We had our second-ever first-gen Camaro yesterday, and this Porsche- which happened to be parked less than a block away- is our second-ever 356 (after this '63 autocross veteran; this Speedster replica doesn't count, though it's still a cool car). What are the odds that both DOTS 356s would be green '63s?

Actually, I'm not 100% sure this is a '63; it's definitely a T6 Karmann-built 356B coupe, but it could be a '62 (though I'm pretty sure the engine lid badging on the Super didn't read "S" that year) or a '64-65 (but this car appears to have drum brakes, which were dumped after '63). Obviously, this is the sort of thing that must be correct, lest Porsche fanatics- who make Detroit muscle car worshipers seem like well-balanced, reasonable individuals, which is saying something- make me write "I WILL NOT ACCUSE FERDINAND PORSCHE OF RIPPING OFF HANS LEDWINKA EVER EVER AGAIN" 988 times (one for every year of the Thousand Year Reich that didn't happen) in every Porsche post I write in the future. Right. So, Porsche experts, is this really a '63?

Something that you Citroën fans might find disturbing is the fact that this car appears to have replaced the 1969 DS wagon; this Porsche lives at the same house and I haven't seen the Citroën for quite a while. Which would you prefer as your daily driver? Tough call for me, but I think I'm leaning more in the direction of the French wagon.

Sharp-eyed reader Cameron took these shots for us. Here's what he has to say:

Spotted this survivor T6-body 356B in Eagle Rock. Original paint, Black license plates, sixties era band stickers — I couldn't get a look at the mileage, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is a one-owner car. Enjoy!!

Check out the 356 Spotters Guide at the 356 Registry — it might make a fun game "What year is this Porsche and why?" Answer: Drum brakes!! It has drum brakes and T-6 356C's have disks. It took me about an hour to figure that out. Enjoy!!

As VR says:

We race a Datsun 510, and the 510 has a great race heritage, but I do like the 356. The only problem is that there's just so many of the damn things!

While we're in a Porsche frame of mind, how about a couple of 935s? Here's VR:

Both of these cars will be at the Historics - the featured marque is Porsche). The white one is owned by Woody Perkins, the yellow by Tom Hedges (who also owns Hedges Winery up here in Washington). If I remember correctly, they both bought them around the same time - roughly 3 years ago. They run them up and down the West Coast.

I caught sight of this Porsche parked in front of the Peet's downtown and- for once- I hadn't forgotten to bring my camera when out on a non-DOTS mission. The owner was sitting outside with his coffee and was happy to tell the story of his car and let me shoot the engine and interior (it always helps in such situations when both of you went to the same high school, as was the case here).


This car doesn't live on the street (the owner has one of the few Alameda houses with a proper garage), but it gets driven regularly, including a fair amount of commute duty. I'd seen it around town, but had lost hope that I'd ever catch it holding still for the camera (much like the BMW 1500 that keeps taunting me). The engine has a recent high-buck rebuild, but the original paint- warts and all- is still there.


No doubt Porsche obsessos would cringe at the idea of a street-driven 356 with non-coucours-quality paint... but they'd probably look for the nearest tall building for jumping-off purposes if informed that this car has been autocrossed. But don't stress, purists; the owner has since obtained a 914 for his racing adventures and the 356 is now treated more gently. Hey, check out that factory AM/FM radio! How rare were those things back in the early 60s?


So there you have it: our oldest DOTS Porsche yet!

First, let's watch the trailer, to get into the right frame of mind. Remember, these bloodthirsty babes are roaming the same desert than the Manson Family made their own a few years later!

As I've mentioned before, Tura Satana's Porsche 356 gets all the attention, but the other two cars driven by Tura's murderous gang deserve equal consideration. So, let's start with Lori Williams' Triumph TR3.


I'm going to get lazy here and copy the description from the England's Dreaming PCH here: Imagine blasting across the desert like a Russ Meyer-esque dangerous outcast in your very own 50s Triumph... say, this 1959 TR3 (go here if the ad disappears), for example. The seller, Mike, is a man who doesn't believe in sucking all the oxygen out of the air with useless discussion (instead, he saves oxygen for vigorous union with iron atoms in the floor of his Triumph); the sum total of the car's description is as follows: "Mostly complete, California car, rust in floors, hard to find classic." It looks like it's been exposed to the elements for a while, so you figure there's some interior work to be done in addition to the rust repair and the inevitable battles against electrical woes, but who cares? Imagine this thing with the body in nice shape and a crazy twin-cam Japanese engine under the hood!


