Porsche – 356 B Carrera Abarth GTL (1961)

Porsche wrote a long, major chapter of success with the 356 model. The 356 B Carrera GTL Abarth took up an outstanding position with its legendary four-camshaft Boxer engine. The Stuttgart automaker squared up to the increasingly powerful competition coming from Alfa Romeo and Lotus with this compact GT racing car. Porsche made use of its existing contact with Abarth, and the great Franco Scaglione created a leaner, significantly lighter bodywork. The Turinese coachbuilders Viarenzo & Filliponi and Rocco Motto produced a total of 20 bodies, with final assembly being carried out by Porsche’s in-house motor-sport department located in Zuffenhausen.

This car is an outstanding example of the small series. Carl-Gunnar Hammarlund from Sweden was the first owner and he won two national GT championship titles – after eleven victories in eleven races. His secret was to have ten kilograms of additional ballast in the front to counteract the rear-engined racer’s slight tendency to skittishness. It enabled him to steer the car round corners with extreme precision and without a single accident. Today, this Carrera Abarth GTL springs a surprise with a unique authenticity.