1960 Abarth 356 Carrera GTL

As the 1950s were coming to a close and a new decade was on the horizon, Porsche's motorsport endeavors became focused on Formula 1. Beginning in 1961, engine capacity would be limited to the same 1.5 litres as in Formula Two, allowing Porsche to use their F2 cars for F1 with only minimal changes. The Type 804 of 1962 was the pinnacle of the company's efforts and a culmination of lessons learned from the previous Type 718/2 (introduced in 1959) and the Type 787 (1961 season). Using a similar tubular steel frame and aluminum body, the Type 804 was lower and narrower than its predecessors and was the first Porsche to have some factory body panels made of synthetic materials. Later in the season, the nose and the cockpit surround were made of fiberglass. The Type 718/2 and 787 were powered by a flat 4-cylinder, air-cooled, DOHC four-cylinder Type 547 Boxer engine that was developed by Ernst Fuhrmann, while the Type 804 was equipped with a new Type 753 flat-engine unit designed by Hans Hönick and Hans Mezger. In keeping with the company's tradition, it had a boxer layout and air-cooling. The Type 804 would give Porsche its only F1 victory as a constructor - at the 1962 French Grand Prix. A non-World Championship victory was also scored at the Solituderennen at Castle Solitude in Stuttgart.

A Winning Legacy

Porsche's racing program during the 1950s revolved around its small-capacity road and racing cars that were very successful in their classes. Although lacking horsepower, they were reliable and offered good handling, low drag, and low weight. The earliest endeavors were with tuned derivatives of the 356 road car, followed by dedicated racing cars that included the 550, 718, RS, and RSK models. Porsche's 90x series of cars during the 1960s would go beyond class victories and challenge overall victory. Their first win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans was with the 917, and open-top versions would dominate Can-Am racing. The 911-based 934 and 935 and the prototype 936 were very successful in Group 4, 5, and 6 racing during the 1970s, and during the 1980s, the company would outclass Group C and IMSA GTP competition with the 956/962C.

Carlo Abarth

Absorbed with its Formula 1 program, Porsche entrusted Austro-Italian Carlo Abarth with maintaining its successful GT effort with its aging GT Carreras. Abarth, born in Italy and later relocating to Italy, met Ferdinand Porsche's son-in-law Anton Piëch and married his secretary. Over the years, Abarth's career path would intersect with Porsche's on several occasions, particularly with their sports car program.

In 1947, he was the sporting director of the Cisitalia racing team, and when it folded the following year, Abarth absorbed its assets and founded Abarth & C. in Bologna. The Scorpio was Carlo's astrological sign and was adopted as the company logo. The company's main source of income was in the production and sales of accessories and performance parts for Fiat, Lancia, Cisitalia, and Simca.

The Porsche 356

Production of the Porsche 356 series closed coupe began in 1948 at Gmünd, Austria, and would continue through 1965, well after the replacement model 911 had debuted in September of 1964. In 1950 the factory relocated to Zuffenhausen, Germany.

The Porsche 356 was based on the Volkswagen Beetle, designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, and used a tubular frame with a wheelbase size of 83 inches. The Beetle's flat-four engine was placed at the rear and offered 40 horsepower. Additional components sourced from the Volkswagen parts bin included the front and rear suspension and braking system. Attractively priced and offering superior handling and agility, the sporty foreign road car quickly exceeded production estimates and captured the hearts of automotive enthusiasts.

Over time a variety of body styles appeared, including roadster, convertible, cabriolet, and a very rare split-roof. By 1952, the 356 models received a one-piece windshield, folding rear seat, fully synchronized transmission, and rigid bumpers. Six different engines were offered in 1954 including the ultimate roller bearing, four-cam 'Carrera' power plant. This high-specification four-cylinder engine, along with the addition of an anti-roll bar, allowed Porsche to win two consecutive victories in the grueling 3,197-mile Rome-Liege-Rome Rally.

The Carrera

The early Porsche sports cars were powered by flat-four, pushrod engines of humble origins. To achieve even greater performance, Porsche engineer Ernst Fuhrmann designed an advanced, air-cooled engine with four camshafts. Initially, this engine was used in the purpose-built racing 550 Spyders, and soon was offered in a homologation run of racing coupes based on the 356. Eventually, this performance option - and the Carrera name - was offered across the model line. By 1957, Carrera models destined for road use would carry the Carrera De Luxe (GS) designation while those intended for the track carried the initials GT (along with a slight increase in power output). The Carrera GTs were very successful, especially in 1958, winning their class in almost every event they entered, including domination of SCCA E and F Production.

The Porsche Carrera was named after the long-distance Carrera Panamericana road race that ran the length of Mexico in the early 1950s.

An FIA Loophole and the birth of the Carrera GTL

The Carrera GTL was birthed from creativity and ingenuity, taking advantage of FIA regulations that defined a car on the basis of its chassis and running gear, rather than on its body. Thus, the project would use the 356B chassis, running gear, and four-cam Carrera engine, but forgo the production steel body in favor of a specially designed lightweight aluminum body. Since the Porsche factory was consumed by its F1 program, Carlo Abarth was placed in charge.

The 1.6-liter, dry-sump, air-cooled engine offered 115 horsepower and was installed in a basic 356 chassis with an all-round independent suspension, and hydraulic drum brakes (disc brakes experimented with at various events). Abarth hired Zagato employee Franco Scaglione, formerly of Bertone, to create the design, and Carrozzeria Rocco Motto in Turin was tasked with its creation. The new design lowered the body by approximately five inches, and it was five inches smaller in width, and its overall length was also five inches shorter due to the elimination of the bumpers. The streamlined body's frontal area was reduced by 15% and weight by over 100 pounds. The drag coefficient was reduced from 0.398 Cd to 0.365 Cd and its overall weight was 1,760 lbs - very near the FIA's minimum of 1700 lbs.

When Motto went on vacation, delaying the production of the body panels, the job was entrusted to Viarengo & Filipponi Coachworks. Since these were hand-hammered bodies, no Carrera Abarth GTLs were exactly alike.

Known as the Porsche Abarth GTL, with the 'L' representing 'leicht' or 'light', they would participate in over 400 races through 1965 earning over 100 class wins and 46 overall victories.

The Porsche Abarth GTL's inaugural outing was in 1961 at the 1961 Targa Florio where it scored a class victory. At the Nürburgring 1000 km race - the next World Championship round - the 356B GTL swept its class. It would win its class three times at the Targa Florio and Le Mans.

Although highly competitive, Porsche canceled the Project after twenty (as many as twenty-one) examples had been built. They represent the pinnacle of the Carrera designation and allowed Porsche to continue its successful GT racing campaign.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2023