1961 Abarth 356 Carrera GTL Coupe

In the early 1960's Porsche sought to keep its aging 356 Carrera GTs competitive. The company chose Carlo Abarth to design the new lightweight, streamlined body. Viarengo & Filippoini Coachworks was looked to build the product of the design. The new body was approximately five inches lower in height, and five inches smaller in width and eliminated the bumpers which resulted in a reduced overall length by five inches. The next design brought a reduction of 15% to the frontal area and the weight was decreased by over 100 pounds. The new car quickly proved to be competitive.

The car displayed is one of three factory team cars. It finished first in class at Sebring in 1962 and 1963 with Dan Gurney and Bob Holbert driving. It was also first in class and second in class at Le Mans in 1961 and 1962 respectively (10th overall in 1961 and 7th overall in 1962). It was also finished second in class and first in class respectively at the Targa Florio in 1961 and 1962. In addition, the car has collected numerous overall and class wins in circuit and hill climb races throughout Europe and the United States.

The 692/3A DOHC, 4-cylinder engine produced 135 horsepower at 6,500 RPM and is paired with a five-speed manual transmission. Weighing 1,762 lbs, the 356 Abarth Carrera GTL had a top speed of approximately 138 mph.