A loyal individual, he remained with Peugeot more than 47 years as a designer. Equally loyal to motorsport in and of itself, he never retired, continuing with his team WM (W for Welter and M for Michel Meunier, another of the French manufacturer's designers) then WR (for Welter Racing) to create, employ and advance new technologies. Gerard Welter, a die-hard enthusiast, died on January 31, 2018 at the age of 75. His style marked French automobiles, seen everywhere, with legendary numbers! The 304, 604, 305, 405 and 406 among others, but also and primarily the 205, are a part of his legacy. His final collaboration with Peugeot was the RCZ.

In competition, he first founded WM, and participated from 1976 to 1989 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the 1988 edition, at the wheel of the WM P88 powered by Peugeot, Roger Dorchy established a speed record (unequalled): 405 km/h at Mulsanne.

Later at the helm of WR, he pursued his involvement in Endurance and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Always ahead of the game, he consistently presented innovative projects, and was a candidate for Garage 56, dedicated by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest for a car not subject to the technical regulations destined to test and develop future technologies. Gérard Welter was thus still fully implicated in the prototype run on biomethane, gas from biomass, which he would have liked to present in Garage 56.

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, wished to pay tribute to "this man, this intelligent being, completely dedicated to the automobile and to motorsport, with a totally enthusiastic state of mind that generated positive energy. Gerard Welter was a driving force, truly. This is very sad news for us, for the ACO and for the world of automobiles. On behalf of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, I extend my heartfelt and warm thoughts to the family and loved ones of Gerard Welter."