Kerry Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 Spurred on by a by LeeM on the R Gruppe clan in California, along with the various other threads I've read and contributed to which discuss how best to "mod" our cars, as well as subsequent chats I've had with a like-minded folks such as Hugh and over long weekends away with Philip, I've found myself asking this question: What is the provenance the "Outlaw"? We all know who has claimed the moniker recently, he with the funky dreads, the way cool long bonnets, and a seemingly PORSCHE AG sanctioned claim to urbanised dissidence, however, didn't this term have its origins way back in the seventies with a bunch of crazies who would mod' up their 356's and tear it up around Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood hills?! Hold on....... err, that was Harry Hamlin and Dennis Hopper in "King of the Mountain", but regardless of my conflated and unreliable memory, I'm sure Outlaws had a real automotive history long before Magnus sunk his (no doubt copyright pending) fangs in?! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE his cars, but I just think we should remember the precedent attempts at Pcar modification as well, and as such, recognise where this new and growing trend of Pcar individualisation hails from, and maybe even with some of our own input, where it points toward. when you type the word outlaw into the PFA search engine, you get 3 pages of results, 51 entries… when you type the words magnus walker you get 33 entries… when you type the word singer you get 62 entries… Clearly the PFA membership shares an interest in these third party modifications to the factory's standard, and when you consider why, surely its because there is a clear desire to personalise our automotive icons, to add an individual’s own signature and personality to that which is often bound and confined within the Germanic sense of order and place?! I guess the antithesis of which is the American sense of the individual, hence the origins of the Outlaw. Apparently in the late 50's a customiser by the name of Dean Jefferies bought a 1956 356, and before selling it to his 16yo son for a $1,000 (!!!), he made a series of mods to the car including remodelling the front, extending its length and updating the engine to that of a 1600. This, as far as I can find, would appear to be the first time a Porsche was given the full modification treatment, and as such maybe the first Outlaw. Of course not all cars should be personalised. Some cars should be left exactly as they were when they came out of the factory with the steam still rising off them! Anything of limited numbers, therefore rarity, it is generally agreed shouldn't be tampered with, however the "mass produced" variants such as the cheaper long bonnet cars were used for modificative purposes for many years and make up the lions share of Outlaw Pcars. However as we all know, the real (financial) value in the long bonnets today lies in their originality, matching numbers and original colours… which would seem to leave the the humble Impact Bumper cars as the natural next step in the lineage toward affordable (even if morally questionable to some) donors to personal modification motives. So then to the question of how we might define an Outlaw. Is it enough to say a "modded" car? Surely if you put a performance chip in a 964, you've modded it, but is an Outlaw?! To me, there has to be a sense of irreverence to an Outlaw... an attitude that says "I know this 1983 car shouldn't have a ducktail, and S/T flares, not to mention Gulf livery and RUF rear vision mirrors, but stuff it! I like it!!!" "The Outlaw car is one you would have if you had it built the way you wanted it." ...is how this next clip begins, and it seems to me to be a pretty good place to start when describing that which is an Outlaw. Both the Walker and Singer cars reference a nostalgia for a begone era, maybe even the heyday of car racing in the 60s and 70s, and in their interpreted liveries and with home hotrod mentality, they can be either reimagined in unfettered modern perfection, or complete with worn out leather and stone pocked duco, but in common there is an underlying yearning to remember something of our childhood car fantasies, manipulated and even distorted to make those distant memories real again today - just cos' we can! Anyhoo, enough of my thoughts, how do others see this subsection of Pcar ownship and pride? But just to finish this post up, just a wee bit of Pcar Porn: this modded impact bumper is currently taking my eye... and I think points toward an interesting time ahead for anyone willing to go back to the future... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-banger Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 I have, and still do, associate "outlaw" with 356's. If you google "porsche outlaw" and look at images, you will mainly get pics of 356's plus a few MW and Singer. Is there a move to push the usage of the word "outlaw' to include 911s? Does MW use the "outlaw" to apply to himself, or his cars? Some might even think he is stealing the word Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarreraG50 Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 Gary Emory the original "OUTLAW"?? http://www.excellence-mag.com/issues/212/articles/stealth-356?page=1#.VBEchaMmJc4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Posted 11September, 2014 Author Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 Yes Doug, you are right re 356s and the majority of Outlaws being made up of them... its funny that on this forum, the 356 is rarely included in our Pcar discussion, not through any model snobbery I don't think, but simply because the owners of pre'64 cars pretty much reside in separate forums... My curiosity comes from where the likes of the Singer and Urban Outlaw cars are coming to the fore - as items of desire if nothing else. And yes, he might be orchestrating a takeover of the Outlaw moniker! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Posted 11September, 2014 Author Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 Is this an Outlaw Russ? I know he probably was, but it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeM Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 I would say MW coined the phrase 'Urban Outlaw' himself, being as he is on the fringe of society with his look and the way he customises his cars. Bit of a marketing tool for him and his business I reckon. I reckon it's all a bit of a wank really, as they really are just customised cars to one's personal taste which people either love or hate. This kinda says it all really An Outlaw a person, group, or thing excluded from the benefits and protection of the law. ora person who refuses to be governed by the established rules or practices of any group; rebel; nonconformist: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarreraG50 Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 HMMMM, Magnus Walker Urban Nonconformist, will that work................