Almost immediately after arriving on American shores, the Porsche 356 found an unlikely second home among the heady custom hot rod builders of Southern California. These intrepid enthusiasts began ripping off stock bumpers, swapping rims for improved offsets, welding in Stinger exhausts, and tackling canyon roads or taking to the track for sanctioned competition. The unbridled ingenuity and enthusiasm of these passionate hot-rodders created homegrown sports cars so ferocious that the even staid Porsche engineers back in Zuffenhausen took notice and eventually debuted the official 356 Speedster.
Gary Emory grew up in his father Neil’s Valley Custom shop supplying many of Southern California’s early Porsche hot-rodders with plenty of go-fast parts. By the early 1990s, he was fully entrenched in the Porsche world with his own company, Parts Obsolete, and was the go-to for rare Porsche parts, not to mention an exceptionally deep knowledge base extending well beyond the realms of concours restoration. Gary provided a link between the Porsche purists and the so-called “outlaw” modifiers, a link which he passed down to his son Rod, whose company, Emory Motorsports, has produced some of the world’s most revered custom Porsches, including the example offered here.
Leaving Zuffenhausen in 1957 as a 356 A T1 Reutter coupe, chassis 101416 eventually made its way to Emory’s McMinnville, Oregan facility where it received a stunning catalogue of Outlaw enhancements. It is powered by a specially designed 2.6-liter Emory-Rothsport “Outlaw-4” engine with electronic fuel injection, full-flow oil system with remote filter and coolers, Motec-controlled twin-plug ignition with camshaft sensor, custom Sebring-style four-into-one exhaust, custom stainless headers with heater boxes, amber fiberglass engine shroud, and Radium Engineering Fuel Cell Surge Tank. All told, the engine is reported to produce 260 horsepower, giving the 2,000-pound Outlaw a power-to-weight ratio on par with the 631-horsepower Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT.
Proprietary four-wheel disc brakes with black brake hubs lurk behind custom 16-inch billet alloy wheels powder-coated in a medium satin black finish. The steering is rack and pinion and the upgraded suspension includes a 901-style independent rear suspension with custom narrowed trailing arms, Koni adjustable shocks, and front and rear sway bars.
Renowned for their custom metalwork, Emory’s team finished the body in period-correct Light Ivory after deleting the bumpers and front hood handle, as well as adding a louvered deck lid with stainless mess grill, flip-over deck lid hinges, a GT-style mirror, competition fuel filler, and hand-painted Mobil Oil Pegasus logo on both front fenders. The cabin features Green Vine leather upholstery on Speedster-style seats with carpeted seat backs, light green German square-weave carpet, a bolt-in roll cage, deleted rear seat with leather luggage straps, a three-spoke Moto Lita wood steering wheel, and unique wooden shift knob with engraved heraldic eagle. Electric air conditioning and a Stealth Bluetooth module have also been incorporated to further driver enjoyment.
Waiting lists for Emory Motorsports Porsche Outlaws are yearslong. Offering a period-correct presentation blended with hair-raising modern performance, this stunning example presents the chance to skip the line and immediately acquire one of the Porsche community’s most coveted prizes.