For Sale at Auction: 1963 Porsche 356 in Costa Mesa, California

Chassis No. 122036

By the early 1960s, Porsche had succeeded in cracking the sports-car-hungry North American market with its perennially popular 356. On America's West Coast sun belt where the Speedster first captivated performance enthusiasts, a vibrant hot-rodding scene emerged amongst those who sought to modify their 356s for better performance and personalize them for a unique appearance. This crowd and their cars quickly drew the ire of Porsche purists who nicknamed them "Outlaws." Since the movement's controversial beginnings, outlaws first became accepted and later sought after for their stand-out appearance and tasteful performance upgrades.

According to a copy of its factory Kardex warranty card on file, this U.S.-market 1963 Porsche 356 B 1600 Coupe was completed on 9 October 1962, finished in Elfenbein (Ivory) over a Kunstleder Rot (Red leatherette) interior and dispatched to Porsche Car Pacific of Burlingame, California. The Kardex further records delivery to its first owner, John Norton of Reno, Nevada, along with several early warranty claims processed through the selling dealer. By the late 1990s, the coupe had migrated to Colorado, where it was converted for vintage racing and reportedly campaigned for roughly a decade. Acquired in 2006 by a noted Porsche collector, it was then entrusted to KAM Motorsports International of Waterbury, Connecticut, to be transformed from a dedicated competition machine into a dual-purpose road and track car. An extensive file of invoices from that period documents the scope of the work in great detail, including extensive electrical, brake, suspension, steering, fuel-system, and exhaust work required to make the car road usable.

From 2017 through 2023, Jim Newton of Automobile Associates in Canton, Connecticut, undertook a comprehensive, well-documented restoration that ultimately created the car's present "Outlaw" configuration. The body was mounted on a rotisserie and taken to bare metal, allowing the shop to carry out extensive metal repairs to the floors, longitudinals, rockers, battery box, front trunk wall, quarter panels and jambs, and nose section, followed by repainting in its current Graphite Metallic, an early 356 color, renewed brown leather upholstery and square-weave carpeting, and careful final assembly. Mechanical work was equally substantial, encompassing an engine rebuild with 86-mm pistons and cylinders, 912 camshaft, revised oiling hardware, machine work to the crankshaft, and carburetor cleaning, resealing, and tuning, along with fitment of a close-ratio gearbox (re-geared to 1B, 2A, 3E, 4A). Bilstein B6 dampers were installed at all four corners, all-round disc brakes fitted, and the car received wiring and systems sorting, a new fuel tank, and associated plumbing. Final invoices from 2021 through 2023 further record continued post-restoration sorting, including carburetor balancing and float-valve work, brake and charging-system repairs, transmission resealing with a replaced mainshaft bearing, and the fitting of new 15 by 8-inch wheels. The total invested in bringing this Outlaw Coupe to its current condition exceeds $150,000 since 2017.

Offered with a Porsche-issued Certificate of Authenticity and factory Kardex, this well-documented and freshly restored 356 B 1600 Outlaw Coupe's unique appearance is sure to turn heads wherever it appears.