Jacques Swaters

Jacques Swaters was a Belgian racing driver, team owner, and lifelong devotee of all things Ferrari. Equal parts racer, entrepreneur, and enthusiast, he left an indelible mark on motorsport, both behind the wheel and far beyond it.

Nationality	Belgian
Born	Jacques Swaters 30 October 1926 Woluwe-Saint Lambert, Belgium
Died	10 December 2010 (aged 84) Brussels, Belgium

Racing Career

Swaters’ competitive story began on home soil at the 24 Hours of Spa, where he shared an MG with his friend, journalist-turned-racer Paul Frère, under the Ecurie Francorchamps banner. A year later, in 1950, Swaters joined forces with Frère and André Pilette to create Ecurie Belgique, a small but spirited racing outfit that fielded cars for themselves and other Belgian drivers in both Grand Prix and sports car events. Swaters himself campaigned a bright yellow Talbot-Lago, even entering two Formula One World Championship races, the 1951 German Grand Prix and 1951 Italian Grand Prix.

In 1952, Swaters shifted gears again, teaming up with Charles de Tornaco and Britain’s Geoff Richardson to relaunch Ecurie Francorchamps, this time focusing on Ferrari machinery. He raced the team’s Ferrari 500 at selected events, scoring a standout victory at the 1953 Avusrennen, a Formula 2 race in Germany. Richardson, meanwhile, was tasked with piloting the experimental Zethrin Rennsport prototype.

As the 1950s rolled on, Swaters devoted himself increasingly to sports car racing, piloting both Jaguar C-Types and D-Types — legendary machines of their era. His sharp instincts and steady hands made him a respected name in the endurance scene.

Team Manager

When Swaters hung up his helmet in 1957, he seamlessly transitioned to management and quickly proved as skilled in the pit lane as he was on the track. He took the helm of Ecurie Nationale Belge (ENB), a team born from the 1955 merger of his own Francorchamps outfit with Frère’s Ecurie Belgique and Johnny Claes’ Ecurie Belge.

Under Swaters’ guidance, ENB became a proving ground for Belgian talent, running Cooper-Climax cars in Formula 2 for drivers such as Olivier Gendebien, Lucien Bianchi, and Mauro Bianchi. By 1960, the team was competing in Formula One, even converting an Emeryson into its own ENB chassis.

But Swaters’ heart ultimately belonged to sports cars. By 1964, he had stepped away from ENB to focus entirely on his true passion, Ecurie Francorchamps. The team remained a formidable force throughout the 1950s and ’60s, achieving consistent class wins and podiums, including a class victory at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans. That same year, Francorchamps took an overall win at the 500km of Spa — a crowning moment in Swaters’ managerial career.

Though Ecurie Francorchamps eventually closed its doors in 1982, Swaters continued to run Garage Francorchamps, his long-standing Ferrari dealership.

Ferrari Dealer and Collector

Swaters’ relationship with Ferrari began almost by chance — but would grow into one of the most enduring partnerships in the marque’s history. Having purchased a Ferrari 500 Formula 2 car in 1952, Swaters was called upon by the factory the following year to untangle a customs issue for a display car bound for the Brussels Motor Show. Not only did he resolve the bureaucratic snarl, he sold the car on the spot — and so impressed Maranello that Ferrari appointed him official importer for the Benelux region that same year.

It was the beginning of a half-century partnership that saw Swaters become one of Ferrari’s most trusted dealers — and one of its greatest collectors. His Garage Francorchamps became a hub for enthusiasts and a cornerstone of Ferrari culture in Northern Europe.

In 1992, Ferrari honoured this extraordinary collaboration by unveiling the Ferrari 456 at Garage Francorchamps. To mark the occasion, Maranello introduced a new factory paint colour — “Blue Swaters” — a tribute to forty years of shared history between the brand and its Belgian ambassador.

Over the decades, Swaters amassed an astonishing collection of Ferraris, memorabilia, and art — everything from vintage race cars and original documents to sculptures and gifts from Enzo Ferrari himself. He displayed them all in what he affectionately called “the bunker” — officially the Galleria Ferrari. Among its treasures were one of only three bronze crucifixes crafted at Ferrari’s foundry for a papal visit, a wooden Prancing Horse sculpture from Enzo’s own Fiorano office, the unique Ferrari “Pinin” four-door prototype, the GTO Evoluzione, and a pristine Ferrari California.

Swaters’ final public chapter came not on a circuit, but in a courtroom in Ohio, where he defended his ownership of the 1954 Ferrari 375 Plus (chassis 0384AM), a car once stolen from American collector Karl Kleve. Swaters maintained that he had purchased the damaged chassis in good faith in 1990 and that the dispute had been resolved amicably by 1999.

By 2008, age and reflection persuaded Swaters to part with much of his collection. In true Ferrari fashion, he chose to auction it in Maranello, bringing his extraordinary story full circle — from a young Belgian driver with a yellow Talbot-Lago to one of the most celebrated Ferrari men outside Italy.

Jacques Swaters Formula One World Championship career

F1 Career	1951, 1953–1954
Teams	Non-works: Talbot-Lago, Ferrari and Gordini
Entries	8 (7 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1951 German Grand Prix
Last entry	1954 Spanish Grand Prix

Jacques Swaters Teammates

1 driver	Involvement	First Year	Last Year
Charles de Tornaco	1	1953

Jacques Swaters Complete Formula One Results

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	WDC
1951	Ecurie Belgique	Talbot-Lago T26C	Talbot Straight-6	SUI	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER 10	ITA Ret	ESP		NC
1953	Ecurie Francorchamps	Ferrari 500	Ferrari Straight-4	ARG	500	NED	BEL DNS	FRA	GBR	GER 7	SUI Ret	ITA	NC
1954	Ecurie Francorchamps	Ferrari 500/625	Ferrari Straight-4	ARG	500	BEL Ret	FRA	GBR	GER	SUI 8	ITA	ESP Ret	NC
1955	Ecurie Filipinetti	Gordini T16	Gordini Straight-6	ARG	MON	500	BEL DNA	NED	GBR	ITA			NC

Died