Monday, 08 November 2021 06:26

A flawless replica of the 1961 Porsche Zagata 356

What you see here is a replica of the 1961 Porsche-Zagat 356 Carrere Coupe ‘Sanction Lost’. However, this is not just a simple recreation of the Italian bodybuilder; there is also an interesting story, with a history dating back to the late 50s.

The original car was owned by Porsche driver Claude Storez. The runner, who was considered the ‘Prince among runners’, turned to Zagata in 1957 to make a special aerodynamic bodywork for his Porsche 356 Carrera Speedster. After a year, the company delivered a finished body with a one-piece curved windshield and the iconic red longitudinal Zagato fins. Before returning the car to Storez, Porsche finished the job by adjusting the mechanics, Jutarnji.hr writes.

The Porsche-Zagato Speedster then raced in the Tour De France Automobile stage race in September 1958, and is believed to have finished second carrying number 139. Storez then joined the French Rally in February 1959 where he was killed in an accident, after which his the destroyed Porsche loses all trace.

This story served as inspiration for American collector Herb Wetanson to order a Porsche-Zagato 356 Speedster that is identical to Storez’s car. Zagato agreed, calling the recreation ‘Sanction Lost’, instead of the typical ‘Sanction II’ that was never found.

Zagato used the latest photometric technology to scan photos of the original speedster, allowing the company to digitally recreate the design. However, Zagato unveiled a concept drawing for the Zagato Porsche Carrera Coupe during the ‘Sanction Lost’ process, which led them to decide to create 18 units in memory of Storez’s Speedster - nine speedsters and nine coupes.

All 18 units are made from the original Porsche 356, but only two coupes and one speedster use Carrera engines. Of those three, only one of each body type is finished in Bianco Gardenia shades with red accents. Both are sold on RM Sotheby’s auction platform, and are expected to fetch between $ 550,000 and $ 650,000.

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