After Porsche had considered numerous Italian companies to manufacture a lightweight 356 body, they settled on Carlo Abarth. He, like the Porsche family, was also Austrian, which probably didn’t hurt when it came to sealing the deal either. Scaglione penned the first initial drawings which attempted to reduce frontal area, overall height. Included was an adjustable scoop on the rear deck lid. Abarth was entrusted with building 20 lightweight bodies to be fitted to 356B chassis, most likely because of the incredible success his beautiful small-capacity Fiat-based racers were enjoying in Italy. Made entirely of aluminum, Abarth’s body was smaller than the Reutter 356 in every dimension and reduced drag from 0.398 Cd to 0.365 Cd. This new body also contributed to considerable weight loss, coming in at 1762 lbs, very near the FIA’s minimum 1780 lbs. Delivered from Turin, the first prototypes were delivered in February of 1960. They were somewhat rough, but sporting enough to win the Targa Florio. The original "Best Models" are still excellent value and sought by collectors. The models I am offering from my private collection (The Porsche Abarth race number 30 which ran in Le Mans 1962, and the #21 participant in the 1,000 km of Paris) are rare and hard to find.