If you are anything like me, you have a ridiculously ambitious idea for your project car and what you want it to be like when it’s “done”. For many of us, a project will never truly be done, but for someone with the fabrication and mechanical skills, a full shop of tools, an intelligent and diligent staff, and an appropriate budget to finish the project, like Rod Emory for example, it’s going to come to fruition. This project idea started as a pipe dream, a napkin sketch that Emory posted to Instagram. The idea revolves around the concept of “what if Porsche had built an RSR version of the 356?”
Using lots of sheet aluminum, a few accents of amber fiberglass, and a fuel-injected four-cylinder with a set of big honkin’ turbos hanging off the back, this 356 embodies a what if moment in Porsche history. It’s an alternate history of motorsport heritage. We all know the 911 RSR Turbo of the early 1970s, but if Porsche had somehow had that idea a decade before, this car might be what Werks 1 could have spawned. Built on behalf of Momo’s Henrique Cisneros, this is the new king of the 356 hill.
Aesthetically it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. And honestly, I can see why. It’s a radical departure from anything we’ve seen in 356 land before. That’s exactly why I love it to death. This mess of fender flares, louvers, ducts, and inlets is exactly the kind of spiritual extension that the 911 RSR Turbo was. That car was hardly an aesthetic masterpiece, especially compared to the street cars that were available from Porsche in the day. The RSR has always been a function over form racer, and that’s what this 356 is. It spits flames, it goes like stink, and it handles like it’s on rails. This is the automotive equivalent of shooting first and asking questions later. Well done, Mr. Emory.
