Quick Facts
| Intro | German racing driver |
| A.K.A. | Barth |
| Was | Racecar driver Formula One driver Motorcycle racer |
| From | Germany |
| Field | Sports |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 26 January 1917, Herold, Germany |
| Death | 20 May 1965, Ludwigsburg, Germany (aged 48 years) |
| Star sign | Aquarius |
Biography
Wilfried Edgar Barth (26 January 1917 in Herold – 20 May 1965 in Ludwigsburg) was a German (East German until 1957, then West German) Formula One and sports car racing driver.
Racing career
Barth was born in Herold. He began his career as a DKW motorcycle racer and later switched to BMW sportscars. The East German factory of BMW would become the Eisenacher Motorenwerk (EMW) after the war. He raced these Formula 2 cars even in Western Germany until politics prevented this. In 1957, he emigrated to the West.
Barth won the 1959, 1963 and 1964 European Mountain Championships (Hillclimb) for Porsche and also the 1959 Targa Florio.
Apart from Formula 2 races with Porsche 718, he also took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on numerous occasions.
He participated four times in the German Grand Prix, the last one in 1964 for Rob Walker in a Cooper. Nine months later he succumbed to cancer, and died, aged 48, in Ludwigsburg.
Edgar Barth's son Jürgen Barth became an engineer at Porsche and also went into motorsport, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1977.
Career results
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Rennkollektiv EMW | EMW R2 | EMW 6 2.0 L6 | ARG | 500 | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER Ret |
SUI | ITA | NC | 0 | ||
| 1957 | Dr Ing F. Porsche KG | Porsche RS550 (F2) | Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 | ARG | MON | 500 | FRA | GBR | GER 12 |
PES | ITA | NC | 0 | |||
| 1958 | Dr Ing F. Porsche KG | Porsche RSK (F2) | Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 | ARG | MON | NED | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER 6 |
POR | ITA | MOR | NC | 0 |
| 1960 | Dr Ing F. Porsche KG | Porsche 718 | Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 | ARG | MON | 500 | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | POR | ITA 7 |
USA | NC | 0 | |
| 1961 | Dr Ing F. Porsche KG | Porsche 787 | Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 | MON | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER WD |
NC | 0 | |||||
| Porsche System Engineering | Porsche 718 | ITA PO |
USA | |||||||||||||
| 1964 | R.R.C. Walker Racing Team | Cooper T66 | Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 | MON | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER Ret |
AUT | ITA | USA | MEX | NC | 0 | |
Source:
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