GTP Cool Wall: 1960 Porsche-Abarth 356B Carrera GTL

1960 Porsche-Abarth 356B Carrera GTL

  • Total voters
    115
  • Poll closed .
White & Nerdy

White & Nerdy

4,209
United States
Wasilla, AK
1960 Porsche-Abarth 356B Carrera GTL nominated by NoobMan DS

1960_PorscheAbarth_356BCarreraGTL1.jpg


Stats:
Production: 1960-1961
Style: 2-door coupe
Engine: 97 ci/1,582 cc naturally aspirated DOHC flat 4 (rated 165 HP & ??? lb-ft)
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Layout: Rear-engine, Rear-drive
Related: Porsche 356B​
 
It's not a 911.

A very, very high cool. 356Bs are lovely looking cars, and this one was apparently a very successful racer. :D Misses out on sub-zero because it's so obscure and doesn't quite have the iconic status needed to qualify for that.
 
Sub-Zero. Another of those cars that just show who gets and who doesn't get coolness. Voting it anything less than cool implies you're definitely uncool. Simple, classic, sophisticated. It's not loud, it doesn't scream for your attention yet you can't avoid giving it all your attention. That's the paradigm of cool, and this car has it in spades. Plus, vintage racecar.
 
Engineered by Porsche, designed by Zagato, and assembled by Abarth. I think, that fact alone will ignite huge interests.

And, as I already said after my nomination:


I like to see it as a missing link between the 356 and the 911, even though it's not really that. To my eyes, the intensity of its exterior styling is between that of the 356 and the 911. I'd describe it as having the grace of the former and the sportiness of the latter, making it one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

It's a road-legal racing Porsche with multiple class wins in endurance events, and for that, it's playing a part of what constitutes Porsche's legendary status to automotive enthusiasts.

Yes, it's not as memorable as the racing variants of the 911, or the Group C cars like the 956 and the 962. Its success is not that prominent. Maybe how it's co-developed with an Italian racing firm will make it seem a little bit special. Still, I really expect to see this getting a "cool", at least.
Click to expand...
 
Heh, does that even matter? The engine that produced around 160bhp didn't come until later, but it proved its worth right in the year it was released by winning. And it's looking pretty without being shockingly "in-your-face".


But, I guess you were being sarcastic, weren't you? I hope you were...actually, I'm quite sure you were. Hmm...why did I even bother to make the comments above anyway?
 
Zenith
Makes no power, doesn't have enough scoops, towing capacity is pathetic, can't do burnouts, not even a little bare carbon fiber, bad at powerslides, and no stripes or flamboyant badges.

Are you even trying, Porsche?
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Don't forget the totally uncool steel wheels.

But seriously, those are some awesome looking wheels...
 
Race cars can't be cool unless they are iconic... and the GTL has wins in some pretty iconic races (Targa Florio, Nurb 1000km, Le Mans, Sebring 12h, Daytona).

Solid cool.
 
Seriously uncool because race car. Though at least, like all 50s and 60s GT cars it could be driven on the road - so just uncool.
 
This is the sort of car your knuckles wouldn't appreciate if you ever saw one, because you'd be too busy biting them.

Granted, self-inflicted bite wounds are far from cool. But the cause is anything but.

niky
Misses out on sub-zero because it's so obscure and doesn't quite have the iconic status needed to qualify for that.
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Average Joe will still think it's some sort of classic 911 (with the addition of a surprisingly attractive cheese grater at the rear). So it should be iconic enough for them at least. :P

abarth_porsche-356b-1600gs_1960_pictures_3_b.jpg
 
So the front of it looks like this:

wow.jpg


But I'm still going with cool because, well I don't think I have a good reason, I just think "cool" when I see it.
 
No. World rally championship cars have been road legal for as long as I can remember. They're uncool because they're race cars.
 
German AND Italian?

However, this German-Italian is not like Gallardos and Paganis, because it has a German-styled body. But because it's a Porsche...

Sub-Zero
 
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