Abarth Carrera GTL

[Porschinelle]

This article start with the history of the Abarth Carrera GTL and explain why you all know if you had read this topic, ie why in 1959 Ferry Porsche ask Carlo Abarth to develop a race car for him
In this part their is no major mistakes and I even have learn something I did not know ie that Carlo Abarth gave the realisation of the 3 first cars to a coachbuilder named Motto and that after built these 3 Cars, Motto very happy with the big cheque he received from Abarth, left for a long holyday, in oder to not delay too much the delivery of the 17 remaining cars, Carlo Abarth move the realisation to another coachbuilder named Viarengo and Filliponi.
Were I desagree totally is when the author of this article, who apparently write with the benediction of the owner, start to say that this car is really 1002
It is even written that after the photos illstrating the article were taken the owner had given the car to Andy Prill in England to make it look exactly as 1002 was in 1961/1962
All the major Porsche historians admitt that 1002 has been totally destroyed
Their major argument being that Robert Buchet the owner of 1002 in 1962 was running a major Porsche garage and would have repair the car it if was reapparable
Instead of that Robert bought 1006 to Paul Ernst Strahle in order to continue to race
Now if Mustang 66 read this post I would really appreciate his comments
The same for Drdenzel who know a lot about Abarth

[Porschinelle]

Some more pics of 1002

[Porschinelle]

To conclude I just realise that I had writen something completely wrong : At the Le Mans 1961 Robert Buchet shared his 1002 with Pierre Monneret not Guy Ligier
Sorry

[Paolo]

Porschinelle,
You have unknowingly perpetuated the Motto and Viarengo & Filipponi myths related to the GTL story. Motto took no 'unplanned' holiday from his workshop and did not abscond with deposit money from Abarth. My interviews with Francesco Motto, son of Rocco Motto, and office manager of Carrozzeria Motto before, during and after the 1959-1960-1961 period of the GTL's construction, confirmed that Rocco Motto rarely took any holidays away from his workshop and never stole any money from anyone. Francesco Motto had never heard of this 'story' about his father and told me there is absolutely no truth to any of it. He went on to confirm that Carrozzeria Rocco Motto made all 20 GTL bodies. Also, the 'story' about Viarengo and Filipponi constructing 17 of the GTL bodies has no basis in fact and is completely untrue. Why? Because Carrozzeria Viarengo & Filipponi ceased to exist in 1924 !! This part of the 'Speedster' magazine story is even worse than the author's 'creation' of a 1002 'history' after we all know the original 1002 was completely destroyed, scrapped and now no longer existed after 1962-1963 period. The author of the Motto 'story' indirectly accuses Rocco Motto of theft and assigns credit for the so called remaining 17 GTL bodies to a carrozzeria that ceased to exist before World War II. The Speedster magazine GTL story is an outrage because it slanders Rocco Motto's reputation as an honest man and reflects badly on his talents as a coachbuilder, all the while perpetuating the Viarengo & Filipponi myth. I never cease to be astounded by the carelessness and lack of fact-checking by so-called magazine journalists who continue to get their stories published by absentee editors. If you feel strongly about this issue then write the editor-in-chief of Speedster magazine to express your concerns. His e-mail address is on the masthead of the magazine.

[356]

Interesting Paolo, knowing Gerard I'm sure he is researching this even further.
~Vance

[Porschinelle]

Hello everybody

I have been away travelling through Europe for business these last past ten days and did not had time to share with you
Back home to day
The discussion I share with you two weeks ago about the Abarth Carrera fake has continued on the autodiva forum bad=sed on what I wrote here

[Porschinelle]

As you may see Lutz Montowski, Mustang 66 and Paolo who is also on this forum all agree that the blue Abarth Carrera is a fake.
As you may have read Lutz that I consider as being one of the best Porsche 904 and Abarth Carrera GTL historian state that I did a mistake stating that Robert Buchet second Abarth Carrera 1006 was also a Strahle car as 1002 was
I completely agree with him as indeed I knew perfectly that 1006 was bought new by Pierre Marx who sold it to Robert Buchet to rep)lace 1002 he crash in 1962
I am proud to have a quite good memory and sometimes don't take the time to verify everything I wrote, and you see the result
Indeed I confused 1006 and 1016 the car that Strahle bought to replace 1002 after he sold it to Robert Buchet
Why the confusion ?
May be I had in memory that famous pic showing Paul Strahle and Robert Buchet with 1016 at the start of the 1962 Tour de Corse

In the same way I read back the totality of the Abarth topic and discover another stupid mistake I did 4 years ago



Since my recent post on Paul Ernst Strahle race careeer, you all know that the plates WN V 1/WN V 2 and WN V 3 never were Factory plates but Paul Ernst own plates

[Porschinelle]

