The X---- Porsche cars

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It was the last official race of Paul Enst Strahle for Porsche


In September of that same year he shared a friend Fiat 2300 to race the Tour Auto they finish 10th and decided to stop racing

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Paul Ernst Strahle concentrate on developing his VW-Porsche agency
He kept close links with Porsche KG
From the 80's he xfrequently drove Porsche museum cars in historical links as at the Alpenfahrt classic

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Paul Ernst Strahle died in October 2010 at the age of 83
Shorthly before he had given his famous light blue 356 Carrera WN V1 to the Stuttgart Porsche museum

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To day we continue our 356 Abarth story with Robert Buchet
All of you already know Robert through the chapter dedicated to Claude Storez Zagato



Robert Buchet was born the 8th of May 1922 in a small village close to Poitiers
Just after the end of the 2nd WW Robert started a garage in Poitiers a quite large city located in between Tours and Bordeaux
Very quickly he modified french cars such as Simca and Peugeot 203 to race in local rallyes
The turn point in Robert life is the 1955 Paris car show where he met Auguste Veuillet
Not only he bought his first 356 buthe also obtain from Auguste Veuillet the Porsche agency for a large part of the South West of France and was presented to Claude Storez with who he became a great friend

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In February 1959 he was shocked by Claude Storez death and for a while was thinking to retire from racing
Robert startred to race at high level quite late
In 1959 he is already 37 years old
But happily for our story his passion for racing was higher than is grief
That same 1959 year Robert Buchet met Paul Ernst Strahle (sometimes life is surprising !)
They both shared the wheel of Paul Ernst Strahle 356 Carrera WN V 1 to win the 1959 Liege Rome Liege (a race that Robert already won in 1957 with Claude Storez)

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Paul Ernst Strahle Carrera GT to day at the Stuttgart Porsche museum

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On that pic taken on the Pau racetrack Robert Buchet is changing a wheel after a poncture

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We believe Robert appreciate the car as a few days after he bought 1002 to Paul Ernst Strahle
In November Robert enter 1002 in the Tour de Corse with Willy Mairesse as co-pilot
They were DNC

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Robert Buchet proudly presenting is new Abarth Carrera with plate 226 DN 86
86 number for the Vienne department whose capital is Poitiers
All Robert Buchet personnal cars had a plate number ending by 86

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For its first race in 1961 Robert Buchet had not far to go
He race in the Rallye du Limousin a race in the campaign and the hills around Limoges (known worl wide for its porcelain) a large city in the center of France at about 120 km from Poitiers
This race is very well documented in term of pics
To start with sompe of the cars in presence : a Ferrari 250GT SWB for Sylvain Garant, 3 off Triumph TR 3, Buchet Abarth Carrera and another Abarth Carrera (1009) for the Dr Roueylou, several 356

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Robert Buchain and his co-pilot Villain won this rallye

and now some more pics of the other Porsches attending this rallye
To start with
Dr Roueylou 1009

Sylvain Garant 250 SWB


Some 356

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For Robert Buchet next race was the 1961 Le Mans 24 hours
For him it was his first entery in that race he which he will compete 5 times more
For the occasion although he was racing with his personnal Abarth Carrera 1002 he was part of the Porsche KG team through Auguste Veuillet.
His co pilot was Pierre Monneret a famous French motorcycles racer having won several World Championship motorcycles races in the 500 GP category who had decided to move to car racing
Pierre Monneret was the first owner of the Abarth Carrera 1009 (he bought new in 1960) that we have seen above at the rallye du Limousin in the hands of Dr Roueylou its second owner