1965 Porsche 356 C 1600 "Outlaw" Coupe
Lot 211 | Porsche 75th Anniversary Auction
Chassis No. 219649
Engine No. 715088
Transmission No. 81751
By the early 1960s, Porsche had succeeded in cracking the sports-car-hungry North American market with their perennially popular 356. Famous for the careful development of its machines, Zuffenhausen's continued updates saw the spartan, aluminum-bodied boulevard racer become a sophisticated driver's car in its final C-Series iteration – gaining Ate disc brakes, a more robust clutch, and smaller-diameter torsion bars for a better ride.
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.
This US-market 1965 Porsche 356 C 1600 “Outlaw” Coupe was completed by Karmann on 25 August 1964, finished in 6401 Schiefergrau (Slate Grey) over a Kunstleder Rot (Red leatherette) interior. A digital copy of its factory Kardex shows that the Porsche was additionally optioned with a single outside mirror, antenna, and two speakers. Delivered new to Porsche specialist Mac-Han in Waltham, Massachusetts, the original sale invoice on file shows that the first owner, a Mr. Kasper M. Hodgson of Madomak, Maine, traded in his 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza for $1,749.00 toward the original $4,249.00 purchase price of the Porsche at Imported Car Sales, Augusta, Maine. Extensive original documentation and a handwritten mileage log with copious notes documents Hodgson's nearly 50-years of ownership, ending in a final entry dated April 2012 at 88,492 miles.
In recent years, the Porsche was subject to a ground-up restoration conducted by marque specialist John Bacon of Decatur Garage in Decatur, Georgia. The car was carefully disassembled and stripped to bare metal before being professionally repainted in its factory shade of Slate Grey by Sentry Body and Paint Inc. in Lilburn, Georgia. The exterior also received numerous outlaw-style modifications including a front and rear bumper delete, chrome trim delete, yellow-tinted headlights, new black-painted steel wheels with chrome hubs, radial tires, custom exhaust outlets, and gold script on the rear deck. The car was then shipped to San Diego where the renowned upholstery specialists at Autobahn Interiors retrimmed the interior in new Bordeaux leather hides. Offered with a Porsche-issued Certificate of Authenticity and Kardex verifying its numbers-matching status, this well-documented and freshly restored 356 C 1600 Outlaw Coupe's unique appearance is sure to turn heads wherever it appears.