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzieman Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 James Dean , pioneer outlaw (if you discount millennia of similar anti-authority rebels, mostly formidable real characters, not small actors) http://www.artsandcollections.com/article/james-dean-50th-anniversary-of-porsches-911 What popularised Dean in the eyes of his many fans was his non-conformist stance and his particular resentment towards any form of authority: “There is no way to be truly great in this world. We are all impaled on the crook of conditioning,” he said. Dean always had a ready repost or putdown: when told he was too short to be an actor, he asked: “How can you measure acting in inches?” Today it’s called attitude. Film success brought Dean comparative wealth, enabling him to live his dream—driving cars, fast. In the last year of his life he bought a rare Silver Porsche Spyder, one of only ninety built that year. He gave it the nickname, ‘Little Bastard’. Dean’s friends told him the car had ‘trouble’ written all over it when they first saw it, which no doubt only added to its appeal. On purchasing the $7,000 sports car he had it customised, adding tartan seat covers and the large ‘130’ racing number on the doors, hood and engine cover, he also added the now infamous ‘Little Bastard’ badge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9fan Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 But just to finish this post up, just a wee bit of Pcar Porn: this modded impact bumper is currently taking my eye... and I think points toward an interesting time ahead for anyone willing to go back to the future... Is that your car as you see it Kerry ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike737 Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 In one of Magnus's first videos he defines himself as the urban outlaw because he doesn't look or think like your typical Porsche owner. Not that there really is one but I think that's how he might have partially come up with the name plus also he needed a business name for when he started selling his stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Posted 11September, 2014 Author Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 In one of Magnus's first videos he defines himself as the urban outlaw because he doesn't look or think like your typical Porsche owner. Not that there really is one but I think that's how he might have partially come up with the name plus also he needed a business name for when he started selling his stuff. Yeah Mike I don't have to much of a problem with him doing any of his merchandising/car sales/wheel designing etc etc... It was just a starting point to think about where this niche is opening up, and where it might be going. I'm not hanging it on him per se, just interested to hear what other people thought of the style of car that might be described as an Outlaw... But just to finish this post up, just a wee bit of Pcar Porn: this modded impact bumper is currently taking my eye... and I think points toward an interesting time ahead for anyone willing to go back to the future... Is that your car as you see it Kerry ? Maybe something to think about in the future Mark.... maybe Man has to have something to think about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Man Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 356..........Outlaw911..........Hot RodThat's the way I see the modified version of each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvs11 Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 Funny how outlaw used to mean building or modding your Porsche 356 to be different from the rest of the pack while making it a go a bit harder. Now all the outlaws seem to look the same. Google "porsche outlaw" and you'll see what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzieman Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 Old skool outlaws had tatts to go with their military or prison experiences. Nowadays , it seems everybody under 50 has a tatt , not sure why though. Even more strange is when people over 50 go and get one. Elderly outlaws. As if elderly inlaws weren't bad enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barks Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 I thought the "Urban Outlaw" term came from the title of the short film that was done about Magnus Walker..this is how he rose to internet fame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webrest Posted 11September, 2014 Report Share Posted 11September, 2014 Old skool outlaws had tatts to go with their military or prison experiences. Nowadays , it seems everybody under 50 has a tatt , not sure why though. Even more strange is when people over 50 go and get one. Elderly outlaws. As if elderly inlaws weren't bad enough. You sure come out with some funny stuff Tassie. Can always rely on you for a good laugh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Posted 12September, 2014 Author Report Share Posted 12September, 2014 Funny how outlaw used to mean building or modding your Porsche 356 to be different from the rest of the pack while making it a go a bit harder. Now all the outlaws seem to look the same. Google "porsche outlaw" and you'll see what I mean. "I'm not..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzieman Posted 12September, 2014 Report Share Posted 12September, 2014 Send that to MW, Kerry! I'm sure he is as frustrated as Bwyan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkulpa Posted 12September, 2014 Report Share Posted 12September, 2014 Sitting in LAX Qantas club bored again!In the city of the outlaw!!Driving an unmodified Porsche is like walking down the street in a suit the same as everyone else{unless it it an RS}.Hotrod/R Gruppe is adding your own style{good or bad}!I love it all.Once you start driving you come alive!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkulpa Posted 12September, 2014 Report Share Posted 12September, 2014 I drive a 996 Gen 2 and love it as much as an Air cooled Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzieman Posted 12September, 2014 Report Share Posted 12September, 2014 Once you start driving you come alive!! With comments like that you should start a new trend. Naked driving. Some mangora-clad chaps would pass as gorilla-suited , others , well you're in LA , let your imagination wander to the wild side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkulpa Posted 12September, 2014 Report Share Posted 12September, 2014 I am about to hop on QF 94 for the hundreth time.I get too much dream time do to what I can do with my toy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkulpa Posted 12September, 2014 Report Share Posted 12September, 2014 At least now Qantas have a World class lounge to suit in after TOO MANY YEARS!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkulpa Posted 12September, 2014 Report Share Posted 12September, 2014 The flight from Aspen to LAX.I pulled out my Porsche mag to read.The person in the seat beside me said you "You Like cars!"He was a collector!He said he paid $2500 for my 550 then I got my 906.The police did not like him driving it around around La without plates but they loved the car!One hour and 40minutes went by very quickly.His last wife left him because of the car parts in the lounge room!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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