Jo Siffert: The Racing Driver Who Inspired Steve McQueen

A story close to home

Some drivers leave a mark that a results table can never fully explain. Jo Siffert is one of them. Two Formula One World Championship victories tell part of his story. The rest can be found at Porsche, on endurance circuits, in the images of Steve McQueen’s Le Mans — and in Fribourg.

I grew up in Fribourg myself. That gives Jo Siffert’s story a particular closeness for me. The great names of motorsport tend to bring places like Maranello, Monaco or Silverstone to mind. With Siffert, the story begins somewhere that belongs to my own background. A man from Fribourg who earned his place among the best racing drivers of his time. It makes a historic name feel a little more personal.

It is worth looking beyond the familiar images: the open-face helmet, the Gulf-liveried Porsche and the racing aesthetic that still lives on countless posters. Siffert’s story also involves craftsmanship, business sense and just how far a passion can take you.

From the body shop to motorcycle racing

Joseph Siffert was born in Fribourg on 7 July 1936. He trained as a car body repairer. Before driving racing cars internationally, he learned a trade built around metal, tools and practical work. Later, he combined racing with work in the motor trade. The workshop and the business side of motoring remained part of his life.

His racing career began on two wheels. In 1959, Siffert became Swiss motorcycle champion in the 350 cc class. He then shifted his focus towards cars, competing in car racing from 1960 and reaching Formula One in 1962. Within a few years, the motorcycle racer had become a driver on the biggest international stage in motor racing.

That beginning makes his story especially interesting for those of us who ride. Siffert belongs to our world too: a generation of racers who moved between disciplines, tried different things and developed their skills on very different machines.

A racer who took every opportunity

Versatility became one of Siffert’s defining strengths. Formula One, sports prototypes, endurance racing, Formula Two and Can-Am: his programme covered an extraordinary range. The Historical Dictionary of Switzerland describes him as one of the most versatile racing drivers of his era.

A figure from Porsche’s retrospective gives an idea of his commitment: 298 races in eleven years. Sometimes he competed in several races during a single weekend. Imagine that rhythm of life: travel, practise, race, change cars and do it all again.

It demanded far more than speed. Different cars behaved differently, races varied in length and each discipline brought its own challenges. Siffert had to keep adapting — and could compete at the highest level while doing so.

Brands Hatch, 1968: the breakthrough

His major Formula One breakthrough came at Brands Hatch on 20 July 1968. Driving a Lotus 49B for the private Rob Walker Racing Team, Siffert won the British Grand Prix ahead of Chris Amon’s Ferrari. The result is widely regarded as the last Formula One World Championship victory by a true privateer team running a customer car.

Results like that are part of the enduring appeal of historic motorsport. A private team could beat the established manufacturers. It took the right equipment, careful preparation and a driver who could make the opportunity count. At Brands Hatch, Siffert brought those elements together.

And 1968 offered much more. He also won the Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours. At Le Mans, he secured Porsche’s first pole position. A Formula One Grand Prix, two major endurance victories and the fastest qualifying time at the world’s most famous 24-hour race: a single season that shows the breadth of his ability.

Jo Siffert and Porsche: the beginning of a legend

Porsche became a central part of Siffert’s career. The 917 was particularly important, although its legendary status today can make it easy to forget its difficult beginnings. Its speed and aerodynamic behaviour initially made it a demanding car to drive.

On 10 August 1969, Siffert and Kurt Ahrens won the 1,000-kilometre race at the Österreichring near Zeltweg. It was the Porsche 917’s first race victory. Their names stand at the beginning of a success story that would help define international sports car racing.

Siffert’s importance within the Porsche team was considerable. Former senior race engineer Peter Falk later credited him with a major contribution to the 1969 World Sportscar Championship. Porsche won seven of the season’s ten races. Siffert shared in six of those victories: five with Brian Redman and one with Kurt Ahrens.

His name later became closely associated with the pale blue and orange Gulf Porsches. In 1970, he also won the Targa Florio. An overall victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours, however, remained beyond his reach — a striking omission given his close association with Porsche and the 917.

Business sense came along for the ride

Siffert understood that talent alone would not finance a racing career. He pursued sponsors, recognised advertising opportunities and developed into a businessman. A retrospective published by the organisers of Le Mans describes a driver who recognised the growing importance of visible sponsorship early and actively sought the funding he needed.

His relationship with Heuer is a particularly good example. Jack Heuer arranged for the brand’s logo to appear on Siffert’s car and racing suit. Siffert could also buy watches at wholesale prices and sell them within the racing community. He was a driver, a brand ambassador and a dealer at the same time.

It adds a very practical dimension to his story. Behind the race starts were negotiations, relationships and the ongoing work of finding money. Even a driver with his talent had to make sure the next opportunity could happen.

The racing driver who inspired Steve McQueen

The Heuer connection leads directly to Steve McQueen. During the making of Le Mans, McQueen took inspiration from Siffert’s appearance as a racing driver. TAG Heuer identifies the Swiss racer as the model for the actor’s racing look. Siffert also contributed to the production, while his business connections played a role in supplying racing cars for the film.

That gives those familiar film images another layer. Much of what we now recognise as timeless motorsport style came directly from the paddock. Siffert was among the people whose everyday working lives helped shape it.

McQueen’s name comes up quickly whenever the style of that era is discussed. Knowing that a racing driver from Fribourg was one of his reference points makes the connection all the more interesting to me.

1971: another victory, then tragedy

In 1971, Siffert won the Austrian Grand Prix for BRM. At the Österreichring, he started from pole position, set the fastest lap and led every lap of the race. It was his second Formula One World Championship victory, delivered by a driver at the height of his ability.

On 24 October that same year, Jo Siffert died at Brands Hatch. He was competing in the World Championship Victory Race, an event outside the Formula One World Championship. His BRM crashed and caught fire. He could not escape the car. He was 35 years old.

This part of his story deserves to remain visible alongside the beautiful racing photographs. The cars still fascinate us. The consequences of an accident in that era could be devastating. Siffert’s death belongs to that reality and deserves to be remembered with care and respect.

Fribourg remembers

Tens of thousands of people came to Fribourg for his funeral. Their presence showed how much he meant to his hometown. He had become an international racing driver and remained, for many, “Seppi”, the man from their city.

His friend Jean Tinguely created a particularly fitting tribute. In 1984, the Jo Siffert Fountain was installed at the Grand-Places in Fribourg. A moving machine of black metal and water, it keeps the driver’s name present in the city’s public space.

I like the sense of movement in that memorial. For someone whose life revolved so completely around driving, a machine that keeps moving feels appropriate.

Why his story stays with me

Perhaps that is why Jo Siffert’s story resonates with me. There is the connection to Fribourg, where I grew up. There is his beginning on a motorcycle. And there is a life in which a passion became a profession, with all the work that involved: learning, organising, finding money, dealing with setbacks and looking for the next opportunity.

His story gives the familiar images greater depth. When you see the Gulf Porsche, there is also the car body repairer from Fribourg to remember. The motorcycle champion, the businessman and the versatile racer who proved himself on very different machines.

Jo Siffert has his place in motorsport history. For me, the road there runs through Fribourg.