The Hansgen Family has a long history in the automotive trade, tracing back to this comprehensive service facility in Westfield, New Jerssey, circa 1913.
The Hansgen Family has a long history in the automotive trade, tracing back to this comprehensive service facility in Westfield, New Jerssey, circa 1913.
My father, Walt Hansgen, raced from 1951 to 1966, competing in 244 events and winning 106 of them. Initially he raced his own cars, but later drove for prestigious teams such as Cunningham, Mecom, NART, Holman Moody, Lister, Qvale and Lotus. He was a four-time SCCA National Champion driving Jaguar-powered cars. He competed as both an amateur and a professional, piloting mostly sports racing cars, but also Formula Junior, Formula One, NASCAR Grand National and Indycars. His teammates and co-drivers included Archie Scott-Brown, Bruce McLaren, Dan Gurney, A.J. Foyt, Mark Donohue, Augie Pabst, Eddie Crawford and many more.
As a teenager, he raced bicycles on New Jersey’s board-planked velodromes, a good indication that competition and speed were part of his DNA. He was an avid ice skater in his youth, and made a hand-held sail that could propel him across the ice at over 40 mph.
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