Restoring a 61-year old classic car is by no means a walk in the park. When iconic band Hall & Oates rockstar John Oates stumbled upon this gem mangled up in a barn, he took it to Emory Motorsports and asked for the perfect restitution - and boy did they deliver.
Restored to perfection, John Oates’ 1960 Porsche 356 Emory Special featured on Jay Leno’s Garage looking as mint as it first came out in 1948, but with a custom, modern, Emory Motorsports touch.
The 1960 Porsche 356 has a long history. Its production began between 1948 to 1949 by an Austrian company called Porsche Holdings, and then by German company Porsche AG between 1950 and 1965. The Porsche 356 was Porsche’s first production car, making it an iconic vehicle in the German car manufacturer’s heritage.
Porsche only produced 50 of these classics that featured a lightweight, nimble, rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive setup available in open and hardtop coupe variants. The 356 enjoyed a lot of success in motorsports in the years to follow.
Oates' classic Porsche is not the same 1960 356B Cabriolet that drove out of Porsche’s stable 60 years ago. It’s a different animal altogether. It sure looks like a Porsche but comes with a lower roofline. Emory Motorsports customized the seating position, dash, steering wheel, shifter, and all-new interior to fit its new rockstar owner.
Instead of the graceful silhouette iconic to the 356, Emory fitted a flat top. Since it came with a damaged front end, Emory designers customized it with a 356A design at the nose and windscreen frame for a sleek appeal.
Most people would argue that a classic car needs to remain as stock as possible to retain its value. Well, a 60-year-old motor would look good in a car show, but driving it today would feel like stirring a pot of oats.
Emory installed their custom 200-hp Emory Rothsport 2.4-liter air-cooled 4-cylinder engine under the hood. The 1960 Porsche 356 also comes with a 5-speed manual transmission on a rear-wheel-drive setup.
On the road, Leno could immediately feel the impact on the throttle from Emory’s Outlaw-4 engine. It drives phenomenally for a sports car made in the 60s.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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