Miguel Sánchez
The history of the Porsche Type 360 It is one of the most exciting in the entire history of the German house, even though it is not its own project but rather a commission carried out through the mediation of Carlo Abarth. A commission from the Italian Cisitalia finally recovered in Argentina by pure chance after experiencing an unexpected chance at the expense of Juan Domingo Perón.
All this with a pioneering disconnectable all-wheel drive in the most performance of racing while carrying mechanical solutions inherited from the old Auto Union of the 1930s. In sum, a disruptive and extremely original design with which to appear as one of the most interesting cars of all time.
This being the case, it is best to go into its genesis and evolution in parts, starting with the figure of Piero Dusio. Born in 1899, this Italian from Piedmont stood out from a very young age in the practice of football; so much so that he came to sign for the Juventus Turin although, just a few games later, he had to retire due to a serious knee injury.
However, hitting the ball was not his only skill, so he soon managed to rebuild his working life, standing out in the textile field. A business in which he made so much money that he could not only afford to participate in the Mille Miglia or the Italian GP -he was a sports car enthusiast- but even managed to preside over Juventus itself thanks to the immense fortune he had amassed.
PIERO DUSIO, THE PREMIERE OF THE D46
With finances secured based on his participation in the textile field, Piero Dusio not only turned to the management of Juventus but also to the manufacture of sports cars. In this way he contacted Dante Giacosa in 1944 in order to place him at the head of his new initiative: Consorzio Industriale Sportiva Italia, Cisitalia.
Furthermore, the choice of this emblematic engineer was not accidental. Far from it, it was done because precisely before the Second World War he had created the Fiat 500 utility vehicle popularly known as “Mickey mouse”. Regarding this, Piero Dusio's idea was to produce a single-seater using the greatest number of parts possible from all those available in the market. Fiat spare parts catalog.
In this way, in 1946, the Cysitalia D46 based on a tubular chassis and a single-seater appearance, although in reality it was powered by the same engine as that of the popular 500, adjusted here to a surprising 70 HP for just under the 400 kilos given by the set on scale. In short, an excellent bet for those who wish to excel in the lower displacements relative to the Italian races of the moment.
TRYING TO GO FURTHER, A BET ON THE GP
Along with the presentation of the Cisitalia D46, Piero Dusio's strategy involved hiring the same Tazio nuvolari. A true legend for both motorcycling and motorsports, having to his credit such emblematic feats as the victory in the 1935 German GP in front of an audience dedicated to the “silver arrows” local.
Likewise, the addition of the 202 to the range in 1947 rounded out Cisitalia's commercial commitment, finally having in its catalog series vehicles in GT format, perfect for financing the expenses inherent to the production with the profits from its sales. participation in races. Not a cheap participation because although the D46 was giving good results on the Italian scene, Piero Dusio longed for victory in the Grand Prix.
Discontinued due to the Second World War, these were gradually returning along with the evident plans of establishing a championship capable of replacing the old one. European Pilots: We are talking about F1 with its inaugural season held in 1950.
Something for which Cisitalia longed for a car that was totally different from the -for example- successful ones. Alfetta; winners in 1950 and 1951 although technologically heirs of what was designed during the XNUMXs and early XNUMXs.
CARLO ABARTH, THE CONTACT WITH PORSCHE
In order to fulfill his vision, Piero Dusio had an obvious problem, and that is that at the end of the day his young company did not have sufficient technical level to design a totally disruptive and revolutionary single-seater. However, fortune made it so that on the road to Cisitalia a young man crossed paths. Carlo Abarth, Porsche representative in Italy since 1946 and therefore a perfect link with it.
Of course, just after the Second World War the technical office of the Porsches - it seems chimerical at this time to speak of a manufacturer or even a brand - was not in its best moments, with Ferdinand Porsche still imprisoned in France due to his personal ties with Adolf Hitler himself as well as a not very certain future based on the design of the 356 based on the brief KdF-Wagen.
However, his son Ferry Porsche was in charge of the company - one of those still based in Gmünd as an Austrian refuge during the war - so he was able to take charge of the order made by Cisitalia using everything developed by his father in the Auto Union Type A/B/C/D relating to the European Drivers Championship. Those that, with their engine placed in a central-rear position, could only be surpassed by the unbeatable Mercedes-Benz.
