Occasionally, the best-laid plans (and Luftgekühlt is meticulously planned) go awry due to unforeseen circumstances. A late-season, somewhat unpronounceable hurricane...
Porsche 356 SL
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In 1951, Porsche cemented its future when the lightweight 356 SL made its international motorsport debut at the 24 Hours...
The Porsche 356 SL Gmünd coupe is an automotive royalty, one of the very first Porsches ever raced. Restored by...
Porsche 356 SL bodies lined up in the Reutter workshop (Werk 2) in 1951. This facility was used as the...
Today, Porsche can boast a total of 19 overall victories together with countless class successes in the 24 Hours of...
Porsche has been represented at the Le Mans 24 Hours every year since 1951, in both an official factory capacity...
THE GENESIS OF PORSCHE MOTORSPORT…watch the restoration by Rod Emory of the #46 Porsche 356 SL that won its class...
Sixty-six years ago, on 24 June 1951, the first Porsche was pushed tentatively onto the starting grid of the 1951...
Porsche Racing Royalty Jay meets Rod Emory of Emory Motorsports to hear the story of the restorations of this remarkable...
1951 Porsche 356 SL Gmünd Coupe Pictures & Gallery...
In 1950, eleven remaining Gmund chassis were assembled after the factory returned to Germany and converted to SL (Sport Leicht) racing specification. They received 1,086-cc engines, enlarged fuel tanks, louvered quarter-window covers, wheel spats, streamlined aluminum belly fairings, and a pedestal-mounted shifter. Three Type 356/2 cars raced at Le Mans in 1951; two crashed, but 356/2-063 performed flawlessly, winning the 1,100-cc class.
When Porsche went to Le Mans, they reverted to aluminum shells made at their first factory in Gmünd, Austria. Three of these coupes, called 356 SL, raced Le Mans. All three Le Mans cars were shipped to America by Max Hoffman and sold to Fritz Kosler, Ed Trego and John von Neumann for SCCA racing. Before the 1952 races at Torrey Pines, von Neumann had Emil Diedt remove the coupe's roof, creating in effect the first Carrera Speedster.
