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.

As it turned out, there were several for sale at the time, but the one that really caught my eye was located in Idaho, and it had beautiful blue paint. And it wasn’t just a GT3; it was a GT3 RS, one of Porsche’s most potent track-oriented cars. So up to Idaho I went to see the car in person. It all checked out, and after purchasing the car, I decided to drive it home the next day rather than shipping it. So there, through the lonely back roads of eastern Nevada, I quickly learned this car was special, and the destiny of this car was set to be a driving car – not one for the dusty corner of a garage.
After all, it still retains the manual transmission that I loved about that 1968 912 I drove in high school, but this version adds some 350 more horsepower. Better yet, it made that power with a still-naturally aspirated engine that actually sounds amazing. Two days after arriving home, I put the car on track at Laguna Seca to really experience the car toward the limit of its capabilities. I’ve enjoyed this car on track several times each year since I’ve owned it. While newer GT3’s continue to improve performance, I feel this car provides a very special and engaging driving experience that the newer cars can no longer match, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to be its owner & caretaker.

With my eyes set on the car I knew I wanted, 242 GT, the search began. There aren’t official numbers out, but it is estimated that Volvo imported about 1000 GTs into the US. While it is an extremely reliable car, 50 years will undoubtedly knock a large percentage of those off the road. I knew that I would have to talk to some specialists to find the gem that I wanted. While researching online I randomly found Rainbow Auto Service, a Volvo-oriented shop, up in Bellingham, Washington. Giving them a quick call, the owner, “Rainbow Larry,” said he knew of a guy who had one stored in his warehouse. However, the guy was not ready to sell the car. My dad and I gave the owner a call, and while he was unsure about parting ways with her, we told him my story and our family’s love of classic cars, and if the time ever came when he was ready to part ways, it would be going to a great family. 126 hours later he called back! He was ready and we became the 3rd owner of this beautiful 242 GT, 200,000 miles and all.

So I connected with locals and over several months, my absolute butchering of the Portuguese language, many hand gestures, and Google Translate, I started to find a few 1980s-era LN65 Hiluxes. All were in very bad shape and many had their beds converted into flatbeds as the only people who bought these were genuine farmers. The Hilux is a brute-force work truck, indestructible, and easy to fix. Case in point, Top Gear’s infamous “Killing a Toyota” where they fully submerge a Hilux in the ocean, set it on fire, drop it from a 10-story building, etc. Still started.

Hope began to fade. Then João messaged me one day saying that he got word of a farmer who had an old Hilux. João went to go see it and sent me pictures. My brain almost exploded. Stored in his barn for many years was a 1987 Hilux and in pretty decent shape! With some much-needed basic maintenance (timing belt, brakes, minor surface rust, etc) I had my daily driver. People looked at me funny, who was the “idiota” driving a pickup truck in Lisbon’s narrow streets!