{"id":498896,"date":"2020-09-08T15:17:18","date_gmt":"2020-09-08T22:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/\/?p=110315"},"modified":"2024-02-19T12:43:10","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T12:43:10","slug":"the-swift-swiss-jean-pierre-kunstle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/the-swift-swiss-jean-pierre-kunstle\/","title":{"rendered":"The Swift Swiss \u2014Jean Pierre Kunstle"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the name Jean Pierre Kunstle came up in a conversation about sports car racing, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if it didn\u2019t sound familiar.\u00a0 He was sort of a \u201cmystery man\u201d since not much was written about him personally, virtually all reports were about his racing success on the track.\u00a0 He appeared on the sports car racing scene in 1954 and departed six years later as one of the best drivers on the West Coast.\u00a0 Who was this man they called \u201cThe Swift Swiss\u201d?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jean Pierre was described as handsome, charming, intelligent, confident and
with an air of European sophistication. This photo taken in his early 30\u2019s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were many reasons to immigrate to the United States in the 1950s – perhaps it was a job opportunity, a need to see more of the world or a desire to find a better way of life that motivated individuals to relocate from another part of the world.\u00a0 However, in the case of 22-year old Kunstle of Geneva, Switzerland, it was an American tourist that was the key factor in his moving to the U.S. in 1951.<\/p>\n

Kunstle was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1929, but raised in Geneva, living in the Hotel de Russie on Lake Geneva, owned and operated by his family.\u00a0 He lived there through his college years and shortly after graduating from the College Privat of Geneva, he met an American girl, Elizabeth Cain, who was vacationing in the area.\u00a0 After a short courtship, they decided to marry in her hometown of Schenectady, NY so it was off to America.<\/p>\n

One of the wedding gifts the couple received was a new Chevrolet Coupe.\u00a0 It was then that the new Mrs. Kunstle found her husband was not a very good driver, so she became his driving instructor.\u00a0 The Chevrolet proved to be unreliable so they sold it and purchased a new sporty MG, which was much more fitting for the young couple.\u00a0 Apparently, Jean Pierre was a good student and improved his driving to the point he competed in a couple of local hill climbs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
In this photo, Kunstle is standing next to his Porsche with his back to the camera talking with two Cal Club officials. He encountered mechanical problems and retired in his race.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Moving up the performance scale quickly, Kunstle purchased an early Porsche Cabriolet from Max Hoffman, in New York, and there were suggestions he took the car to Thompson Raceway in Connecticut to try his hand at road racing.\u00a0 From Terry O\u2019Neil\u2019s book \u201cNortheast American Sports Car races 1950-1959\u201d this information is confirmed, the race results show Kunstle, in a 356 Porsche, winning his Class 6 race on October 11, 1952.\u00a0 Indeed, his wife must have taught him how to drive very well!\u00a0 Winning his first SCCA road race was an auspicious start for the young driver.<\/p>\n

\nA Change of Scenery<\/b><\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>
An advertisement from the 1957 Cotati event program by the Porsche Distributor showing Kuntsle Motors in Carmel as one of their dealers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For his day job, Kunstle was an outside salesman for a New York textile manufacturer who made among other things, items for car interiors.\u00a0 His sales territory included all the western states and California looked like a good place to establish his base of operation.\u00a0 Kunstle chose San Francisco to set up his office and after a few months his wife journeyed out to join him.\u00a0 The couple eventually discovered Carmel, on the Monterey Peninsula, and decided to make it their home in 1953.\u00a0 Those that knew him said he was handsome, charming, intelligent and confident with an air of sophistication most likely due to his European upbringing.\u00a0 Characteristics similar to two other racing personalities of that period, Alfonso Juan de Portago of Spain and Wolfgang von Trips of Germany, both of whom occasionally competed in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Of course, if you lived anywhere near the Monterey area you couldn\u2019t help but hear about the annual sports car races at Pebble Beach and perhaps even the races through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, events he may have attended as a spectator.\u00a0 This close proximity with racing and sports cars gave him an idea, to open a sports car sales and service store to take advantage of the growing interest in this new sport.\u00a0 He decided to make the change and in 1953, he gave up his textile sales job and opened Kunstle Motor Company in Carmel, initially with Porsche, plus any other marque he could sell.\u00a0 Getting his business established was the priority for the balance of the year with any desire to race put on the back burner.<\/p>\n

