Some exceptional Porsche 356 at the Interclassics Brussels
For die-hard Porsche fans, it is absolutely no news that Porsche is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Porsche 356 in 2018. The year started at Porsche with a celebrational opening of the Special Exhibition at the the Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen. The Petersen Museum in Los Angeles honoured Porsche in the Porsche Effect exhibition (see featured picture). Just a few weeks ago, thousands of Porsche fans went to the Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI at the Laguna Seca Raceway. So it won’t surprise you that the 4th edition of the Interclassics Brussels puts the Porsche 356 in the spotlight too. In collaboration with the Porsche Classic Club Belgium, Porsche Center Brussels and Porsche Classic Center Gelderland, they succeeded in bringing some real rare Porsches to the exhibition.
Porsche 356 Gmünd Coupe
One of the rarities in the Interclassics Brussels will be a Porsche 356 Gmünd. Only 50 Porsche 356 Gmünd Coupes were ever built before Porsche moved back from Austria to Stuttgart. A Belgian collector loaned his treasure to the organisation for the Interclassics Brussels show. The Porsche 356 Gmünd was one of the first 15 Porsche 356 Gmünd Coupés sold to Sweden,to Scania Vabis Södertalje. June 15 1950 the Swedish female rallydriver Cecilia Koskull won the Midsummernight Rally with this particular Porsche 356 Gmünd. Later the car ended up in the USA, where it was thoroughly restored in 1998.
Porsche 356 Gmünd SL (bouwjaar 1951)
The Porsche 356 Gmünd SL is an even rarer bird. These cars were built from stock parts that resided in a rented Zuffenhausen Garage, even thought the parts were fabricated a few years earlier in Austrian Gmünd. Only 11 Porsche 356 Gmünd SL’s are built, and is considered the first Porsche factory race car. In 1951, at it’s 1st participation in the 1951 Le Mans 24H, the Porsche 356 Gmünd SL immediately finishes 1st in class with Auguste Veuillet and Edmond Mouche at the wheel. A result that is repeated in 1952. Later the Porsche 356 Gmünd SL is used in the world-record run in Monthléry close to Paris. A team of 5 drivers ( Richard von Frankenberg, Petermax Müller, Walter Glöckler, Huschke von Hanstein, Herrman Ramelow) drives the Porsche 356 Gmünd SL around the banking for 74H at a dazzling average speed of 9.66 mph, a new world-record. Immediately after the world-record run, the car was driven to the Paris Salon where it was proudly displayed, still encrusted wht bugs and oil. This particular car is on loan from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, even though there is a similar Porsche 356 Gmünd SL in belgian ownership. That car however, frequently raced by Gilberte de Thirion, is still in the process of a ground-up restoration.
In total about 10 unique cars are presented at the ’70 years Porsche 356′ exhibition. This will be a unique opportunity to see ultra rare Porsche’s with some good race history.
