Team story
Origins
Willi Kauhsen came from sports cars and a Formula 2 venture with renamed Elf chassis when he attempted Formula 1 in 1979. Klaus Kapitza designed the WK, taking inspiration from the shape of contemporary Lotuses. Gianfranco Brancatelli was the driver tasked with taking this new German programme racing.
The Formula 1 journey
Its first World Championship attempt was at Jarama for the Spanish Grand Prix. Brancatelli failed to qualify; the same happened at Zolder in Belgium. These are Kauhsen’s two recorded entries, neither resulting in a start.
The modifications tried on the car did not produce a time good enough to make the grid.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of Kauhsen
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · Spanish Grand Prix
Gianfranco Brancatelli · Spanish Grand Prix 1979. The recorded outcome is DNQ. This is the first recorded race start, or the first entry if the team never started a race.
Sporting landmark · Kauhsen
No classified race result is documented for this part of Kauhsen’s record. The entries and cars listed elsewhere on the page provide the available reference points; they should not be read as completed races.
Latest recorded appearance · Kauhsen
No final race start is documented for this part of Kauhsen’s record. The entries and cars listed elsewhere on the page provide the available reference points; they should not be read as completed races.
A distinctive way of racing
The Lotus reference concerned the car’s design, not a partnership with Team Lotus. Kapitza experimented with several versions of the project without reaching a competitive package. WK is the designation in the directory: by itself, it cannot establish how many complete chassis were built or brought to the circuits.
What remains
Kauhsen sold the project to Arturo Merzario, who used it as the basis of the A4 with technical work by Giampaolo Dallara. That continuation also failed to qualify for a Grand Prix. The brief venture therefore left a physical connection between two small constructors, but no World Championship races contested under the Kauhsen name.