1965 356 Emory Special Cabriolet

Few names in the custom Porsche world have been doing it as long as Rod Emory of Emory Motorsports. Influenced by his grandfather’s hot-rodding, and having grown up in a vintage Porsche parts warehouse, Emory’s cars depict a classic, yet subtle, hot rod look with a hodgepodge of parts from 356s, 911s, and other vintage Porsches. His work has become internationally recognized with the rise of all things Porsche and commands a premium, as you’ll see here in a second.

While the traditional Emory Outlaw builds adhere to a factory appearance, Rod Emory’s Specials incorporate unique, one-off modifications to each car’s bodywork. This 1965 356 Emory Special Cabriolet, finished in striking Tropical Green Metallic, was transformed from a coupe into a Cabriolet configuration during the build. Additional custom touches include inverted decklid louvers, an increased windshield rake angle, deletion of the bumpers, and installation of Pre-A-style rolled rocker panels.

On the inside, the cabin is trimmed in Vine Green leather and features perforated inserts over lowered reclining bucket seats with extended back rests. A Classic Retrofit electric air conditioning system has been added along with a MOMO steering wheel, VDO instrumentation, and an Emory shift knob.

Powering this Emory Special is a 2.6-liter “Outlaw-4” designed by Jeff Gamroth of Rothsport Racing. This compact interpretation of 911 architecture features custom components such as a sand-cast aluminum case, Elgin billet camshafts, individual throttle bodies, MoTec engine management, and more. Overall, an impressive build from one of the best in the business.

When it comes to custom 356 pricing, Emory’s build occupy the upper realm with prices in the $700k+ range over the last few years. Recent sales have seen bids from $747,500 to just over $800,000 for a ‘58 Emory Special Speedster that sold in February of this year. Our Spotlight car sold at a final bid of $755,000, pretty much right in line with the others. A lot of money for a 356, but what a 356 it is.

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