Klaus Kaiser

Born in Stuttgart, Kaiser first became involved in off-road motorbike racing in 1954 and collected gold, silver and bronze medals in a number of competitions. After an apprenticeship at Daimler-Benz AG, he worked in the company's testing department and also held a managerial position in the training workshop.

From 1963 onwards, he competed in rally events in Mercedes-Benz 220 SE and 300 SE cars alongside Eugen Böhringer and Dieter Glemser. He quickly achieved notable successes: In his premiere year, he won the Germany Rally and the Touring Grand Prix of Argentina with Böhringer, both in a 300 SE. Before that, he had already finished fifth in the material-killing Acropolis Rally with Dieter Glemser in a 220 SE.

The Böhringer/Kaiser duo repeated their victory in the Argentinian long-distance rally in the following year. At the Portugal Rally, the team, also in a 300 SE, took fourth place. Kaiser achieved the same finishing position together with Erich Waxenberger in a 220 SE at the Acropolis Rally.

After an interlude of several years in a Ford, Kaiser returned to the starting grid in 1977 with a Mercedes-Benz and, together with Alfred Kling, took sixth place in the final classification of the London-Sydney Marathon in a 280 E.

When the company's involvement in rallying took further shape, the Stuttgart native was part of the action. In the Vuelta à la America del Sud, which passed through ten South American countries, he started in 1978 with the Briton Anthony Fowkes in a 280 E Saloon prepared at the factory and finished the almost 29,000-kilometre-long gruelling adventure in third place behind two 450 SLC Coupés.

The following year, he also finished third as Andrew Cowan's co-driver in one of the big coupés at the Bandama Cȏte d'Ivoire Rally. In 1980 Kaiser achieved sixth place in a 450 SLC 5.0 at the Safari Rally, again driving with the Brit.