The X---- Porsche cars

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Back to Claude Storez
By end July(July 27th)

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Clermont Ferrand is the home city of the World known tyres manufacturer Michelin
At Clermont Ferrand everybody work for Michelin who has their its head quarters and more than 4 huge plants
No need to find why in 1967 it was decided to built a new race track in the Clermont Ferrand surrounding mountains

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If the car rescape from that first difficult step it was not the case the second time when this car went upside down

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I have not found any document on the formula 2 race just the result

Claude Storez finish 5th overall behind 3 Cooper Climax and one Lotus

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For its next race the 1958 Tour Auto (September 14th/September 21 st) Claude Storez will discover its bright new Zagato Porsche
Before to tell you how went this race, its time to wonder what could have push Claude Storez to have a light 356 specially built for him.
Indeed as you have seen, Claude who was not only a talented pilot who has had the huge chance to drive the best ever built Porsches, 356 Carrera, 550, 550 RS and even the bright new 718 RSK but also a wealyhy young man who had enough money to buy for himself any of the cars available on the market
Another supposition is that through his friendship with Auguste Veuillet and Gonzague Olivier, both friends of Ferry Porsche, Claude Storez could have been ask by Ferry Porsche to study how to improve the ageeing 356
You all know that only a few months after Claude Storez had his Zagato Porsche built, Ferry Porsche had the same idea asking Carlo Abarth to develop what would certainly be the best ever X... Porsche built : the 356 Abarth Carrera

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I have no proof of Claude Storez working on Ferry Porsche behalf, one thing is certain : Claude had the full support of Porsche KG to build is car.
A bare 356 A chassis was send direct from Zuffenhausen to the Zagato works at Milano
When Zagato had the aluminium body assembled on the chassis, the whole pack was sent back to Zuffenhausen to have the Fuhrmann engine, suspensions, brakes etc...assembled
When the car was completed it was sent to Claude Storez who got it in August 1958

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Ugo Zagato after having worked in the aeronautic industry, started his carrosserie business in Milano in 1919
Based on what he learn all the cars he work on had light profiled aluminium bodies.
Very quickly he was a "mu





st" for many of the Italian car constructors

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In order to have all the possible chances on his side, Claude ask his good friend Robert Buchet to be his co pilot
For that race the car wore the race number 139

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Claude Storez mother was at the start of the tour auto to support her son

Everything seems OK for the 2 friends

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The first stage of the 1958 Tour Auto was taking the competitor cars from Nice to Le Touquet on the Channel (1590 km) with a stop at Reims
Claude Storez is seen here alongside the Ferrari 250 GT of Fernand Tavano who has quite suffered

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Claude and Marcel had to retire during the second leg of the 1958 Tour Auto for a reason I don't know
Apparently Claude did not race his Zagato until the 1959 Rallye des Routes du Nord
Nevertheless by November 8th/November9th Claude got a contract from the Renault factory to drive a Dauphine Gordini at the Tour de Corse

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The 1958 Tour de Corse was the third edition of that now mythic race
For the first edition in 1956 Renault alfeady won with Gilberte Thirion/Gilberte Rouault