Very few car builders would dare to poke a hand in the air when asked if they can improve on the near-perfection of a Porsche, but then Carlo Abarth wasn't like most other car builders. When presented with the crazy notion, he simply responded by creating the truly superb Porsche Abarth 356B Carrera GTL. Fans of all things gasoline-powered have long thanked those manufacturers brave enough to look outside the confines of their own companies for suitable like-minded individuals with whom a team-up can lead to the creation of something competitive, unique, and leave a mark in the history books on and off the track, such as the Ford Lotus Cortina or much sought after 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350.
Less famous than both of those examples, the Porsche-powered Abarth-skinned racer is a car that still stamped a mighty, lasting brand on the industry and gave Abarth the opportunity to show the world what he could do. It's one of the rarest models to have ever been created by the German car manufacturing giant, and these are 10 things only serious Porsche enthusiasts know about the 1960 Porsche Abarth 356B Carrera GTL.
10 An Inspired Creation
While many would have thought that a motoring collaboration between Porsche and Abarth may have been likened to that age-old chalk and cheese adage, the team-up resulted in what was a motorsport-winning curio.
Born from a desire to keep its on-track competitors in the rearview mirror, where they rightfully belonged, Porsche invited bids from keen builders to create a super-lightweight limited production racer that stunned the racing world.
9 Born To Race
Having agreed to build 20 examples for Porsche, costing 1 million lire each, the enigmatic Karl 'Carlo' Abarth set about creating a Carrera that would be as light as possible whilst also strengthening the chassis to improve handling.
With a prototype version sculpted from aluminum, the first example weighed in at a mere 50 lbs more than the required FIA minimum weight limit for its racing class, the smoothed shape cutting through the air with an impressively low drag coefficient.
8 The Fuhrmann Flat Four
Looking every bit like a spinning work of mechanical art, the 1.5-liter flat-four engine had proven itself to be a highly robust and characterful unit that provided a balance of horsepower and torque throughout the rev range, allowing for in-gear flexibility.
Emitting a distinct, and instantly recognizable voice, the racing lump responded well to tuning, and thanks to a selection of free-flowing exhaust systems power outputs could be tailored upwards from a base level 115hp to an impressive 165hp.
7 A Sculpted Italian Masterpiece
With aerodynamic maestro, Franco Scaglione onboard to ensure that the Porsche Abarth 356B Carrera GTL would scythe its way through the air better than any car before it Abarth lowered the car by 5.2 inches and chopped 47.2 inches from its length.
In addition to this dramatic reduction in length and ride height Abarth slimmed the original Porsche bodies down by 5 inches, this later led to issues with a vast reduction in steering lock when the front wheel assembly was reintroduced to the shell.
6 Every One A Unique Creation
Feverishly constructed by hand, a small team of Italian artisan craftsmen lovingly honed each shell from aluminum using a variety of old-school panel beating and coachbuilding techniques to sculpt their masterpieces.
Thanks in part to the way each was built, and the uniquely Italian way of approaching the project, no two shells are identical with a distinctly un-German 'that's about right' style taken with quality control before starting afresh on another.
5 A Mighty Giant Slayer
Homologated for specifically racing, the Porsche Abarth 356B Carrera GTL could be bought for the princely sum of $6500 back in 1960. Despite noticeable differences in the finish from car to car, each proved to be a superb driving companion.
The prototype versions, barely qualifying as completed cars, went on to win the Targa Florio, an achievement that the fantastic Porsche Abarth 356B Carrera GTL went on to repeat in consecutive years within its class.
4 Very Rare, Very Expensive
With such a low volume of cars produced for both Porsche and private customers, finding a decent Porsche Abarth 356B Carrera GTL can be a tricky proposition, as it has been described as the most elusive Stuttgart collectible to have ever been made.
When one of the 21 examples made does come up for sale it usually attracts a lot of interest, gets stickered with an asking price over $200,000, before getting snapped up by a collector who has been waiting in the wings for a long time.
3 Built On A Lie
Something of a maverick, Abarth promised Porsche, as part of them agreeing to his proposal, that the bodies for the Porsche Abarth 356B Carrera GTL would be built by highly respected Italian coachbuilders Zagato.
This part of the sales pitch was something of a lie, as realizing that commissioning Zagato would eat into what little profits he would make, Abarth tapped into the skills of local fabricator Rocco Motto, whose work impressed the men from Porsche.
2 Abarth Future Plan Failure
With the Porsche Abarth 356B Carrera GTL project in the bag and the finished examples outperforming their competition on the track, Abarth set his sights on creating not only a track-based follow-up but also his line of Porsche-powered road cars.
Following a heated discussion in which Porsche retracted their interest in Abarth creating a car based on the Carrera 2 all the fiery Italian's plans collapsed as Porsche decided to sever all ties with the passionate carmaker.
1 Some Interesting Features
With what has to be one of the most bizarrely styled and equipped exhaust systems to feature on a production vehicle, the protruding Porsche Abarth 356B Carrera GTL pipe is purely there for improved function and not stylized form.
When fitted with the unmuffled Sebring equipment, the Porsche Abarth 356B Carrera GTL saw its power increase considerably and its unique voice gains a raspy, prolonged bark under wide-open throttle that rewarded deep throttle presses.