1949 Porsche 356 SL Gmünd Coupé

1949 Porsche 356 SL, Porsche Rennsport Reunion V, Laguna Seca 2015

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Porsche, Gmünd, Austria.  After the war Porsche moved to Gmünd in Austria to design his own cars. They were rear engined roadsters and coupés built around Volkswagen components.  With an aluminium body and an air-cooled boxer 4 cylinder engine these cars started the Porsche tradition. The aluminium bodies later became steel and Porsche moved back to Germany but Porsche kept some aluminium bodies as super light works competition cars.  In 1951 they entered the Le Mans 24 hours and the car pictured won the 1,100cc class beating the French DB Panhard and also the 1,500cc class winning Jowett Jupiter.   This was Porsche's first entry into the Le Mans 24 hours, a race they would eventually win for the first time in 1970. In 1952 one of these cars won the Liege-Rome-Liege rally.

1951 Ferrari 212 Export Touring Berlinetta

Martin Halusa, 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Touring Berlinetta, Tour Auto 2015, start of the first special stage.

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Ferreri, Maranello, Italy.  This car was introduced in 1951 and followed on from Ferrari's first production car, the 166MM and its evolution into the 195S.  It had a V12 2.6 litre engine and the body of this example was by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan whilst others were by Vignale of Turin.   The Chassis is generally referred to as the 212 Export, as Ferrari was eyeing the American export market.  The sporty coupé body style is known as a Berlinetta.  Although production cars, most of these were destined for racing by privateers.   The car with its 150bhp engine was good for 120mph and a0-60mph time of under 10 seconds.  One was entered in the 1952 Mille Miglia but didn't finish.   A Vignale bodied car won the 1951 Tour de France Automobile.   Another, bodied by Touring came sixth and won its class in the 1951 Tourist Trophy driven by Bobby Baird.