Emory Motorsports have been customizing Porsches since the mid ’90s, and in that time owner Rod Emory has created some truly exceptional vehicles, they may not be for the purist but the build quality and attention to even the slightest detail is definitely in keeping with what the factory intended. While every build is as unique as the customer desires, Emory offers three basic design styles from which to start: the Outlaw, Special or RS, each one a bit more extreme than the next. But none has taken the Outlaw design ethos quite to the levels as this latest creation, the 356 RSR.
The idea for this ultimate Outlaw build dates back to 2012 when Rod’s friend Greg Macey sketched a concept of what an homage to the Porsche 935 works racing car could look like. After a lot of interest from various parties including Momo CEO Henrique Cisneros, they decided to turn those sketches into reality. The 356 RSR uses the bones of a 1960 356 T5 coupe which rolled into the Emory workshop with only its roof panel intact.
Using their extensive modification experience, the team combined the 356 body with a 911 chassis (a 1990 964 C2 in this case) and created the 356 RSR, the entire build taking four years to complete. Finished in a bespoke color Rod has called ‘Meteorite Matte Metallic’, the car retains the silhouette of a 356 yet still looks like no other Porsche you have ever seen. The car was intended to be street-legal from the start but there are plenty of motorsport components and nods to the legendary Porsche race cars here. From the amber fiberglass footboards and dash caps, which took their inspiration from the 917 and 935, to the marine-grade rubberized Hardura flooring, which is the same material used in Porsche GT cars, the 356 RSR pushes both the boundaries of design and performance.
It is fitted with an Emory-Rothsport flat-four engine. Based on the 3.6-liter flat-six powerplant from the ’90s, this 2.4-liter block produces 393hp thanks to two Garrett GT28R ball-bearing turbos and a purpose-built fuel-injection system. Clothed in aluminum and weighing just 1950 pounds. the 356 RSR is as rapid as any contemporary sports car.
To keep everything pointing in the intended direction the suspension and brakes have also been upgraded. Notable highlights include a set of KW coilovers with 1.5-inches of on-demand lift, camber plates and mono-ball mounts from Eisenhor Racing Products and Tarett Engineering swaybars. Momo Heritage center-lock wheels shod in Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R rubber and a Momo Prototipo-styled steering-wheel similar to the one found in a 911 RSR add to the sporting look and feel of this build.
“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.”
Emory Motorsports liken their creation to Darth Vader and there are definitely aspects of the design that bring the movie villain to mind, but there are also some almost steampunk-like elements to this hottest of hot rods. Whether you love or hate the Emory Porsche 356 RSR, it is a totally unforgettable head turner that takes modified Porsches to a whole new level.
Images courtesy of Emory Motorsports
