I’m a bit of a “Porsche Purist”, what others may call a snob. For the most part, I like my Porsches to be original, true to what the manufacturer intended with little to no modifications. As an example, my 1973 911T was all original (including paint and interior) with no modifications. My current 1997 993 C4S is exactly the same, all original, no modifications (except the options from the factory)
However, that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate anything else. I understand the need and desire for modifications. My 993 would, in some people’s opinion, benefit from a suspension modification (lower it to ROW specs) and get rid of what is routinely referred to as the “SUV” ride-height. Based on cars I’ve seen with this mod, I tend to agree and just might do this to my car. Compared to the subject of this post however, this type of suspension modification is infinitesimally small. Not surprisingly, it takes things a little too far for my taste.
Jeff Dutton’s 1955 Porsche ‘Silver Bullet’ Custom Hot Rod.
Built on a 914-6 chassis with a body based on a 1955 356 Continental, it is fitted with a 3 liter, 279hp RS-spec engine, and a 915 gear box. Momentum created by the racing spec’d engine is temporarily halted with addition of “full-trick” 934 brakes. The polished disc wheels are 17” in diameter and match the other accents/trim on the car.
Putting technical specs aside, which are impressive, I would prefer to focus on the aesthetics of the car. According to an article I read in Keith Martin on Collecting Porsche, the idea behind the car was to create an “Outlaw Porsche” (chopped hotrod) that still remained true to the original design theory and production of legendary Porsche designer Erwin Komenda. While I agree that it is still recognizable as a Porsche, I’m not sure I would have spent the money (hundreds of thousands is the claim) to build this car. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves and you be the judge. Click on anyone of the thumbnails for a larger image and take a look at the Fantasy Junction listing for even more images.
The car is currently offered for sale, on consignment, at Fantasy Junction. According to Chris Christianson, of Fantasy Junction, the current owner placed the car on consignment in early February and has set the asking price at $175,000. I tried to research previous owners; unfortunately, all I found were references to an attempted previous sale in 2001 at RM’s Monterey auction where the car was bid to $55,000 and did not sell.
Builder of the Porsche 356 Outlaw
If you’re curious about the original owner/builder of this car here is a little more info I found while researching for this post.
Jeff Dutton comes from a family filled with impressive automotive accomplishments. In 1911 Jeff’s grandfather, Albert Octavious Dutton, began a coachwork-building business that specialized in the creation of bodies for Rolls Royce, Franchini, Isotta, etc. As Albert’s reputation grew, so did the shop’s capabilities. In 1953 Dutton’s became the first Porsche factory-appointed repair shop in Australia.
Today, Dutton’s has expanded to include a new dealership that stocks both classic and current model Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati and other hi-end luxury brands. In addition, Jeff’s son has branched out with the creation of DuttonDirect (an on-line luxury directory and magazine that covers automotive, marine, aircraft and lifestyle products). Dutton’s success has given him the means to pursue his passion of collecting, creating, driving and racing Porsches.
Related Posts
Outlaw Porsche Turbo 356
[Source: Fantasy Junction, Keith Martin on Collecting Porsche
View Comments (6)
Hmmm...That is a really ugly car, I have to say. I am by no means a Porsche purist but I think their effortsand money would have been better spent modifying an armored car.
Phil,
I couldn't agree with you more. As I mentioned in the post, this one just doesn't do it for me. However, when you have the type of money the Dutton's have, you can afford to make a "mistake" or two.
I admire the creativity and the stones to build this car. However, the design statement that the builder tried to make misses its mark. I also think that, for the high asking price, the underbody should get some attention prior to the sale (new exhaust, new shocks and re-surface the rotors, etc.)
Good insight and attention to detail on calling out the need for work on the underbody. I completely missed it when I was looking through the pictures. You are 100% correct, for the price they are asking, it should look much cleaner.
Hi :-) :)
Where can I buy -porsche-356-silver ?????
Hope to hear from you.
All the best.
Jens Nielsen
It seems no matter what anyone does to their automobile or motorcycle..there are others that have an opinion for it or againist it. I have been in the custom motorcycle business and in my hobby of cars; be it custom, hot rod, rat rod, vintage, antique, classic and exotic for the past 40+ years the same words of pro and con are spoken. What we don't know about the finish/after product is what was its before?? How many times have I bought a carcass or basket case that nobody wanted; not even the purist, the restorer or fine collectors wanted to buy it for parts or for the ultimate show piece. Many of these so called barn finds, treasures were total losses to others were brought back to life with a different face lift and heart. Most of these creations were probably financally unfeasible to restore back to orginal because most of it was so far gone. My thinking is once a car is repainted..it is no longer orginal anyway, much less rechroming, new interior materials, tire/wheel, glass changes or rebody/replace the sheetmetal. Other parts replaced with less than quality OEM part(aftermarket) because oem parts are not available.
Appreciate the creative talent it takes to transform a peice of nothing into a moble piece of art.