He joined the San Francisco Region of the SCCA and was listed in the club\u2019s National Directory from 1956 through 1960 as John Paul Kunstle.\u00a0 Maybe he did this to \u201cblend in\u201d to American society or, due to the stuffy SCCA membership attitudes which prevailed at that time, to make it easier to join the club.<\/p>\n

Into the Fray<\/b>
\nKunstle\u2019s first West Coast race was at Willow Spring, a new race track in the Southern California desert.\u00a0 The date was May 9, 1954, where he entered his Porsche 356 for Novice Class drivers.\u00a0 Race results only showed the top finishers of which Kunstle was not one of them so he must have finished down the field.\u00a0 This was the first event his car carried what would become his standard race number of 118, which he would use on his cars the rest of his California racing career.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
At Torrey Pines in October of 1955, Kunstle raced this Porsche 356 to victory in
the Production Car Class, one of three races for him that weekend.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next up, was Golden Gate Park in June 1954, where he entered the Porsche Cabriolet in the Mayor\u2019s Cup race.\u00a0 The field of 37 cars included two drivers Kunstle would become even more familiar with in the near future, John von Neumann and Ken Miles.\u00a0 Against the toughest competition he had faced so far, Kunstle came home in sixth place giving an indication of his growing talent behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
. Bill Devin produced a small number of the Devin Panhard like the one he is shown
here racing at Santa Barbara in 1955. The cars raced in the H Modified Class
where he and the cars did quite well.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now rated as a Senior Driver, he entered the race at Santa Clara Fairgrounds in July.\u00a0 In his mixed class race group, he finished 3rd overall and 1st in class, more signs of his improving skills.\u00a0 Palm Springs in October produced another 1st in class followed by another class victory at March Field, in November. \u00a0All in all it had been a good year, a learning year, becoming familiar with new road courses, his car and the other drivers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Breakout Year<\/b><\/h2>\n

The 1955 season would be a real break through for Kunstle as he filled his calendar with a steady string of races throughout the year.\u00a0 He would expand his racing by running three different cars – a new Devin Panhard in H Modified Class, his 356 Porsche in F Production and a Porsche 550 in F Modified.\u00a0 The Porsche 550 was the first in a series of Porsche Spyders that Kunstle would become best known for and had his greatest success.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
1.The first half of 1955 Kunstle raced a Devin Panhard (#118) to earn enough national points to finish 4th in the nation. Here at Santa Barbara making an outside pass on the MG Special of Ralph Phillips (#111).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first half of the year he raced the Devin Panhard at Pebble Beach, Bakersfield (finished 2nd ahead of actor James Dean), Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa and Hansen Dam.\u00a0 He earned enough National Points to finish 4th in the U.S. in the G Mod Class.\u00a0 He raced his Porsche 356 at Buchanan Field (1st and 2nd); then drove I. W. Stephenson\u2019s OSCA at Santa Rosa (3rd).\u00a0 The next race at Salinas would be the beginning of five straight races in 550s for Kunstle, a stretch in which he placed no lower than 5th.<\/p>\n

The 550 he raced at Salinas already had history before he acquired it.\u00a0 After the Sebring 12 Hours race each year, the Porsche team would sell off their cars to several distributors including John von Neumann, who sold the car to Kunstle, who put it to good use at Salinas Airport in early October with a 1st.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A battered Porsche 550 believe it or not finished 3rd in the 6 Hour enduro at Torrey Pines in October of 1955. Kunstle co-drove with owner W. T. Turner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At Torrey Pines, in late October, there was a 6-hour enduro on Saturday with Kunstle co-driving in W. R. Turner\u2019s 550.\u00a0 During the race, the 550 received damage front and rear from collisions with other cars and hay bales, putting several dents in the body and buckling the bonnet.\u00a0 None the less, they soldiered on and with the car looking more like a rolling wreck, the team finished 3rd overall.\u00a0 For the Sunday under 1500-cc Production car race, Kunstle drove a Porsche 356 Super to a 1st place finish, but he still had one more event to run that weekend.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Sunday main event for Modified Under 1500cc cars turned into a barn burner with Kunstle leading up to the last lap when Miles (#50) slipped past for the win.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the start of the main event for modified cars under 1500-cc, Kunstle jumped out to an early lead in in the same 550 he had co-driven in the 6-hour enduro the day before.\u00a0 The damage had been sufficiently repaired so he could race the car.\u00a0 As the race unfolded, he fought off several other drivers, staying in the lead for most of the race.\u00a0 A slight error in the closing laps of the race allowed Ken Miles to slip by for a very close win.\u00a0 Giving Miles, the recognized top driver in the Under 1500-cc class, such a hard race propelled Kunstle into the top level of drivers in the F Modified Class along with Ritchie Ginther, Jack McAfee and of course Miles\u2026fast company indeed!\u00a0 Kunstle concluded a very good year by taking a 2nd and 4th at Palm Springs.<\/p>\n

