Gary Emory calls it a "Special." Not an outlaw, not a custom. And no, it's not a kit car. It's a 356 C cabriolet--or more accurately, it was a 356 C cabriolet. Now, it's acknowledged by everyone who has seen it, as a work of art. A very Special work of art by Gary and his son Rod.

Although it arrived a couple of days late for the Holiday, the silver car generated as much interest as anything else on display during the week. "We would have loved to have had it in Monterey for the Registry event, but we were still finishing it." said Gary.

The amount of work that went into it is evident by examining the details, although many of those details are so subtle that some onlookers are baffled. The tail, for instance, seems familiar--but it's actually made from a T-6 nose piece. The deck lid is lengthened by 13 inches. The rockers are turned under, and the bottom of each door follows this contour.

Up front, the nose is heavily reworked with a made-from-scratch hood that connects it visually to the 15-degree raked-back windshield. Even things you don't see are carefully addressed, like a front louvered belly pan. The interior has Roadster dash gauges, 911 seats and a few other custom touches, like the matching upholstered baby seat in the rear.

Mechanically, the car is also way out there. The middle cylinders are cut out of a 911 engine to make a 2.25 liter four. Gary said a similar engine, tested in one of his previous creations, "Desperado" was good for 240 h.p. at 7500 r.p.m. A 901 5 speed transmission is hung from special trailing arms with Brembo 4 piston calipers and vented rotors, front and rear. Its wheels are one of the most striking aspects of the car, and almost everyone who saw them was thinking they'd look good their own car. Gary will only say, "They're top secret."

The shape reminds some of an Abarth Carrera, and it seems to please the eye of everyone who studies it. The Emorys were successful in retaining the traditional Porsche look; Gary relates a telling comment from some of the old Porsche factory hands. "They looked it over, scratched their heads and said they didn't remember building it!"

Unlike so many other one-offs and concept cars, this one's beauty is more than skin deep. It's a thoroughly reliable and useable vehicle, perhaps even more so than a normal 356. The round cap just above the exhaust pipe is an access point for a trailer hitch. After completion, Rod drove the car to a local gas station for a fill-up. Those few miles were the total shake-down, and when he returned the car's custom-built trailer was loaded with luggage and provisions, and the baby seat installed in the back. Rod and family made it to Monterey with no problems--in fact, the Historics weekend was just the first stop on a trip to San Diego, Salt Lake City, Boise and points beyond. After 3,850 miles, the silver Special had proven itself as both pretty, practical and reliable--all traditional Porsche traits.