Shifting the Recipe a Bit
Rod Emory of Emory Motorsports has revealed the 1959½ Speedster. It’s the latest evolution of the company’s vision for its Outlaw 356 Porsches. The Transitional Speedster you see here came to be from a 356 coupe that had sustained significant roof damage. The roof was not repairable, and because of this Emory Motorsports had a unique opportunity. It could develop a true one-of-a-kind vehicle.
“Each 356 that we put back on the road is a piece of Porsche history, and we work very hard to preserve that creative spark,” said Rod Emory of Emory Motorsports. “The best part of my work is bringing new life to cars that might otherwise be destined for the junkyard.”
Emory knew it could make the Speedster model easily because there actually was a speedster from 1954 to 1958. When the customer came to Emory with the idea of an open-top design for this car, the company knew what to do. This model has a racing-inspired aluminum tonneau cover and headrest fairing that fits it.
The car has been gone over like every Outlaw 356 from Emory Motorsports and is a true work of art. It received an Emory-Rothsport Outlaw-4 engine. That engine is a 2.4-liter flat-four that makes 205 hp. Pair that with a four-speed transmission and you have a car that’s lightweight, fast, fun, and beautiful.
For those who don’t know, the Outlaw 356 from Emory Motorsports is the company’s original machine. The company takes old Porsche 356s and performs concours-quality restoration to the metal chassis and body. From there, the chassis is stiffened, a new engine is put in place, and a modified Porsche 911 suspension system is installed.
“Porsche enthusiasts will notice that this build does not wear a “Speedster” emblem,” said Emory. “This is a nod to the car’s coupé beginnings and to the idea that we are celebrating the best of what this car still had when we found it. The “1959½” designation also signifies how this car straddles model years and body styles.”