To come back to the Abarth Carrera history there are facts :
Abarth was late delivering the first cars
Porsche engineers were very disapointed by the quality of the Italian work
The engine case was too small to fit the Fuhrann engine and had to be modified at the Porsche factory
The engine was not cooling and the engine bonnett had to be punch by many louvers
Etancheity to water was close to none
There is not one of the 20 cars built exactly similar to the others not surprising knowing that all 20 were hand made
It is know considered as firm that Scaglione design the car but there is still
interrogations regarding to who Carlo Abarth sub contracted the manufacture of the 20 cars
It is also considered as fact that Motto did the first three cars
But interrogations remain about the 17 others
When you read back everything was writed 3 stories come out :
Zagato took over the job from Motto
Abarth himself finish the 17 remaining cars in his own factory
Viarengo and Filipponi took over from Motto




Paolo is the only one to state that Rocco did the 20

I made search and found in an Italian Encyclopedia dedicated to Italian bodyworkers that Viarengo ceased there activity in 1925 (so close that Paulo say)
I also was unable to find any trace of a Viarengo and Pilipponi carrosserie still in operation in the 60's but I found that Rocco did stop on 1965
What surprise me in Paulo assertion is that Rocco was a too much smaller shop to achieve 20 cars entirely built one by one by hands
Reading their history before to cross Carlo Abarth road they were very happy when they had achieved 4 or 5 cars in a year
Another fact is that Porsche had placed a contract to Abarth for 20 firm cars and an option for 20 additionnal cars
The 20 first Abarth Carrera proposed by Porsche to dedicated customers at a very reasonnable price were sold within a few days
No doubt that if Abarth had the possibility to build more cars in na short period,Porsche would have ordered the 20 additionnals
So if somebody has ideas they are welcome

[neilbardsley]

Thank you for this. Are you saying the louvers were added by the Porsche factory? What about the air scoop (just below the rear window)?

[Porschinelle]

Hi Neil

Happy for your interest in this topic
Below a photo of the first Abarth Carrera as delivered to Zuffenhausen
Only 5 louvers on each side of the bonnet plus the air scoop
After having fix a 4 cams Fuhrmann in it (with great difficulties as the space left for the engine wa

[Porschinelle]

was too small ) first road tests revealed that the engine was getting too hot hence the additionnal louvers

[Porschinelle]

By the way Neil what is your opinion on who did really made the Abarth Carrera ?

[neilbardsley]

Thank you for the information. On who actually made the bodies I honestly struggle to have an opinion. I've read about it, most definitely less than you have, but seen so many different ideas I don't know how I can add to the debate.

I've only just noticed that they were delivered with a stock type exhaust?

[Porschinelle]

Indeed Neil they were delivered by Carlo Abarth to Zuffenhausen without engine so obviously without any exhaust
The photo was taken in Zuffenhausen after an engine been fittedn in for the first road trials
When you look at Abarth Carrera race cars photos, you may see that they all wear different type of Sebring exhausts
I have read somewhere that doing so, the Porsche factory succeed to increase the engine power by around 10 %

[Paolo]

The photo at #40928 was not taken at the Porsche factory. This photo was taken on 22 February 1960 in front of the Abarth factory during a showing of the prototype GTL to the press.
At # 40916: Can Porschinelle explain this sentence: "Etancheity to water was close to none."
Confirmed that Viarengo and Filipponi ceased to exist in 1925.
I have never written that Rocco Motto was too small a workshop to achieve 20 cars entirely built one by one by hands. I don't know where you got this information, but it is wrong. At the time of the GTL project, Motto had 18 full-time metal workers including panel beaters, welders, fabricators and assemblers. His shop equipment included cutters, bending machines, electric welders, hammers, rollers, wood blocks, steel beds for flattening and forming pieces by hand, air compressors and everything else that was needed to work on metal. From December 1959 when Motto started work on the prototype to completion of the GTL number 20 in April 1961, Motto made 20 GTL bodies over that 17 month period which equates to about 1.2 bodies per month or 14.5 GTL bodies in a year, much more than the 4 or 5 bodies that you say Motto was happy to do in the same period.
The contract that Abarth had with Porsche stated only for the production of twenty GTL bodies. There was nothing in the contractual document binding the signatories to an option for twenty additional bodies. Abarth did discuss the possibility of making additional GTLs with Porsche management but Porsche insisted that Abarth complete the first 20 GTL bodies to their satisfaction before negotiating any follow along contract for additional GTL bodies. Nothing became of these discussions.
In 40916, three scenarios are proposed concerning the completion of 17 GTL bodies after the mythical 'unplanned holiday' by Motto. Zagato, by their own admission, had absolutely nothing to do with the GTL project. So that scenario is a none starter. Viarengo and Filipponi ceased to do business in 1925, so that scenario is ludicrous. Finally, Abarth had no capacity, experienced metal working personnel or body fabrication equipment to do the work of a carrozzeria in his own factory.
Motto completed all twenty GTL bodies as substantiated by primary source documentation in the Porsche factory archive and through interviews with Francesco Motto who worked with his father at Carrozzeria Motto during the time of the GTL project.