Yes, the TR3 is a mighty fine machine and all, but those bulging headlights might be just a little too cute for a true Tura Satana sidekick's ride. But this 1960 MGA (go here if the ad disappears) is quite the mean machine, with its 79-horse 1600 engine and heartbreaking Lucas electrics. The seller claims the engine and transmission are in working order, and that there's no rust on the body panels. However, mention of the rust situation in other areas (say, the floor... or the chassis) is conspicuously absent from the description. The car comes with a bunch of extra parts, and there may well be enough of them to put together one somewhat complete MGA. All for just $3,500! We'd recommend swapping out the original engine for a 4A-GZE, because your potential desert prey will be driving faster cars than they were in the mid-60s; 79 horsepower will allow everything but Rabbit Diesels and early Hyundai Excels to flee with ease. Then, of course, you'll need to paint it white, to match Haji's car from the movie.


All right, now we're done with the British cars and we're ready to take a look at the car driven by the leader of the pack (by the way, Ms. Satana celebrated her 69th birthday at Alameda's Forbidden Island tiki bar a few months ago, so maybe one of the DOTS cars belongs to her). I know a lot of you are probably saying something like "Dude, no way can you buy a real Porsche 356 anywhere near as cheap as those other two cars!" right about now, but that's because you haven't yet seen this 1964 Porsche 356 (go here if the ad disappears) for a stunningly cheap price tag of $4,995. We'll allow that it's missing a few things here and there. Such as the engine. And the transmission. And the floor. All right, fine, it's a rolling 356 shell- but, hey, at least it's not a Beetle-based kit car! We figure you could stuff a hairy Subaru mill in there and triple the horsepower while applying fingernails to the mental chalkboards of Porsche purists everywhere.

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Isn't it beautiful? We can only hope that it has no muffler of any sort.


According to Vintage Racer:
The car was built by Gary Emory and his guys at Emory Motorsports. Evidently, they had a 356 that they had sandblasted prior to starting work on it. Other projects came up, and it was set off to one side. Then they needed the nose for a restoration on a Speedster, etc., etc. Once they started to work on it, my best guess is that inspired lunacy took over, with the result you see here. Basically a detuned race car underneath (check out the rise height), they left the body the way you see it. And in person, it is way cool.

The whole rat-rod thing may be getting a little tired, now that every tattooed hipster with a beater Dart claims he's in full Rat Rod mode, but it's great when done right.

In Junkman's own words: "It's all steel, crazy fast, surprisingly good handling and totally offensive to all Porsche purists." Hooray for offending the purists!


Look, no duct tape, hose clamps, or plywood! Hmm... there must be room for a supercharger in there somewhere...


In addition to doing very clean engine swaps, Junkman is no slouch in the photography department as well. Oh yeah, and this isn't his only European steed with a Detroit heart transplant: "We also have a '62 Deutsch-Bonnet LeMans Spyder which has had its original 2 cylinder, 850cc engine replaced with a Pontiac 400 V8 (possibly out of another LeMans...)" Keep up the good work, Junkman!

We're not purists when it comes to Porsches. We don't mind, by and large, if people hack 'em up. But the fate of this poor little 356 makes us sad indeed. The wheels are all wrong for the car, and that scoop treatment's rather in poor taste. What's more, if one's going to maul a car like this, shouldn't it have a modern engine? Nopers. Rebuilt stock mill. What then, is this point? It makes no sense at all. [Thanks to Nick for the tip.]

1960 Porsche 356 Custom 2-Door Coupe [Fantasy Junction]

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Porsche 356 fans for whom the sum of the parts are as important as the cars themselves need only look toward Charlie White's collection of factory ads and brochures for the mother lode of nostalgia. With ads for Porsche suppliers like Getrag transmissions, Blaupunkt radios and Solex carbs among them, White's online collection is enough to send a true Porscheologist into a fit of historics. Long a Porsche enthusiast, White's collection now includes workshop manuals, owners manuals, color charts, service bulletins, parts books, toolkits, factory accessories and lots of other stuff.

DerWhite's 356 Porsche Factory Supplier Advertisements

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