Contemporary Porsche enthusiasts may find it difficult to understand how this car could have caused so much excitement in 1960. Yet for those of us that loved the marque but whose dreams of Porsche ownership were limited to the factory's conventional 356B models, the Abarth Carrera was highly desireable. We'd have bought it on looks alone! Sensing that the 356B Carrera 4-cammer was in danger of falling behind its rivals, Porsche had commissioned Italy's Carlo Abarth to develop a quicker version. The wind-cheating aluminum body was designed by Zagato and hand-formed by the little-known Viarengo & Filipponi firm. Chassis and floorpans came from the 356B Carrera GT. 4-wheel independent suspension was standard but drum brakes were replaced by discs. Five different engines were used between 1960 and 1964, ranging from 115 to 180 hp. With only the intermediate128 hp 1.6 liter engine installed, Herbert Linge and Paul-Ernst Strahle hit 150.2mph on the Mulsanne Straight during the 1960 Le Mans race... you can imagine what speeds the more powerful units might have produced. (European DIN hp figures: translating to America's SAE system adds another 15%.) Note: I was prompted to create this blog on learning that Canadian racer Klaus Bartels had died. Klaus and I were Porsche stablemates in the 60's. His race and rally championships earned him a place in the German ADAC club roster of motorsport heroes.