Turbocharged, Air-Cooled Porsche 356 RSR Is a 400-Horsepower Weapon of Mass Induction
Emory Motorsports has created what it calls “The Ultimate Outlaw.”
Though you can trace the genealogy of the 911 GT2 RS directly to the 356, the first true Porsche for the masses and Stuttgart’s latest weapon of mass destruction share very little common chromosomes. Mad scientist Rod Emory of Emory Motorsports thought he could change that by splicing a bit of GT2 RS DNA into that of a 356 embryo. The resulting chimera was dubbed the 356 RSR, or what Emory Motorsports affectionately calls, “The Ultimate Outlaw.” Jurassic Park’s scientists have been put on notice.
The spine of the 356 RSR is a “perfect survivor” 356 donor chassis Emory Motorsports uncovered. However, much of the rest of the car’s skeleton is lifted from Porsche’s much newer 964-generation 911. The two cars were joined to give the 356 RSR a far stiffer chassis, as well as better handling, power management, and braking for what would become a true monster. According to Emory, “To merge the Porsche unibodies, the difference in wheelbase was essentially split with a clever redistribution of length. However, all of the stock 964 suspension pick-up points were retained.”
An Emory-spec set of KW coil-overs with a 1.5-inch lift on-demand system, Eisenlohr Racing Products front camber plates, mono-ball mounts, and Tarett Engineering swaybars round out the suspension design. The setup itself was designed to specifically allow Emory, and the future owner, to handle like a true RSR Porsche, as well as the 356 RSR’s monstrous forced induction horsepower.
Powering the 356 RSR is an Emory-Rothsport Racing twin-turbocharged “Outlaw-4” cylinder engine. The powerplant is derived from Porsche’s 3.6-liter dry-sump, flat six-cylinder engine with two cylinders lopped off to create a more compact four-cylinder. Rothsport Racing developed a fuel-injection system with a bespoke intake and managed by a Motec ECU. Emory built the 356 RSR with a 935-style boost control knob mounted to the dash to on-the-fly adjust the engine’s turbos. As for power, with the boost knob turned all the way up to its maximum 17 psi, the 356 RSR makes 393 horsepower sent to the rear wheels via a Quaife limited-slip differential.
The “Ultimate Outlaw” weighs just 1,950 pounds with fluids, gas, and its Emory Motorsports roll-cage. Inside the 356 RSR are all the accouterments you’d expect from a race-ready Porsche, including a Momo Prototipo steering wheel, quick-release steering hub, Momo billet pedals, a Momo shift knob inspired by Porsche’s legendary 917 racecar, a Rothsport racing 5-speed manual transmission, and a set of custom seats modeled after the original Porsche RSR. Emory also included a set of Momo 6-point racing harnesses to keep driver and passenger alike secured when railing the 356 RSR through canyons or on the track.
Rounding out the build is a set of Momo Heritage center-lock wheels designed specifically for the 356 RSR. The bespoke wheels were fitted with ultra-sticky Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R race tires; the same spec you once were able to get with the wild Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.
As to the inspiration behind the project, Rod Emory said, “It started back in 2012 when I had my friend Greg Macey sketch a concept I had had in mind for quite some time. 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.”
After the car debuted at Luftgekuhlt earlier this year and people finally got a chance to see it in the flesh, Emory said they were a little taken aback by the design. “It was too over-the-top even for some of the forgiving purists,” Emory recalls, adding, “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.” As to what that entails, your guess is as good as ours but we can’t wait to find out what Emory Motorsports’ next Jurassic Park-esque project will be.
