5/11/1921 - 24/1/2012
Record updated 23-Sep-21
German driver who raced in the German Grand Prix in 1953 with a stripped-down Ferrari 166 but retired after only a few laps
Adolff was born in Stuttgart, Germany, into a family that owned a textile company, and served as a paratrooper during the Second World War.
Adolff had enjoyed competition on home soil driving Mercedes 170 saloons along with Fritz Riess and Karl Kling. But his performances with the 2-litre BMW-engined Veritas RS sports between 1950 and 1952 brought him to the fore, his results including two third places at the Nurburgring and second place at a race at the Munich-Riem Airport.
In 1953 Kurt joined Ecurie Espadon, handling Swiss driver Rudi Fischer's Ferrari 500. After bringing it into a distant fourth place in the Eifelrennen, he entered the German Grand Prix with a stripped-down Ferrari 166 but retired after only a few laps and left single-seater racing to concentrate on his business interests.
Adolff subsequently competed in hill-climbs with a Jaguar and in touring car racing.
He also served as a consul to Chile.
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