[3] A specialist in grueling long-distance events, his crowning achievement was victory in the 1962 European Rally Championship.

By 1925 the family owned a Mercedes-Knight 16/45 PS Tourenwagen, and Emma Böhringer was one of the first women in the Stuttgart area to have a driver's license.

In 1928, his father started a bus service between Rotenberg and Untertürkheim for commuting employees of the Mercedes-Benz plant located there.

His road to fame began with him entering a Mercedes-Benz W105 in local and regional competitions for a wager with friends.

The "fintail" saloons became his trademark, as he developed a reputation for nimble driving in rallies which often exceeded 5,000 kilometers.