Jonkheer Carel Godin de Beaufort (10 April 1934, Maarsbergen – 2 August 1964, Cologne, Germany) was a Dutch nobleman and motorsport driver from the Netherlands. He competed in Formula One between 1957 and 1964.
1957 – Carel Godin de Beaufort with Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 550RS
1958 – Carel Godin de Beaufort with Porsche 1.5 RSK at Dutch GP
1959 – Carel Godin de Beaufort driving Porsche RSK at Dutch Grand Prix
1959 – Carel Godin de Beaufort drives car number 15, a Porsche 718 and Masten Gregory drives car number 9, a Cooper-Climax T51 at Dutch GP
1959 – Carel Godin de Beaufort drives car number 15, a Porsche 718 and Masten Gregory drives car number 9, a Cooper-Climax T51 at Dutch GP
1959 – Carel Godin de Beaufort drives car number 15, a Porsche 718 and Jean Behra drives car number 1, a Ferrari 246 Dino at Dutch GP
1959 – Carel Godin de Beaufort drives car number 15, a Porsche 718 at Dutch Grand Prix
Carel Godin de Beaufort rides in the drives parade at Zandvoort.
1959 – Carel Godin de Beaufort with a Porsche 718 RSK during Grand Prix of Holland
1960 – Jo Bonnier (14) drives a BRM P48 and Carel Godin de Beaufort (20) drives a Cooper-Climax T51 at Dutch GP.
1960 – Carel Godin de Beaufort in Cooper-Climax T51 at South African GP
1961 – Trevor Taylor(16) drives a Lotus-Climax 18, Hans Herrmann (9) drives Porsche 718, and Carel Godin de Beaufort(8) drives a Porsche 718.
1961 – Hans Herrmann drives car number 9, a Porsche 718 and Carel Godin de Beaufort drives car number 8, a Porsche 718 at Dutch Grand Prix
1961 – Carel Godin de Beaufort in his Écurie Maarsbergen Porsche 718
1962 – Carel Godin de Beaufort drives car number 14, a Porsche 718, Ben Pon drives car number 15, a Porsche 787 at Dutch Grand Prix
1962 – Carel Godin de Beaufort on his way to seventh place in a privately entered Porsche 718, Belgian Grand Prix, Spa Francorchamps
1962 – Car number 7 driven by Carel Godin de Beaufort was a Porsche 718 at Spa in Belgium
1962 – Carel Godin de Beaufort at French GP
1962 – Carel Godin de Beaufort with Porsche 718 at German GP
1963 – Gerhard Mitter drives car number 34, a Porsche 718, Jim Hall drives car number 42, a Lotus-BRM 24, Dan Gurney drives car number 18, a Brabham-Climax BT7, and Carel Godin de Beaufort drives car number 32, a Porsche 718 at Dutch Grand Prix
1963 – Carel Godin de Beaufort drives car number 32, a Porsche 718 at Dutch Grand Prix
1963 – Dan Gurney drives car number 18, a Brabham-Climax BT7, and Carel Godin de Beaufort drives car number 32, a Porsche 718 at Dutch Grand Prix
1963 – Carel Godin de Beaufort drives car number 32, a Porsche 718 at Dutch Grand Prix
1963 – Carel Godin de Beaufort at German GP (17)
1964 – Carel Goding de Beaufort at the Grosser Preis von Deutschland on the Nürburgring with Ecurie Maarsbergen
in Porsche 718
He participated in 31 World Championship Grands Prix, becoming the first Dutchman ever to score points in the Formula One World Championship, and numerous non-Championship Formula One races. He was one of the last truly amateur drivers in F1, and ran his own cars – painted the vibrant Dutch racing colour: orange – under the Ecurie Maarsbergen banner, the team taking its name from de Beaufort’s country estate. In early years he was considered something of a mobile chicane, and a danger to other drivers on the track. However, in later years he matured into a competent and popular competitor.
Always a Porsche devotee (he only drove two World Championship races in anything else) he was a familiar sight at both Championship and non-Championship races in his orange Porsche 718, bought from the Rob Walker Racing Team. Although the 718 was outclassed even in its first year with him, he persisted with it as it was the only design into which he could fit his burly frame. The size of the car, and a streak of self-deprecating humour in de Beaufort himself, earned it the nickname “Fatty Porsche”. With stereotypical aristocratic eccentricity he often drove without shoes, and at his final race in Germany was even seen taking practice laps wearing a Beatles wig, rather than his helmet.
1959 – Carel Godin de Beaufort at Avus Ring in Germany
He died after an accident at the Nürburgring, during practice for the 1964 German Grand Prix. Driving the Porsche 718, the car suddenly veered off the track at the infamous Bergwerk corner. He was thrown out of the car and suffered massive injuries to his head, chest and legs. Initially de Beaufort was taken to a local hospital, but was later transferred to a major neurological hospital in Cologne. He died from his injuries three days after the accident.
More on Carel Godin de Beaufort at 8w.forix.com/beaufort.html and www.carelgodindebeaufort.nl
Overview Dutch Formula One drivers:
Jan Flinterman (1952)
Dries van der Lof (1952)
Carel Godin de Beaufort (1957 – 1964)
Ben Pon (1962)
Rob Slotemaker* (1962)
Gijs van Lennep (1971 – 1975)
Roelof Wunderink (1975)
Boy Hayje (1976 – 1977)
Michael Bleekemolen (1977 – 1978)
Jan Lammers (1979 – 1992)
Huub Rothengatter (1984 – 1986)
Jos Verstappen (1994 – 2003)
Robert Doornbos (2004 – 2006)
Christijan Albers (2005 – 2007)
Giedo van der Garde (2008 – 2014)
Robin Frijns* (2013 – 2014)
Max Verstappen (2014 – …)
Nyck de Vries (2022 – …)
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