PORSCHE TYPE 360, THE DESIGN FOR CISITALIA
On paper, Cisitalia gave Posche complete freedom to create a car capable of ushering in a new era in the immediate return of the big prizes thanks to F1. At this point in Gmünd they got to work with some plans in which truly surprising elements were captured.
To start the Type 360 - key with which the order was known internally, which was accompanied by a hydraulic turbine, a diesel tractor and even a new engine for the replacement of the 202 GT - was based on the scheme of the old Auto Union placing the engine in center-rear position.
Of course, in relation to the chassis, the frame with two large spars gave way to a refined tubular chassis with a triangulated lattice capable of giving a lot of rigidity with very little weight. Furthermore, in relation to the engine, it was going to be a 12-liter flat 1.5-cylinder with volumetric compressor supercharging.
However, the main novelty would come in how the power was transferred to the ground, with an all-wheel drive system based on a complex differential - which could be disconnected at will by the pilot from the cabin - capable of distribute the pair in half and half for each axle or on the contrary put everything on the rear.
1948, FROM THE PLANS TO THE TRACK
In mid-1948 the Type 360 was already a reality after having been manufactured by Cisitalia based on Porsche plans. A reality capable of promising victories because to the engine's around 385 HP in its first settings - some sources indicate how it could have produced up to 450 HP - it was necessary to add a weight of only 650 kilos and above all the effects of very effective all-wheel drive both on wet floors and in slow corners or starting from a standstill.
In any case, if automotive manufacturing teaches us anything, it is that designing is only the first step in a long process where everything is test, test and test again. In this way, the first laps on the track showed the great potential of the Type 360 but also how much remained ahead when it came to fine-tuning a vehicle that included a very complex carburetion, a very tight engine, the adjustment of the compressors and in case everything related to all-wheel drive was not enough.
Likewise, aerodynamics had to be improved as well as continuing to refine elements such as the sequential change with synchronized gears. In sum, time was needed and that in business is as much as talking about money; which is why the creditors fell on Piero Dusio, who saw helplessly how everything related to the Type 360 was squandering the good commercial work done with the D46 and 202 GT.
1949, BANKRUPTCY PUT AN END (SUDDENLY) TO TYPE 360
In 1949 Cisitalia had to recognize the seriousness of the situation and declare bankruptcy. What's more, curiously, this had the unexpected consequence of the beginning of Abarth as we understand it today since, due to lack of money, the fees owed to Carlo Abarth were paid in the form of some sports vehicles.
In any case, this is not the end of the Type 360 because here the figure of Juan Domingo Perón appears in a totally unexpected way. Very interested in providing Argentina with an automotive company capable of carrying out all types of designs - including performance ones - this leader with an ideology that is difficult to define - from political science thousands of pages have been filled in this sense and there are even some from the bench of psychology- liquidated Cisitalia's debts under the promise of establishing itself in Argentina under the name of Automotores Argentinos.
In this way, the Type 360 ended up on the other side of the Atlantic along with Piero Dusio himself, who, by the way, would end up dying there in 1975. From here on, history gets a little clouded with data sometimes not very credible like the rumor that the engine could reach 511 hp at 12.000 rpm. Something doubtful especially in relation to reliability understood as being in operation for at least one minute.
However, there are documented tests in which the Type 360 delivered up to 385 HP at 10.600 rpm. Much more credible, although in the end even investing a fortune in tests aimed at improving the resistance of the materials, this car could have entered F1 because In 1952 the regulations changed radically; Neither the planned cubic capacity nor the overfeeding were any longer worth it.
SAVED BY PURE CHANCE
Although the Type 360 was never able to debut in a GP of the F1 championship, there was some attempt to do something serious with it in the Latin American Free Formula; It was also used to break the South American record in the kilometer thrown. But come on, nothing conclusive; It was clear that for better or worse the time for this technological gem had completely passed.
So much so that in 1960 it was being sold through an advertisement in a magazine. Announcement that - fortunately - could be seen by the members of the Porsche team who during that same year attended the 1000 Kilometers of Buenos Aires. They bought it right there and in order to simplify customs procedures, they took it out of the country as if it were one of the 718 RSKs used in the race.
All this to end happily in the current Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. Place where this authentic technological jewel is preserved and exhibited to which financial means were lacking. By the way, it is very interesting to see in its design what the Auto Union Type E could have been if the Second World War had not broken out. It has also gone down in history as one of the pioneer cars when it came to applying all-wheel drive to the tracks. A top level piece.
Images: Unai Ona and RM Sotheby's
