl. Raceway One Hour SCCA | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 18 May | Cumberland, MD Cumberland National | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 1 June | Bridgehampton, NY SCCA National | 3rd | Jaguar XK150S | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 1 June | Bridgehampton, NY SCCA National | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 14 June | Lime Rock, CT Class C Prod. SCCA National | 3rd | Jaguar XK150S | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 14 June | Lime Rock, CT SCCA National | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 21 June | Elkhart Lake, WI June Sprints 5 Lap Prelim | 2nd | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 22 June | Elkhart Lake, WI June Sprints C,D,E Prod. | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 5 July | Lime Rock, CT SCCA National | 2nd | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 19 July | Silverstone Saloon Car Race | 1st | Jaguar 3.4 Litre Saloon | John Coombs | |
| 19 July | Silverstone BRDC International | DNF | Lister Jaguar | Brian Lister | |
| 27 July | Snetterton Over 2700 cc | 1st | Jaguar | Brian Lister | |
| 27 July | Snetterton Formula Libre | 1st | Jaguar | Brian Lister | |
| 17 August | Montgomery, MD Montgomery National | 2nd | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 31 August | Thompson Raceway, CT SCCA 10 Lap | 2nd | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 1 September | Thompson Raceway, CT SCCA National | 2nd | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 7 September | Elkhart Lake, WI Road America, 500 mile | DNF | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 13 September | Bridgehampton, NY SCCA Regional | 2nd | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 14 September | Bridgehampton, NY SCCA Regional | 1st | Jaguar D-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 20 September | Watkins Glen, NY Watkins Glen Grand Prix SCCA National | 2nd | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 4 October | Danville, VA Virginia International Raceway SCCA Prelim | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 5 October | Danville, VA Virginia International Raceway President’s Cup | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 1959 | 21 March | Sebring, FL 12 Hour Race | 12th | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham |
| 18 April | Marlboro, MD Marlboro SCCA | DNF | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 19 April | Marlboro, MD SCCA National | 2nd | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 3 May | Danville, VA Virginia International Raceway SCCA National | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 17 May | Cumberland, MD SCCA National | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 31 May | Bridgehampton, NY Bridgehampton National | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 21 June | Le Mans 24 Hour Race | DNF | Lister Jaguar with Peter Blondchassis | Brian Lister | |
| 4 July | Lime Rock, CT SCCA National | DNF | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 9 August | Montgomery, NY Governor’s Cup | 2nd | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 6 September | Thompson, CT Thompson Raceway SCCA Prelim | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 7 September | Thompson, CT Thompson National SCCA C Mod | 4th | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 13 September | Elkhart Lake, WI Road America 500 mile | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 26 September | Watkins Glen, NY Watkins Glen Grand Prix SCCA National | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 14 November | Daytona Beach, FL Daytona Intl. Speedway SCCA 4 lap Prelim | 1st | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 15 November | Daytona Beach, FL Daytona Intl. Speedway | 2nd | Lister Jaguar | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 12 December | Sebring, FL Sebring Compact Car Race | 1st | Jaguar Mark II | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 1960 | 26 June | Le Mans 24 Hour Race | DNF | Jaguar E2A | Briggs Cunningham |
| 28 August | Bridgehampton, NY Bridgehampton National | 1st | Jaguar E2A | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 11 September | Elkhart Lake, WI Road America 500 mile | 3rd 1st in class | Jaguar E2A | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 20 November | Riverside, CA Riverside Sedan Race | 1st | Jaguar Mark II | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 1961 | 14 October | Riverside, CA | DNF | Jaguar Mark II | Briggs Cunningham |
| 1962 | 11 February | Daytona Beach, FL Dayton Continental 3 Hour | 17th | Jaguar E-type | Briggs Cunningham |
| 2 June | Bridgehampton, NY Bridgehampton Prod. Race | DQ | Jaguar E-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 16 September | Bridgehampton, NY Bridgehampton 400k Intl. | 6th 3rd in class | Jaguar E-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 1963 | 17 February | Daytona Beach, FL Daytona 3 Hour | DQ | Jaguar E-type | Briggs Cunningham |
| 23 March | Sebring, FL Sebring 12 Hour | 8th | Jaguar E-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 16 June | Le Mans 24 Hour Race | DNF | Jaguar E-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 8 September | Elkhart Lake, WI Road America 500 mile | 11th 3rd in class | Jaguar E-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 14 September | Bridgehampton, NY Bridgehampton 500 km | 3rd | Jaguar E-type | Briggs Cunningham | |
| 1966 | 3 April | Le Mans Testing | Fatal Accident | Ford GT40 | Holman Moody |
Racing Summary
While relatively short, Hansgen’s racing career was very successful both as an independent and then as a team driver, scoring podiums (top three) in 66% of his races and winning 43%.