From the book \u201cPorsche Legends\u201d by Randy Leffingwell, Kunstle recalled in an interview, \u201cYou know I had dices with Miles.\u00a0 He would win on Saturday, I would win on Sunday.\u00a0 It was murder.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A Constant Threat<\/b><\/h2>\n

For whatever reason, this Northern California resident was shifting his focus to racing primarily in Southern California.\u00a0 Perhaps he liked the competition or the offers of cars to race came from that area.\u00a0 With the exception of an April race at Pebble Beach, the rest of 1956 was filled with racing in Cal Club events.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kunstle at Pebble Beach in 1956 shown here leading the H Mod Special of Harry
Eyerly. Unfortunately Kunstle suffer a DNF in this race.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the balance of 1956, Kunstle would race Porsche 550s for owners W.R. Turner and Al Hoskings at Palm Springs (DNF, 1st), Pebble Beach (2nd), Bakersfield (DNF), Santa Maria (3rd, 2nd) Santa Barbara (3rd, 2nd and a 1st), Palm Springs (DNF) and Paramount Ranch (2nd, 2nd).\u00a0 Kunstle had shown he was a constant threat for a podium finish at any race he entered and he looked forward to the 1957 season.<\/p>\n

1957 – The Best Year<\/b><\/h2>\n

Kunstle now was about to embark on only his fifth year of road racing having accomplished quite a bit in such a short period of time.\u00a0 His calendar of races would include the familiar venues of Paramount Ranch (2), Santa Barbara and Pomona (2).\u00a0 In addition, he tried something new, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Riverside Raceway to round out his year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Applying opposite lock through turn with a steel guard rail close by, Kunstle
powers around a turn at Paramount Ranch iin December 1957 where is scored
another 1st and 2nd.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the opening races at Paramount Ranch (3rd, DNF, 3rd) he brokered the sale of Al Hosking\u2019s Porsche 550 to Roy Turnbull who had organized the first Hawaii Speed Week.\u00a0 Turnbull raced the car successfully in Hawaii for the next several years.\u00a0 Kunstle had purchased another 550 from the John Edgar stable and prepared it for his first race at Sebring.\u00a0 This Porsche 550 had been raced at the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans where it finished 5th overall and 1st in class.\u00a0 After being acquired by the Edgar team, it was raced in several events before Kunstle bought the car and raced it at Palm Springs in November 1956.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Two of the top west coast drivers doing battle at Pomona in October 1957. Jack McAfee (left) and Kunstle (right) abreast at speed, Kunstle would win on Saturday place 2nd to Miles on Sunday.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For his Sebring co-driver, Kunstle chose none other than Ken Miles, his fiercest competitor and a friend.\u00a0 In what Kunstle called his best race of his career, he and Miles finished an amazing 5th overall and 2nd in class.\u00a0 However, all was not wine and roses – he had accepted $1500.00 for finishing 2nd in class.\u00a0 Of course, this was supposed to be an amateur sport governed by the Sports Car Club of America, accepting money was a transgression of their rules.\u00a0 The result was a 12-month suspension from SCCA sanctioned races, including those held in Northern California.\u00a0 The Cal Club, which was not officially affiliated with the SCCA, decided since Sebring was an International race they would not place any such penalty on Kunstle and he was free to race in any of their \u201camateur\u201d events.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A familiar sight to race fans, Miles (center) and Kunstle (right) on the front row awaiting the green flag for another epic race. Great photo was taken at
Pomona in October 1957.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Besides a potential suspension hanging over his head, Kunstle\u2019s 550 was badly damaged in a rollover while being transported back to Southern California from Sebring.\u00a0 The car was taken to John von Neumann\u2019s shop where it sat in pieces while a decision was made regarding it\u2019s future.\u00a0 Fortunately, another west coast racer by the name of George Keck heard about the car and ended up trading his 550 Spyder to Kunstle for the damaged Sebring car.\u00a0Once rebuilt with a new body, this 550 became known as the RSKeck.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Porsche racer George Keck acquired Kunstle\u2019s damaged 550 and had Nadeau Bourgeault rebodied the car. The beautiful result became known as the RSKeck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
A 1957 advertisement from a Laguna Seca race program announcing not only a new location for Kunstle Motors but they were now authorized FIAT dealers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the threat of a suspension removed which would have meant the end to his season, Kunstle carried on with at Santa Barbara (1st, 2nd), Pomona (1st, 2nd), Riverside (4th, 2nd), Pomona (2nd, 3rd) and Paramount Ranch (1st, 2nd) to finish an interesting year of racing.<\/p>\n

