1958 Porsche 356 Coupe Outlaw Bigger And Better

He wanted to build an Outlaw, with a bigger motor, bigger wheels, upgraded suspension and a custom interior. The 1958 Porsche 356 Coupe started with a 2332cc engine.

Owner/Builder: Marius de Villiers. Location: Krugersdorp North

Marius started restoring American muscle and German sports cars in 2010. He was a plumber when, in 2012, he decided to quit construction to make car restoration his full-time business. He worked on Mustangs, Corvettes and Chevy pickups. In 2016, he bought his first 1979 911sc which was followed by a 1978 930 Turbo.

After the completion of the two Porsches, which were restored as close to factory spec as possible, he wanted to build an Outlaw. This meant a car with a bigger motor, bigger wheels, an upgraded suspension and a custom interior. The first thing he came across was the monster 2332 cc air-cooled engine and this is what sparked the initial of the 356 Outlaw. Then the suspension and floor pan started as a 70s Beetle.

The body was built by Universal Products in Isando. It is a steel-reinforced fibreglass body. Then the body was fitted to a shortened floor pan and disc brakes were installed all around. All the steering components were replaced with new parts bought at Volkspares which is based in Jet Park, Boksburg. 

The bodywork was done by Creative Customs in Roodepoort. They took great care in ensuring that the body panels lined up and that the body laser was straight. Then there is the paint colour and it is called Azura blue. Google made the colour decision made easy. The paintwork was applied by Bennie Rossouw from Auto Magic (he made it onto the cover of the December 2018 edition of Speed and Sound magazine with his 2JZ Hilux). He is a very talented man who shows great passion for the work that he does. 

A selector drop front suspension with a new steering box makes it easier to set the height of the front to your exact specifications. The suspension set-up was completed by Jacques du Preez from Road Rat, based in Krugersdorp. He is quite the genius when it comes to VW Beetles and also has racing experience at Tarlton. He has a mad little black and orange Porsche Spider. Jacques also installed a coil cover setup on the rear. 

The engine was purchased from Volkspares. Furthermore, the engine block is an aluminium 2332 cc. It has an 84mm Crank, 94mm Mahle Pistons, 5.5inch Super race rods (Chevy Journals) and a Serpentine pully kit and lastly a Dice fuel injection system. Let’s mention the motor makes around 200hp. The gearbox was sent out to Bugger Transmissions for a stage 2 upgrade to help cope with the torque of the engine.

The upholstery was done by Universal Products. The interior was inspired by the Singer Porsche company. They have a wonderfully modern take on a classic 911. All of the interior parts were imported from a company in the UK called Stoddard. They supply repro parts for classic Porsches. Marius is particularly proud of the way the ivory Banjo steering wheel fits in with the accessories and switches. The best is that it also compliments the colour choice with regard to the leather seats. 

Sourcing wheels that would fit was a real issue for Marius. The track width actually increases with the brake setup that was used. So, a custom set was fabricated. This is an on/off set of steel wheels. They started their life as Renault rims that were put into a CNC milling machine. We had the back widened slightly. They are custom painted and the gold paint in each hole of the wheel really pops. Then the tyre lettering was hand-painted in bright yellow with very special and top-secret paint. 

The headlights were fitted with crystal-sealed beams underneath with wire mesh grilles. Furthermore, the taillights and indicators were imported. Both the front and rear bumper were removed. Leather straps were added to the bonnet for a 50s race car feel. The fuel tank was covered in leather with a Lemans-style gas cap from a Cobra was installed.  

Marius is so happy that the end result is exactly what he had planned. He took the best bits from many pictures of Outlaw 356s and added them to his own car. The overall build took just over 2 years. 

He is currently busy with a somewhat wider body 66 Mustang Coupe. He hopes to wow South Africans with a new classic Mustang that has plenty of modern features. He is also busy with a very American-style bagged LS2 Chevy.

A special thanks go to Garth Waberski from Universal Products, Jacques du Preez from Road Rat, Giel Redelinghuys from Creative Customs and Restorations, Bennie Rossouw from Auto Magic