'58 356A, McQueen 911

This 1958 356A Sunroof Coupe came to us from a client wanting to build his own version of what a 356 "Outlaw" should and can be. The car was a mildly dressed 356 with GT bumpers, speedster trim and seats, fuch wheels and a 912 engine. We had planned to do mild body wok, freshen the interior and install a modified 912. It became clear after disassembly and media blast that the car would need more than mild body work. Metal work was done to remove any existing rust and replace both the nose and tail as they were just not worth saving having multiple old stitches and band aids applied.

Rather than build a high strung 912 engine with 150 or so horse power we sourced and built a Polo engine. With 215 horsepower we then needed to address the gearbox. WEVO supplied us with a beautiful cast 5 speed case in which we installed 901 internals. Now with a 215 horsepower engine and a 5 speed gearbox we had to make the car withstand the power and torque as it was originally designed for 90 horsepower. To do so we fabricated 911 engine mounts and effectively a 911 rear engine tray in the engine bay of the 356. This allows for front and rear mounts as a 911 would have as opposed to a singe transmission mount system found in 356's. The car will have a front fender mount oil cooler, a 72 911 style and location oil tank. MSD ignition etc.

The gallery above shows some of the work to date and will be updated and better organized shortly. The car is currently in the final stages of body prep and will be in color soon.

Masterfully painted and in color with high attention to form, Automobile Associates executed and delivered a stunning car. From there we begin the assembly of the newly chromed window frames, install all electrical including pristine restored gauges from Palo Alto Speedometer, all suspension components, WEVO gearbox and POLO engine are plumbed, wired and installed. More to come....

For the interior we utilized fine blue leather surfaces with woven inserts as seen on some of the Singer 911's. Carpets were crafted, door panels and rear seating area upholstered to match the speedster seats up front. A custom rollbar was fabricated and then stitched in the same materials.

After a few hundred miles of testing and teething the Roswell, as I call it, has been delivered to it's owner. After a summer of driving some further small adjustments were made and the car is road ready for years to come.

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Photo Gallery

The 1958 356A Sunroof Coupe Outlaw Transformation from start to finish.

1973 911S Steve McQueen Tribute

Complete Photo gallery Below