Besides racing, Kunstle had his car dealership in Carmel to attend to.\u00a0 In October 1957, he closed the store in Carmel and moved to a larger facility in Monterey and announced he had added FIAT to the other makes he offered.\u00a0 He was also involved in the effort to bring Laguna Seca to reality as a member of the Executive Committee of Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP).<\/p>\n

Changes in the Wind<\/b><\/h2>\n

After establishing himself as one of the top drivers on the west coast, Kunstle began a three-year period that saw several changes both on and off the track.\u00a0 His racing schedule included some old and some new road courses; he raced several different car brands and his long association with the Porsche 550 would come to an end.\u00a0 During the year Kunstle would also drive an Alfa Giulietta, a Fiat-Abarth Zagato and a Porsche 356. There was also a change at home with an additional member joining the family, a daughter, Sylvia.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Racing at the new Riverside Raceway in September 1957, Kunstle finished 2nd to the \u201cboy wonder\u201d, Ricardo Rogriquez. Kunstle was clocked at 131 mph in the 550 on the straightaway.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

>The 1958 racing calendar included two new races for Kunstle, Hawaii (DNF) and the first race weekend at Riverside (3rd, DNF).\u00a0 Other races where at familiar road courses – Palm Springs (2nd, DNF), Laguna Seca (7th) and Santa Barbara (DNF).\u00a0 For his return visit to the 12 Hours of Sebring, Kunstle once again had Ken Miles as his co-driver in a Porsche 550RS.\u00a0 Unfortunately, their race lasted just 59 laps before the clutch gave up putting an end to their effort.<\/p>\n

The 1959 season brought about a big change when Kunstle embarked on a project to compete in his own special.\u00a0 In search of more speed and perhaps influenced by Ken Miles very successful Cooper Porsche special, Kunstle traveled to Europe near the end of the previous year to gather ideas for a 2-liter car.\u00a0 He was attracted to the Lotus 15 by its lightweight and ability to accept a variety of engines.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Searching for more power, Kunstle dropped a DOHC Ferrari 2 liter four cylinder engine into a Lotus 15. Its first race was at Laguna Seca in June 1959, a DNF.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Early in 1959, he acquired a Lotus 15 along with a 2-liter Ferrari engine.\u00a0 The engine was rebuilt to produce 200 horsepower and then married to the Lotus chassis resulting in the Lotus-Ferrari Special.\u00a0 The car made its debut on June 7, 1959, at Laguna Seca where it ran very strong, claiming a front row grid spot for the first race.\u00a0 Despite a small fuel leak he finished third.\u00a0 In the main event, he quickly moved into the lead but was slowed by a troublesome gearbox and eventually retired.<\/p>\n

The Lotus-Ferrari did not race again until September but this time in the hand of Kunstle\u2019s friend and fellow Monterey Area resident, Chuck Parsons.\u00a0 The car\u2019s problems had been resolved and Parsons drove the special to an 8th place at Vaca Valley, a 2nd place at Laguna Seca and a 10th at Riverside in November.\u00a0 It appears, at some point, Kunstle sold the car to Parsons who would compete in eight races the following year, finishing in only three.<\/p>\n

