STORY OF THE DAY: Von Trips Finishes Fourth on a Day of Loss

Wolfgang Von Trips finished fourth in the 1958 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring with the number 4 Ferrari Dino 246 F1. Tony Brooks won for Vanwall, but the World Championship race was overshadowed by the fatal accident of Ferrari driver Peter Collins on the eleventh lap.

The combined field included Formula One and Formula Two cars, although only the Formula One entrants were eligible for championship points. Von Trips negotiated the Nordschleife’s hazards to finish behind Brooks, Roy Salvadori and Maurice Trintignant, giving Ferrari its only classified points finish on a deeply difficult afternoon.

Ferrari’s Dino 246 F1 used a front-mounted 2.4-litre V6 in a tubular chassis, with independent front suspension and a de Dion rear arrangement. Its strong engine suited fast, flowing circuits, but its traditional layout faced growing pressure from the lighter rear-engined British cars.

German aristocrat Wolfgang Von Trips developed from sports cars into one of Ferrari’s foremost Grand Prix drivers. Known for courage and increasing maturity, he had a special connection with the Nürburgring; this composed fourth place came three years before his own challenge for the World Championship with Ferrari.