DESIGN: Abarth Carrera the Grandfather of the 911?

Le Mans, 1960. You can imagine the scene. The coming decade was cresting the ’50s into oblivion. The vast high-speed straights of the new decade revealed technology and design that was radically different from the previous era. No one was slowing down, even in the corners. Materials and processes were advancing, but so too were body design and aerodynamics. All at once, as the Abarth Carrera crossed the finish line to win its class at Le Mans, it became clear to Porsche that it was time for a change. Faster than the German-built version, it was also more modern in proportions and design. Porsche had engaged Abarth the previous year to bolster its dated GT Carreras by building a series of lightweight-bodied cars using the 356B platform. The resultant Abarth was a stunning car.

Abarth was led by Carlo Abarth, an Austrian-born Italian designer with a passion for racing. After developing the company that would become Cisitalia, Abarth embarked on a new venture developing a wide range of cars and specialty parts for different companies, including Porsche. Abarth knew that this Carrera was going to have to be special, so he quietly engaged Bertone designer Franco Scaglione to pen the car. They removed nearly five inches from the height, reduced the width, removed the bumpers, used Perspex instead of glass for all areas except the windscreen and further reduced the overall weight. The smaller profile resulted in a far better car, balanced in power and weight, but also slippery through the wind due in part to the smaller frontal area.