A New Ride and Busy Year<\/b><\/h2>\n

Prior to the start of the 1960 racing season, Kunstle became west coast distributor for the Stanguellini Formula Jr., a class of cars that was becoming very popular.\u00a0 To promote the car, he raced it exclusively beginning in Northern California at Stockton where he had some teething problems with the new car and finished 7th on Saturday and a DNF on Sunday.\u00a0 The next event at Cotati, in April, was more successful with a 1st and 2nd in class followed by Santa Barbara where Kunstle had a DNF in race #1 then loaned the Stanguellini to Ken Miles who finished 3rd in race #2.\u00a0 In June, Kunstle raced at Laguna Seca in two races finishing with a DNF and 4th.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
In 1960, Kunstle became the West Coast Distributor for Stanguellini Formula
Juniors. He loaned one car to Ken Miles shown here at Santa Barbara.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This apparently was Kunstle\u2019s last race since no other results for the remainder of 1960 or succeeding years were found for races in either Northern or Southern California.\u00a0 There may have been several factors leading to this decision.\u00a0 His daughter, Holly, recalls,\u00a0 \u201che had a growing family and a business to think of so perhaps the risks were becoming too great.\u201d\u00a0 The fact that two racers Kunstle knew died in racing accidents this same year\u2014 Jim Hughes at Sebring in March and Sam Weiss at Laguna Seca in June\u2014 may have prompted his decision.\u00a0 Another contributing factor was a desire to return to his native Switzerland and the lifestyle he had enjoyed prior to coming to the U.S.\u00a0 It was time for a major change.\u00a0 Over the next several months he sold his car dealership in Monterey, packed up and one of the best racers on the West Coast departed with his family for Geneva in 1962.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Post Racing Life<\/b><\/p>\n

Over the next 31 years, Kunstle applied his business knowledge to several different opportunities.\u00a0 Through a former schoolmate, Kunstle became the Public Relations Manager for RCA Records were he managed several popular singers including Nina Simone.\u00a0 He moved on to the public relations department of Goodyear Tires Racing Division in Europe working with noted motorsports photographer, Bernard Cahier.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jean Pierre and Elizabeth Kunstle at the opening his new, larger car dealership location in Monetery. He had outgrown his original store in Carmel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

>Kunstle\u2019s other passion beside cars, was sailing and along with racing on Lake Geneva<\/span>, he owned a store which sold yachting material.\u00a0 He also designed a new type of boat, a hybrid if you will, a luxury yacht combined with racing capability of which a dozen were produced.\u00a0 Carrying on the boating theme, at the beginning of the 1980\u2019s he created a small rental boat company in Turkey called Alcor Yachting.\u00a0 After a few years, he needed a new challenge so he turned back to his first passion\u2026cars.\u00a0 He became involved in buying, restoring and selling classic old cars and if that wasn\u2019t enough to keep him busy, he organized vintage car rallies in Switzerland.<\/p>\n

>In 1979, Kunstle made a trip to California and entered the Monterey Historics Vintage Car Event, visiting once again the race track he helped bring to life 22 years earlier.\u00a0 He race a 1959 Lancia B20S to a 10th finish out of 22 cars in his group.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Kunstle\u2019s health began to decline in the early 1990\u2019s due to heart trouble.\u00a0 He was able to enter the 1992 Tour de France in a Porsche 356A Carrera, finishing 48th out of 94 cars entered.\u00a0 However, the following year in March, his condition worsened and he passed away at age 63.<\/p>\n

Jean Pierre Kunstle certainly led an interesting and exciting life, moving from his home to a foreign country at a young age, starting a new business, becoming a top race driver, returning to his native country to raise a family and becoming an entrepreneur and successful businessman.\u00a0 I feel he is the kind of person we all would have enjoyed knowing and learning more about his many adventures in life.<\/p>\n

\n

Photo Credits:\u00a0 Allen Kuhn, Pete Vanlaw, Jim Sitz, Holly (Kunstle) Piguet,\u00a0Paul House, Gary Horstkorta.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If the name Jean Pierre Kunstle came up in a conversation about sports car racing, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if it didn\u2019t sound familiar.\u00a0 He was sort of a \u201cmystery man\u201d since not much was written about him personally, virtually all reports were about his racing success on the track.\u00a0 He appeared on the sports car racing scene in 1954 and departed six years later as one of the best drivers on the West Coast.\u00a0 Who was this man they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":688848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[263,18114,18330],"tags":[17152,18435,13486,18107,16791],"class_list":["post-498896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-car-culture","category-people","category-profiles-car-culture","tag-car-culture","tag-people","tag-jean-pierre-kunstle","tag-people-profiles","tag-profiles"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Swift Swiss \u2014Jean Pierre Kunstle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gary Horstkorta explores the little-known history of one of the 1950s top West Coast road racers, Jean Pierre Kunstle.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/the-swift-swiss-jean-pierre-kunstle\/\" 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