Killed in qualifying for the 1969 German GP. A real all-rounder, Gerhard, a professional mechanic, was Porsche's works driver. As well as being a sportscar ace, he won three European Hillclimb titles. Mitter's family moved from the Sudetenland due to the political upheaval caused by the Nazi Party and settled in Stuttgart. Gerhard's father ran a garage and Mitter got interested in cars, even though he actually started in motorcycles. He became an engine preparer which alerted him to Porsche, which is where his career really took off, impressing the marque as a development driver and his prowess then almost overshadowed his engineering work for the firm. He was an excellent tuner of the 3 cylinder DKW Auto-Union engine and then ran his own workshop and garage in Leonberg, near Stuttgart.

Biography last updated 4 Aug 2020