Combining a 1960 Porsche 356B T5 with a 1990 Porsche 964 C2 is no easy task. For one, the wheelbases are different. But for Emory Motorsports, the challenge was minimal considering the team has experience imitating Dr. Frankenstein. Together, the two are now the 1960 Porsche 356 RSR – a hot rod Porsche with menacing looks and insane performance.

car is an exquisite example of craftsmanship. The nose and tail bodywork, aluminium boot lid, and one-piece aluminium bonnet are all hand-formed with the boot lid featuring custom stainless hinges. Added features include the added louvres, stainless steel mesh grille, and intercooler inserts in the steel section of the rear wheel arches. The rocker panels are modified Porsche 911 pieces while the side and quarter windows are Plexiglass.

1960 Porsche 356 RSR By Emory Motorsports

The real gem is the engine – a twin-turbocharged 2.4-litre flat-four making 393 bhp, which pairs with a five-speed manual gearbox. That may not seem like a lot of power; however, the RSR only weighs 1,950 pounds (884 kilograms), giving it an impressive power-to-weight ratio.

1960 Porsche 356 RSR By Emory Motorsports

The car took a lot of work to complete, and about four years from start to finish. The team had to marry the two chassis as there was a 3.35-inch (85-millimeter) difference in length. Parts kept from the 964 included its non-power rack-and-pinion steering, the brakes, and suspension pick-up points with the engine tailored to fit a 356-correct air-cooled four-cylinder engine.

1960 Porsche 356 RSR By Emory Motorsports

The 1960 Porsche 356 RSR by Emory Motorsports is a stunning example of what one can create. The car still looks like a Porsche with plenty of modifications that make it something unique. It’s light and powerful with a modern, hot-rod take on Porsche’s iconic styling while proving the flexibility of Porsche's various platforms.

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EMORY MOTORSPORTS CREATES THE ULTIMATE OUTLAW EARLY PORSCHE, THE 356 RSR

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA —When car enthusiasts hear Batmobile and German car in the same sentence, they normally think of the BMW 3.0 CSL. Emory Motorsports’ latest creation will update that association to Darth Vader and Porsche 356.

Third-generation car customizer/renowned early Porsche expert Rod Emory pulled a lifetime of automotive expertise together to create an exotic 1960 Porsche 356 RSR. As a grandson of one of Los Angeles’s first hot-rod shop owners, the son of the Baja Bug creator, and a former Top Fuel mechanic and competitive off-road racer, Rod was able to leverage every ounce of his automotive DNA in this builder’s dream project.

“It started back in 2012 when I had my friend Greg Macey sketch a concept I had had in mind for quite some time,” Rod Emory says. “The idea was to create an homage to the Porsche works 935 cars of the 1970s while retaining our Emory 356 Outlaw styling. Greg did phenomenal sketches, which we posted on Instagram. MOMO CEO Henrique Cisneros reached out and asked what it would take to turn the concept into reality. Once we zeroed in on the details, we had a second rendering done by Avedis Djinguelian to serve as a more representative style guide to the finished product. The actual build time was about four full years.”

As with other Emory Outlaw and Emory Special builds, the project began with the perfect donor car: a 1960 356B T5 coupe whose roof was undamaged but the rest of the body panels were destined for scrap.

With fresh experience combining a 356 body and 911 chassis in the world’s first AWD 356 (the Emory/Independent Fabrication 356C4S project), Rod’s crew knew where to nip/tuck to combine the best of the two Porsche sportscar iterations, some 35 years apart in age. The result is a seamless super-performance concoction whose 356 silhouette is artfully preserved, thanks to its factory greenhouse and doors. This car is an example of Emory Motorsports’ highest-performance “RS” designated cars.

All of the car’s now-removable nose and tail bodywork is hand-formed aluminum, as is the aluminum deck lid with custom stainless hinges and one-piece aluminum bonnet with oil-cooler air outlet. To relieve wheel-well air pressure, Emory Motorsports added louvers and front fender stand-offs. Other custom air-management modifications include stainless mesh grilles for the cooling ducts and intercooler air inlets in the steel section of the rear fenders. Final exterior touches are modified Porsche 911 rocker panels and Plexiglas side and quarter windows. The body color is a custom blend of PPG hues that Rod Emory calls Meteorite Matte Metallic.

To merge the Porsche unibodies, the difference in wheelbase was essentially split (85 mm) with a clever redistribution of the length. However, all of the stock 964 suspension pick-up points were retained. Also, the engine frame section was tailored to a length appropriate for a 356-correct air-cooled four.

