{"id":7673,"date":"2024-05-01T19:00:12","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T18:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.design911.co.uk\/blog\/?p=7673"},"modified":"2024-05-08T16:49:46","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T15:49:46","slug":"porsche-people-here-comes-trouble-the-daring-porsche-356-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.design911.co.uk\/blog\/porsche-people-here-comes-trouble-the-daring-porsche-356-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Porsche People: Here Comes Trouble, The Daring Porsche 356 Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

The concept of the outlaw<\/a> Porsche \u2013 that is, the car so modified as to become something different \u2013 may divide the Porsche purists, but then that\u2019s the point. Some of this work is mechanical, some cosmetic, some are both. Our latest profile piece talks outlaws. And Trouble.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was probably around the 2017 mark when I first began falling in love with the classic Porsche look \u2013 the 80s to 90s models of the 911.\u201d So begins a now longstanding affair with Stuttgart\u2019s finest that burns bright with today\u2019s subject, Lawrence Todd.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came across the Rico Customs Instagram account (rico_customs<\/a>) and I just loved the art he was creating with these cars. I\u2019d been tinkering with these cars working for my dad and I thought, you know what \u2013 I\u2019d love to take one of these cars and make my own piece of art.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Reality bites.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cOf course, I\u2019d always been aware that Porsches had been around for some time, but it wasn\u2019t until I was in my late teens that I really showed an interest in them. It was also a financial thing \u2013 as a kid I hadn\u2019t been able to afford one, but by then I was living at home, able to save money, and that\u2019s when the concept became a reality.<\/p>\n

So, I started looking for an 80s-90s \u2018project car\u2019 that I could make my own. I didn\u2019t want to \u2018outlaw\u2019 the car so much that it no longer resembled a Porsche \u2013 I just wanted to stamp my personality on the car. Make it into \u2018my\u2019 car. But then my plans changed, and I saw Trouble.<\/p>\n

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Goodbye 911. Hello 356.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll put my hands up and confess that until around 2019 I probably didn\u2019t know the Porsche 356 even existed. My Instagram algorithm had begun pulling in lots of 911s when it suddenly sprung a new car on me. I thought, wow, what is that? That is wicked. I became aware that it was a Rod Emory<\/a> car, and once I\u2019d done my research and became aware of what he does, I thought \u2013 that\u2019s what I want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cFinding a 356 was a lot harder than a 911 and choosing the right car was key. I\u2019d never taken on a full restoration before. I\u2019d taken apart and rebuilt bikes and lawnmowers before and built up my confidence that way. But this was another level.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a supportive family helps. My dad has lots of experience in car restoration; my mum is behind me \u2013 she has an \u2018anything is possible\u2019 spirit, which is super-helpful, and even my sister Ellie has been involved, more on that later, and between us we\u2019ll get it done.<\/p>\n

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A brief history of Trouble.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a \u201962, bought in Luxembourg, shipped off to the States until 2019. She was bought as a barn find and imported back into the UK by a third party. I\u2019ve been learning as I go: when I first sat in her I was always finding stuff \u2013 fuel and service receipts and following the chronology of those receipts I think the last time she weas filled up was probably 1974.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat suggests the car was driven from \u201962 to \u201974, and then parked up to rot. She was stored on the East side of the States, Maryland, so not California and not very dry, unfortunately. Consequently, her body isn\u2019t in great shape.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the extra specs, such as fog lights and an extended fuel tank \u2013 70 litres rather than the factory issue 55 – suggest that she was used for rallying, and that she\u2019s not in her factory-issue colour, too. Finding out any more is difficult as the restraints of data protection make it difficult to clarify who owned her \u2013 \u2018sorry, I can\u2019t tell you that\u2019 and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n

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So, why Trouble, Lawrence?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

[Deep sigh]. Well, long story short, she\u2019s caused plenty. This was originally going to be a joint enterprise project with my sister. I had persuaded her to put up half the money, and then took her \u2013 Trouble, not Ellie \u2013 to a well-known Porsche restoration expert to explain my plans. He told me this car would never see the road. He destroyed my dreams of restoring the car.<\/p>\n

My sister hadn\u2019t come with me on that visit, so I was left in the position of having to explain what he\u2019d said to someone who invested a lot of money in a project that appeared doomed to fail from the outset. It left me quite emotional. My dad hadn\u2019t wanted me to buy it in the first place \u2013 thought it was a complete basket case \u2013 and she was now taking up precious space in my parents\u2019 garage. I wondered what on earth I\u2019d bought.<\/p>\n

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Bumpy road.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cWe had lots of family arguments. We got to a crunch point in the summer where I thought I either must get on with the restoration or sell her and move on. At one point I did put her up for sale, but there was a connection between me and this very rusty car that made me take the advert down.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s trouble all right, and that\u2019s been the right name for her throughout her life with me; from purchase to restoration and I would imagine, beyond that, too. But here we are and there\u2019s no going back now. Immediate plans include restoring her back to her original grey, but it won\u2019t be a complete \u2018nut and bolt\u2019 restoration. I want to create my own art here. I will see how I can incorporate modern materials into her interior, maybe swap the original vinyl for leather, and there are a few other plans I have in mind to make her more \u2018drivable\u2019 throughout the year.<\/p>\n

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So, what of the future, Lawrence? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cWell, she\u2019s not going to be a \u2018garage queen\u2019. I plan to drive her. First stop is a trip to Germany and the Porsche Motor Museum. I\u2019ve never been, and I think it\u2019d be an awesome road trip. I want to try her out on some roads in the Alps. I won\u2019t be racing her, though. I am not a racing driver and that\u2019d be a bad idea! I won\u2019t be taking her rallying either \u2013 I will keep her away from mud. Driving her in the wet is one thing \u2013 muddy roads are quite another. I certainly won\u2019t be selling her. I tried that once already and she\u2019s still here!<\/p>\n

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And the moral of this story? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cI think many people can relate to how these cars can either cause you trouble \u2013 or get you into it.\u201d And for all the arguments Trouble has caused at the Todd dining table, that statement is true for anyone determined \u2013 or foolish \u2013 enough to take on the in-laws to create an outlaw.<\/p>\n

Watch the full interview with Lawrence here –<\/p>\n