1960 Porsche 356 Carrera GT

Beauty and Performance 

CarshowClassic.com tells the story. 

The 1960 Porsche 356 Carrera GT is one of the most loved sports cars of all time.  It built on an already successful platform in the 356 line-up and it also introduced design characteristics that would be used in sports cars for years to come. 

Some of the most successful and iconic sports cars of all time were ones that-focused on a specific goal instead of trying to be everything to everybody.  In the case of the-Porsche 356 Carrera GT, the goal was to produce a sports car that provided superior handling and-acceleration.  Many of the refinements that had been included on earlier 356 models were-scrapped in an effort to make this something that was made for the racetrack.

For years the successful 356 platform had used a 1500 CC engine and this had been-upgraded to 1600 CC's.  It was offered in a deluxe model and the GT model had increased-horsepower, now with 115 horsepower.  It doesn't seem that remarkable by today's standards, but-at the time it was quite suitable an impressive for this machine.

To achieve the necessary acceleration and handling, many of the creature comforts-that were included in previous 356 models were taken out.  The 1960 Porsche 356 Carrera GT had-aluminum racing seats that would certainly not qualify as the most comfortable, but reduced the-overall weight of the car.  There was also very little in terms of noise suppression, and it-was anything from a quiet ride.  This was not why people would purchase the 356 Carrera GT so-it is certainly not something that is to be held against it.

They were also subtle changes made to the engine, and it had higher compression-than its counterparts.  Additional refinements to increase horsepower included a muffler that-had increased air flow and therefore produced a rather loud and unique sound.  The engine was-made from an aluminum block which also lowered the weight of the car and the engine was matched with-a 716 transaxle to deliver power to the rear wheels.  The overall weight of the car was less-than 1900 pounds even with the additional performance refinements and this meant that it handled-beautifully.  The weight distribution was also an advantage.

The engine had dual overhead cam valve train and had two valves per cylinder, which-was also a sports car standard at the time.  Because of the higher compression, the engine was-prone to produce more heat and a larger oil pan was included in order to maintain the necessary-lubrication.

The overall look of the 1960 Porsche 356 Carrera GT is definitely sleek; it was one-of the most aerodynamic cars of its age and when you look at one you notice the clean lines and-smooth body panels.  Beyond its enviable performance, the Carrera GT was a beautiful car to-look at and as a result many people have preserved them over the years.  When you look at the-different individual parts of this model, you can see that they continued on with the tradition of-improving on something good with later Porsche automobiles.