Favorite of the weekend - Gmund 356 SL 063

My favorite Porsche of the weekend, without a doubt, is the 1951 Le Mans class winning Porsche Gmund SL 063. This car has been rebuilt my Rod Emory to the original 1951 specifications. The following information is from the Rod Emory website about the car...

This is the car that arguably started it all, Porsche's first works Le Mans entry and class winner.

1951 was a great year for Porsche as it launched its fledgling company's cars into competition around the world. Having produced a small run of vehicles with aluminum bodies early in its serialized production of the 356, Porsche was asked to compete in the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans. Europe was getting back on its feet from the war and there was a great deal of development in the automotive sector. Ferdinand Porsche was forged in an environment of creativity and competition, so racing was a natural for him and his sons followed suit.

The road to Le Mans was paved with accidents as the company tested the mettle of its cars and drivers who would need to last a full 24 hours. Three of the four cars prepared for competition suffered significant damage, so only one was left as the sole entrant for the mid-June event. The hopes of an entire company rested on the shoulders of the two French drivers and an aluminum-bodied coupe with a 1.1-liter engine.

And the rest is history. This car beat the competition and started a long history of Porsche motorsport competition and a passion for racing cars. It was great to see the car that started it all.