| Race Starts | 244 |
| Race Finishes | 190 (78%) |
| Race Wins | 106 (43%) |
| Top 3 Podiums | 162 (66%) |
Main Teams | Auto Engineering, Briggs Cunningham, Brian Lister, Don McNought, Holman & Moody, John Mecom, Momo Racing, Team Lotus, Kjell Qvale, |
| Jaguars Driven | XK120, XK150S, C-type, D-Type, E-type, E2A, Lightweight E-type, 3.4 Litre Saloon (Mark I), Mark II |
| Jaguar engined cars | Hansgen Special, Lister Knobbly, Costin-bodied Lister |
| Other makes | Aston Martin, Austin Healey, Cooper, Corvette, Ferrari, Fiat-Abarth, Ford, Lola, Lotus, Maserati, MG TD, Porsche, Scarab, Stanguellini |
| SCCA Championships | 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 |
Death while Testing at Le Mans
Hansgen died in hospital following an accident during April testing for the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hour Race. In 1966 Ford were determined to beat Ferrari with Ford GT40s from their own works team and that of Holman & Moody. They succeeded, taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.
Hansgen was driving for the Holman & Moody team and took his Ford GT40 Mk2 to Le Mans for testing on 3 April. It started raining hard and he was advised by team manager Carroll Smith to take it easy. The rain eased slightly but the track remained waterlogged and despite this Hansgen kept improving his lap times, until at one point he lost traction and the car aqua-planed. He tried to steer onto an escape road, only to find out too late it was blocked with piles of sand, which he hit at around 150 mph and the car flipped end over end before coming to a halt. It took twenty minutes to extract him from the wreckage and he was helicoptered to a US Army hospital in Orleans.
Hansgen’s wife received a phone call in the US telling them to come over and she and their son Rusty boarded the plane quite unperturbed, as over the years he had survived a number of crashes and hospital visits and they expected a similar outcome. He never recovered consciousness and he died on 7 April after the decision was taken to turn off his life support.
Post Script – Visit to Gaydon by Rusty Hansgen
In September 2023 Hansgen’s son, Rusty arranged a visit to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust archives at Gaydon with his own son Ashley. They were in England as the restored Hansgen Special was appearing at Goodwood weekend and he wished to take the opportunity to see if there were any of his father’s technical reports in the archive, that he did not already have in the family collection.
They had a productive time in the archives and then over lunch regaled us with stories of his father’s life and racing exploits. He remembered our D-type (XKD605) stored in the family Jaguar dealership between races and occupying the passenger seat while his father drove the car to the local races.
Following lunch we wheeled the car out of the workshop and invited Rusty to re-occupy the passenger seat. The car was then started and our technician took him off around the south Warwickshire countryside re-appearing about 20 minutes later with a huge grin on Rusty’s face. As Rusty exited the car with his memories refreshed, Ashley took his turn in the passenger seat and they set off around the lanes for a second time.
Seeing the car again, hearing it, and most of all riding in it, again for Rusty, and in a D-type for the first time for Ashley, turned their visit to the archives into a trip they say they will remember all their lives.
Author: Tony Merrygold with additional information from François Prins.
Race results from Walt Hansgen by Michael Argetsinger and www.RacingSportsCars.com
© Text and Images – Jaguar Cars, JDHT, Hansgen Family Collection and others.
Sources and Further Reading:
Argetsinger, Michael, Walt Hansgen – His Life and the History of Post-War American Road Racing (David Bull Publishing, 2006)
Automobile Quarterly Volume 27, Number 4 – Gross, Ken, Walt Hansgen – Hard Charger. AND Stein, Jonathan, The Hansgen Jaguar Special (Automobile Quarterly Inc, 1989)
Roe, Geoff, Bert Hadley A Son of Birmingham: A Tribute (The Pre-War Austin Seven Club Ltd, 2013)
Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and foreword by HRH Prince Michael of Kent, Jaguar (Quiller Press, 1997)
Mennem, Patrick, Jaguar: An Illustrated History (The Crowood Press Ltd, 1991)
Parker, Chas, Jaguar D-Type: Owners’ Workshop Manual – 1954 Onwards (All Models) (Haynes Publishing, 2017)
Whyte, Andrew, Jaguar: The Definitive History of a Great British Car (Patrick Stephens Limited, 1990)
Porter, Philip, Jaguar: E-Type The Definitive History (Porter Press International, 2015)
Thorley, Nigel, Jaguar in Coventry: Building the Legend (Breedon Books Publishing Co Ltd, 2013)
Porter, Philip, Jaguar: Sports Racing Cars (Bay View Books, 1995)
Clausager, Anders Ditlev, Le Mans (Littlehampton Book Services Ltd, 1982)
Skilleter, Paul, Norman Dewis of Jaguar: Developing the Legend (PJ Publishing Ltd, 2017)
Porter, Philip and Skilleter, Paul, Sir William Lyons: The Official Biography (Haynes Publishing, 2001)