1960 ABR (Belgium) - AllCarIndex

The ABR car, a unique creation from 1960, was the brainchild of Belgian engineer Alfons Booren. Using the chassis of a 1958 Volkswagen Beetle, Booren crafted a distinctive two-seater coupe named ABR, an acronym whose full meaning has been lost to time.

True to its Beetle roots, the ABR's body was constructed from sheet steel and bolted to a central tubular frame. It featured innovative design elements, including a folding front section for access to the petrol tank and a similarly foldable rear for engine and drivetrain servicing. The car's exterior design combined influences from the Porsche 356 in the front and foreshadowed the Opel GT in the rear.

Under the hood, the ABR was powered by a Porsche 356 boxer engine, with braking components also sourced from the Porsche 356. Booren gave the wheels a bespoke touch by welding five spokes onto the originals, mimicking the look of lightweight alloy wheels. The wide doors opened to a modest interior, featuring handmade seats and a dashboard crowded with instruments, arranged in a rather unconventional manner.

Although visually striking and technically impressive, the ABR car ultimately did not endure. It was scrapped after some time, leaving behind only a few photographs in Booren’s private collection as evidence of its existence. The ABR remains a testament to Booren’s ingenuity and his ability to blend Beetle and Porsche technologies into a truly unique automobile.