Alwin Springer

Born February 8 1943

Biography Alwin Springer

Alwin Springer was born in Essen (Germany) in 1943. Essen was a target for heavy bombing in wartime, because of its location in the industrial Ruhr environment. Soon after his Alwin’s mother gave birth to him, his father went missing in action. Alwin Springer doesn’t even remind him. This event influenced Alwin’s life and made him make the decision to see the world. At the age of 22, after six years of apprenticing in the automotive, electrical and mechanical fields, Alwin set of for Canada.

Little did he know he would end up in the world of motorsports. At that point, he even showed no interests in racing. But in Canada, Alwin Springer got involed in racing, first with a Porsche, later with a McLaren. It was not that much the racing on its own that attracted him. In motorsports, everything has go quick, making decisions too. And especially that challenged Alwin Springer.  After his trip to Canada, Springer returned to Germany. He went back to school, and finished his master’s degree in auto mechanics. 

Vasek Polak

In 1969, Vasek Polak was looking for a man to look after his racing stable. And Polak had a huge trist in the talent of Alwin Springer and hired him. At first, they did some club racing, mainly with the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS. In 1971, Vasek Polak acquired a Porsche 917, and started competing in Can-Am racing, with Milt Minter and later Jody Scheckter.  Alwin Springer remembers there was hardly a crew involved. Springer, 1 helper, the racer  and a flatbed truck. That was the crew.  They left in May for the start of the racing season, and returned in October. It was quite a vagabond lifestyle, and his married life and the birth of his children forced Springer to abandon after 3 years. 

ANDIAL

Alwin Springer left Vasek Polak to form an independent automotive service business  with Arnold Wagner and Dieter Inzenhofer. Put the first names of the 3 founders in good order, and you get ANDIAL, the name of the new business. Beginning in 1975, Springer made Andial a major player with such Porsche racers as Jim Busby, Peter Gregg, Rob Dyson and Al Holbert. In a five-year period from 1984, Holbert and others driving Porsche’s 962 GTP car won 50 IMSA races with engines tuned by Andial’s Springer.

Porsche Motorsport North America

In 1989, Al Holbert who was head of Porsche Motorsport in America at the time, died in a plane crash. The factory approached Alwin Springer to replace Holbert. Springer started on a consulting basis in 1990, and as from 1997 he became a full-time employee of Porsche Motors. Springer sold his part of shares in Andial to his 2 co-founders Inzenhofer and Wagner.

At the age of 60, Alwin Springer decides to retire early. He wants to enjoy life and spend time with his wife, his children and grand-children. Furthermore has Springer discovered a new hobby, writing computer-software. He and his wife yolanda spend lots of time travelling. Springer recalls : ‘I’ve seen many beautiful places during my professional travels. Now it is time to visit them, and enjoy them to the fullest.’

Alwin Springer’s time line

Pictures courtesy Christian Floring and Vasek Polak Collection