Speaking of which, the exotic Emory-Rothsport twin-turbo Outlaw-4 engine produced a whopping 393 horsepower on Rothsport Racing’s engine dyno – incredible in a car that weighs only 1,950 pounds. This proprietary engine block, developed by and only available in Emory Motorsports builds, is a collaboration between Rod Emory and Jeff Gamroth of Rothsport Racing. The “Outlaw-4” engine’s architecture is based on the dry-sump Porsche 3.6L powerplant from the 1990s. To get the crazy power, Rothsport Racing created a purpose-built fuel-injection system with a one-off intake plenum and twin-plug distributor, managed by a Motec computer. The RSR race-inspired twin-turbo system uses two Garrett GT28R ball-bearing turbos with Turbosmart wastegates, backed by custom intercoolers. A dash-mounted 935-style boost control knob allows dialing up as much as 1.2 bar boost from the turbos.

Other Outlaw-4 details include a full-flow oil system with remote filter and cooler, plumbed with XRP lines and fittings. Also, Rothsport Racing fabricated a custom 3-2-1 stainless-steel exhaust system, which ends with a muffler-less straight pipe. The fuel system includes an 18-gallon Fuel Safe fuel cell, cradling a Radium FCST fuel delivery system.

The 356 RSR’s suspension was designed around the extreme power-to-weight ratio. Ride is controlled by KW coilovers with 1.5 inches of on-demand lift to negotiate driveway aprons. Eisenlohr Racing Products front camber plates and mono-ball mounts make for additional adjustability. Flatter cornering is made possible by Tarett Engineering swaybars. Also, the 964 non-power rack-and-pinion steering and brakes were retained, albeit with custom Coleman Racing rotors and hats.

Competition components were one of the project’s springboards, but street-legality was the goal. Rod Emory has an affinity for the MOMO 5-spoke wheels with centerlock hubs from the Porsche works 935. Wheels like those were at the top of his must-have list. One bespoke set of MOMO Heritage center-lock wheels were created just for this car; fronts are 17x7 and the rears are 17x8, wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires.

The MOMO influence continues into the interior. Rod Emory is a huge fan of the 911 RSR MOMO Prototipo steering wheel, and MOMO recently unveiled a distressed version for a historic effect – complete with a quick-release hub. The adjustable Tilton pedals feature custom MOMO billet pads. The shifter knob is also a Porsche 917-inspired MOMO unit atop a Rothsport Racing shifter. Seats are custom and are modeled after the 911 RSR. They are covered in fire-retardant Spanish Red Veltex fabric with custom-embroidered MOMO logos. Occupants are kept in place by easy-adjust and quick-release 6-point MOMO competition harnesses. Safety is also improved by a custom Emory Motorsports removable rollcage.

The 356 RSR has a few other cues that celebrate Porsche’s competition history. The amber fiberglass footboards and dash caps were inspired by the 917 and 935. The car’s marine-grade rubberized Hardura flooring is the same material used in Porsche GT cars. The floormat’s backing has sound-absorbing insulation.

“People had strong reactions when we debuted the 356 RSR at Luftgekühlt this past May,” Rod Emory said. “It was too over-the-top even for some of the forgiving purists – something we’re used to after being branded Outlaws by the period-correct owners decades ago – but the car definitely attracted a lot of attention and now serves as a benchmark for what we can do with Porsche’s extremely flexible platforms.”

For more information on Emory Motorsports, please call 971.241.7017 or visit EmoryMotorsports.com or @rodemory.

MOMO 1960 PORSCHE 356 RSR SPECIFICATIONS

  • Vehicle: 1960 Porsche 356B T5 coupe / 1990 Porsche 964 C2
  • Engine: Emory/Rothsport Outlaw-4 2.4L boxer
  • Power: 375-400 hp @ 1.2 bar
  • Transaxle: G50/03 five-speed manual transmission
  • Differential: Quaife limited-slip
  • Suspension: KW adjustable coil-overs with hydraulic lift, Eisenlohr Racing Products upgrades, Tarett Engineering sway bars
  • Chassis: 356 wheelbase lengthened 85 mm
  • Wheels: 17x7 MOMO Heritage front, 17x8 MOMO Heritage rear
  • Tires: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R
  • Body: Extensively modified with removable aluminum nose and tail sections
  • Paint: PPG Meteorite Matte Metallic
  • Accessories: MOMO distressed Prototipo steering wheel, MOMO 5-point competition harnesses, MOMO shift knob, Tilton pedal with MOMO pads, custom seats, amber fiberglass interior panels and air-management ducting, removable rollcage, Fuel Safe fuel cell, Radium FCST surge tank, XRP plumbing