Porsche 356 B 1600 GS Carrera GT

While all 356 Carreras are rare and desirable cars, the 1961 B Carrera GT is a very special animal indeed.  Built from lightweight materials and sporting Porsche’s most powerful racing engine of the time, they were in a different league to the most highly specified road car that the Stuttgart factory then produced.

Both pretty and purposeful at the same time, Carrera GTs have a unique look that acted as an inspiration for the California “outlaw” movement.  However they are about far more than appearance and the quality of their engineering surpasses anything that was being produced by the contemporary British and Italian competitors.  The Type 692/3A engine is a jewel and gives the car tremendous character.  The exhaust note, friendly at idle, hardens as the revs climb to the most terrific bark as it nears the 7,000 rpm red line.

For those concerned about the risk of racing a valuable four cam engine, this car affords a particular opportunity.  Having been supplied with a replacement pushrod motor by the factory in period, it could legitimately be raced with such an engine again.  Fifty years of continual development means that race versions of these pushrod engines now surpass the power outputs of the factory four cams.

In summary we think this little 356 has everything.  Rarity, history, looks, engineering pedigree and eligibility.  It is very much ready to go and compete in next year’s Le Mans Classic or Goodwood Revival.