Editors: Marcel Visbeen, Dennis Drenthe, Mattijs Diepraam. Feedback: feedback#carelgodindebeaufort.nl (# = @). This tribute site is in no way connected to the Beaufort family.

Barthold de Beaufort

When Carel left the army in 1955 he bought his first Porsche, a 1500 Super, from Mathieu Hezemans. As soon as he got his hands on this new car he asked his cousin, major Barthold de Beaufort, to join him on his second Tulip Rally. Barthold had driven a lot of rallies like the Monte Carlo and the Tulip Rally before, but by the time Carel started to participate in rallies his cousin had already quit motorsports. So when Carel asked him to join the answer was: 'No, you drive like a nutcase!' But his cousin soon changed his mind and they both joined the 1955 Tulip Rally.

Barthold acted as his co-driver and kept control over Carel. Maybe that was the best way for Carel to be more serious about his driving. As Carel was driving cars since his early childhood at the Maarsbergen estate he knew a lot about high-speed driving on narrow roads. Hüschke von Hanstein was pretty impressed with Carel’s driving on the twisty roads during the event and this became Carel’s first contact with the Porsche team/factory.

Barthold was surprised they went so well in the Tulip Rally, better than he expected beforehand, joining his young and furious cousin behind the wheel of a serious sports car. On the final stage between Liège and Eindhoven the crown wheel and pinion broke, important pieces in the drive chain attached to the differential, parts you don’t want to break in middle of the night. Too bad for the two cousins, because Carel and Barthold had a chance to finish in the top-five in this prestigious event.

Carel and the people in his presence

This section features the stories about the people who were around him while he was alive – his family, his friends, his mechanics, his entourage, his co-drivers, his rivals.