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Apal Porsche - plastic sports car with Abarth flair from Belgium

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Created on December 30, 2015

Reading time 4min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

David Gooley - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

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Bruno von Rotz

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Stephan Traber

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FabPetersson Fotografie

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Michael Alschner

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Archiv

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David Gooley - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

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Bruno von Rotz

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Stephan Traber

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FabPetersson Fotografie

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Michael Alschner

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Archiv

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - in voller Fahrt

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) -

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - gut gelungene Sportwagen-Form

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - die Karosserie besteht aus Kunststoff

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - optisch dem 356 GTL Carrera Abarth nachempfunden

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - sportliche Front mit sechs Scheinwerfern

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - individuelle Formgebung am Heck

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - Armaturen aus dem Porsche 356

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - sportliche Sitze

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - Motor aus dem Porsche 356

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - Typenschild, seltsam ausgefüllt

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - Tiefbettfelgen

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - Türöffner im Stil der Zeit

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - Ausstellfenster hinten

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - das APAL-Markenzeichen

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - Doppelauspuff

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - eher Gepäckablage als Sitzgelegenheit

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - Tankkappe

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) - Tank hinter der Vorderachse

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Apal (1963) - mit VW- oder Porsche-Komponenten lieferbar

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Apal (1963) - elegant gestalteter Sportwagen

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Apal 1200 (1963) - mit verschiedenen Motoren lieferbar

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Apal 1200 (1963) - Innenraum der Serienversion

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Apal 1200 (1963) - Rückbank ohne wesentlichen Komfort

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Apal 1300 SS (1963) - Tuning-Kit für den VW-Motor

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Apal Porsche 356 - sieht einem Carrera Abarth sehr ähnlich, hat aber eine Kunststoffkarosserie aus Belgien, rund Euro 150'000 teuer - Retro Classics Stuttgart 2015

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Apal Porsche 356 - das Armaturenbrett zeigt Porsche-Instrumente - Retro Classics Stuttgart 2015

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Apal-Porsche 1600 Coupé (1963) - am Bonhams Paris Sale 2012 verkauft für € 27600 (Lot 224)

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APAL-Porsche (1961) - Grossglockner Grand Prix 2015

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1961) - an den Classic Days Schloss Dyck 2015

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Apal Porsche (1961) an der Retrospective Ollon-Villars 2013

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Apal GT Coupé (1961) - am Grossglockner Grand Prix 2013 in der Kategorie der Nachkriegsfahrzeuge

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Apal Porsche GT (1961) - am Grossglockner Grand Prix 2012

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Apal Porsche GT (1961) - am Grossglockner Grand Prix 2012

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Apal Porsche GT (1961) - am Grossglockner Grand Prix 2012

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Apal GT Porsche (1963)

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Apal GT Porsche (1963)

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Apal Porsche Coupé (1962) -

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Summary

The Belgian company Apal was founded in 1960, offering a sleek sports coupé with Volkswagen or Porsche mechanics from 1961. However, the Liège-based plastics manufacturer became really well known with its buggies and Formula Vee monoposti from the mid-sixties onwards. By then, almost 150 of the sports coupés had been produced. This vehicle report tells the story of the development of the first Apal sports car design and shows the car in current and historical pictures, as well as in the original sales literature of the time.

This article contains the following chapters

Impressive role model
Lightweight construction and special versions
Not cheap
Sporting successes
Only until 1965
Remaining a rarity
Becoming valuable
Further information

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The last Belgian car manufacturer was called Apal and is best known for its buggies and Porsche Speedster replicas, which were produced in Liège. But the first Apal was a coupé and a fast one at that. Anyone looking at the Apal Coupé will recognize clear design similarities with the Porsche 356 GTL Abarth from 1960. However, Edmond Pery and Bruno Vidick, the founders of APAL (Application Polyester Armé Liège), did not have much time to copy, as they began thinking about their own sports car as early as 1959. As early as 1960, they had already created a (non-drivable) prototype with a sheet metal body, which then served as the basis for the negative molds used to produce the plastic body.

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