See this vehicle at the 2026 Car Show
Built Like an Outlaw
As Told by Richard Sutliffe
Some Background: Porsche started building sports cars around 1950, shortly after the end of WWII. Dr. Ferdinand Porsche was an engineer/designer who designed and built the VW Beetle starting in the late 1930’s. It was designed as a reliable, inexpensive transportation car for everyday people. Hence the name Volkswagen, or “People’s Car”. However, Dr. Porsche’s dream was always to build a sports car. His first Porsche sports car design took shape around 1950. It was designated the Model 356. Not surprisingly, it took many of his VW design elements such as a rear engine, air-cooled, lightweight and more, and incorporated them into the design of the Porsche 356. The Porsche 356 was built for approximately 15 years until 1965 when it was replaced by the Porsche 911.
Quick story: After many years of modifying, racing, and generally enjoying Porsche 911 cars, I picked up this 1965 356SC as a project car in about 2017. I still have a couple of old 911 Porsches, but the 356 has been a fun change. My 356 is an “SC” model, which has the highest horsepower of any 356 except the very limited-production Carrera. My 356SC was a complete car when I got it, but it came out of years of storage and needed a lot of work. Because I have modified my 911s and other cars over the years, it was natural for me to make some modifications to this 356 as I made it roadworthy again and improved it. As I got into the project and learned more about 356s, I was surprised by how much you can do to a 356 to improve it and give it some “attitude” yet still keep the wonderful essence that makes the 356 Porsche special. As I worked on it over the past few years, I’ve continued to modify it further, but I’ve done it in a way (no holes filled, etc.) that some future owner could easily return it to its original factory look and configuration. I enjoy how it looks and performs now with my modifications, so I most likely won’t change it back to stock.
Modifications include:
General Outlaw look: No bumpers, exterior trim removed, larger mag wheels and tires, lowered stance, extra lighting, sport exhaust, etc. In general, the Outlaw look reflects how most 356 race cars looked when they were actively raced from the 1950’s through the 1970’s. Many 356s are still raced today in Vintage racing sports car races.
Engine Modifications: Increased displacement to 1950cc on its original 1600cc case using a stroker crankshaft, special stronger rods, and P’s & C’s. Larger valve heads, Weber carbs, upgraded camshaft, improved cooling, exhaust, etc. Engine output is significantly higher than the stock original engine. Dyno tests show almost a 50% improvement in torque and horsepower over its original factory numbers. The 356 is light, weighing just over 1,800 lbs., so the power increase really makes a difference you can feel. The car has its original 4-wheel disc brakes, and I will probably upgrade to larger front brakes out of necessity due to the increased engine performance.
Suspension: Upgraded double adjustable SPAX shocks, larger front sway bar, wider mag wheels/tires, lower stance and alignment settings.
In summary, my Porsche 356SC has been a lot of fun to work on and modify. Because so many people either owned a Porsche 356 in the past or knew someone who did, I often get waves and smiles when driving the car.
Here are a couple of shots taken at the KRON Promo Shoot for the 2026 Orinda Classic Car Show with Vicki Liviakis KRON4 Anchor. Watch the video here.
