1969 Kaimann Mk IV Formel Vau 1300. Im Auktionsverkauf. Schätzwert: 10.000 € - 20.000 €. Ohne Mindestpreis!
One of the fastest Formula Vau cars of its timeWith Kurt Bergmann at the anniversary celebrations in DaytonaEarly Mk IV model from 1969
When Porsche racing director Huschke von Hanstein first presented a single-seater racing car with Volkswagen mechanicals to the Austrian public at the 1965 Innsbruck-Kranebitten airfield races, the who’s who of the country’s motor-racing scene had been invited. Among them was a certain Kurt Bergmann, who ran an Opel garage in Vienna-Essling and, on the side, raced go-karts with respectable success.
Bergmann was fascinated by these little racers with their production Beetle mechanicals and was allowed to borrow one for three weeks to study it. While he began building his first prototypes in his Essling workshop, the first Austro-Vau racing cars were also taking shape in the considerably more professional surroundings of Porsche Salzburg. Formula Vee had arrived in Europe, and in Austria too, where it proved an overwhelming success.
Kurt Bergmann still referred to his first attempts as ‘Kraxn’ – roughly, old crates – in which karting ace Walter Riedl and industrial heir Fritz Glatz initially trailed the opposition. By the end of 1966, a certain Dieter Quester had joined them, and when Erich Glavitza stuck a green crocodile on a red background onto his car, the team had found its name as well: Kaimann.
In 1967, Quester scored the new team’s first victory, and Bergmann, who had initially taken the wheel himself, henceforth concentrated entirely on what he did best: tinkering and designing. After all, everyone had the same 60-hp engine. It was the chassis that made the difference. Together with Fritz Indra, an assistant at the Technical University, and Heinz Lippitsch, Bergmann developed new ideas and designs that turned the Kaimann into a winner.
The ‘Masta’, as Bergmann was known, never had to worry about finding good drivers. They were practically beating down his door, because the Kaimann racers were ahead of the competition. Not even the formidable opposition from Porsche Salzburg’s headquarters on the Alpenstrasse gave him reason for concern: the Kaimanns won in Austria, across Europe and even overseas. In 1971, Super Vee added a second, more powerful category, with wings, greater engine capacity and performance approaching Formula 3 levels. That same year, Erich Breinsberg took victory at Daytona in the annual showdown between Europe and America.
Alongside those already mentioned, Niki Lauda, Helmut Marko, Helmut Koinigg, Jo Gartner, Harald Ertl, Jochen Mass and Keke Rosberg also earned their early racing spurs with Kurt Bergmann’s Kaimann team. They would all go on to careers at the highest level of motor racing, with two of them eventually becoming Formula 1 World Champions.
Little is known about the history of this particular Kaimann for lack of documentation. Its serial number identifies it as an early Mk IV from 1969. Who raced it, where and with what success remains something of a mystery. In more recent times, however, it received an honour from the very highest authority. When ‘Masta’ Kurt Bergmann travelled to Daytona in 2013 for Formula Vee’s 50th anniversary celebrations, this was the Kaimann that accompanied him.
Thanks to its simple engineering, bringing its mechanicals back to life after years of inactivity should not present too formidable a challenge. Then as now, Formula Vee remains one of the most attractive forms of motor racing while also being comparatively kind to the bank balance. That the Kaimanns are more than up to the job is something they have proved often enough.
Chassis: FV690088
Motor / Engine: –
Papiere / Documents: ohne Papiere
Schätzwert / Estimate: € 10.000 – 20.000 Ohne Limit / Without Reserve
Ort / Location: CLASSIC EXPO Salzburg Messezentrum Salzburg Am Messezentrum 1 5020 Salzburg
Datum / Date: 17. Oktober 2026 11:00 bis 13:00 und ab 16:00
Besichtigung / Viewing: 16. und 17. Oktober 2026
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