This “Allrad” all-wheel-drive Emory Porsche 356 bridges vintage and modern

The 356 is the lovely, lithe sports car that started Porsche on its present path. At their core, the engaging performance cars that have kept the brand alive for 87 years start with the 356. The first example rolled off the production line in 1948, and Porsche would build about 76,000 examples in total. Still, some 356 fans want the heritage flavor of an original Porsche, albeit with modern style and performance.

That is where Emory Motorsports comes in. It specializes in creating custom 356 “Outlaw” cars that are as technically impressive as they are beautiful. The latest from to roll out of Emory’s shop is wild—a 1964 356C coupe body perched atop the all-wheel-drive chassis of a 1990 911 C4. Emory usually turns out its resto-mods fairly quickly, but this was no simple build. Mating technology separated by almost 30 years into one car isn’t easy; the merger took four whole years.  

Emory shortened the AWD 911 chassis to fit the wheelbase of the 356, and widened the 356 to fit the rear track width of the 911. It’s like taking two jigsaw puzzle pieces—made decades apart—and shaping them to fit one another. The 911 all-wheel drive system uses a “rally-style” differential that the driver can manually adjust for real-time independent torque distribution from front-to-rear and side-to-side. The finished car utilizes the standard G64 five- speed manual transmission, 964-generation disc brakes, and rolls on custom black 16×7-inch wheels wrapped in winter tires. The car’s owner plans to drive this “Allrad” 356 year-round in New England, which is sure to turn a lot of heads.

The engine is an Emory-Rothsport “Outlaw-4,” which incorporates select bits of engineering from Porsche 911 engines. A brand-new, custom cast aluminum engine block is the base, and bolted to it are a mix of OE Porsche and custom billet pieces, along with dual Weber carburetors. The 2.4-liter flat-four cranks out 200 hp and motivates just 2150 pounds of mass. You don’t need to be a mathematician to figure out that this 356 will be able to hustle.

To me though, the coolest piece is the roof rack. A custom titanium rack was welded up by the owner, who is a bicycle fabricator, with feet that were 3D printed for an exacting fit. With the rack, this 356 should be ready for any adventure the owner can dream up.