Porsche 356 Outlaw

Cosmetically the current owner has developed the car externally to look like an early 356 Carrera GT. It has been fitted with Carrera GT front and rear bumpers, an aluminium bonnet and aluminium louvred engine lid. It also sits on a set of very special aluminium rimmed steel centred wheels. The rear lights have been backdated to the attractive “beehive” design from the 356 T1 and the rear number plate illumination has been removed. All body work and paint has been completed by the world-renowned 356 experts Sportwagen in Essex.

The overall impression is of a car with many years of development. Certainly, it is rare to find a car that has been so thoughtfully detailed and finished. The overall result resolves function with aesthetics extremely successfully and will appeal to anyone with an appreciation of early Porsche design.

Bespoke cars can be tricky. Firstly, what appeals to one person may be anathema to another. The greater opportunity for personalisation provided by these project cars only exaggerates this.

Secondly, not all project cars are exactly what they purport to be.  Some are expensive, many are not that well finished, while others fail to become more than the sum of their parts. This car has been honed, detailed and obsessed about to an unhealthy degree!

The drive matches the presentation, with a thoroughly sorted Polo engine that pulls cleanly and strongly with no fuss at all. The damping is good – probably more comfy than sporty – while the handling is neutral with excellent road-holding from the Avon tyres.

Perhaps contrary to expectation, comfort is high.  The car is not particularly noisy which we attribute to a mixture of the more sophisticated engine build and also extra modern soundproofing throughout.  The overall feeling is OEM build quality, not hot rod.

In summary, this little car has a real standout presence and certainly ranks as one of the most unusual and impressive cars that we have been lucky enough to have in our garage.