By Tim Harris · March 4, 2026

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Let me tell you something I’ve learned after writing about restomods:

You don’t just get opinions.

You get confessions.

After the recent article arguing that the current restomod boom may be more of a generational moment than a permanent category, reader Paul sent an email that didn’t challenge the thesis…

…it expanded it in a direction I hadn’t fully explored.

And it started with something every enthusiast understands immediately:

First — respect.

Second — that sentence captures something essential about car culture:

We don’t just like cars.

We identify our “forever cars.”

Every enthusiast eventually reaches a moment where logic stops mattering.

It’s not:

It’s emotional imprint.

The shape.
The era.
The mythology.
The way a car makes you feel when you see one across a parking lot.

For Paul, that anchor is the Carrera 2.

And honestly, that makes perfect sense.

Some cars transcend trends because they were extraordinary from day one.

Paul continued:

This is where the conversation gets interesting.

Because Outlaws and restomods often get lumped together — but they aren’t quite the same thing.

Restomods often chase perfection.

Outlaws feel more like alternate history.

Less:

“We perfected it.”

More:

“What if Porsche had continued developing this philosophy in a parallel universe?”

Rod Emory’s builds sit right in that fascinating middle space — deeply respectful of the original while pushing the experience forward.

And yes — from a pure driving standpoint?

They’re exceptional.

Here’s where I’m going to respectfully push back.

If someone offered me the choice:

👉 a Carrera 2
👉 or a modified 356 — even an Emory Outlaw

I’d take the Carrera 2 in a microsecond.

No hesitation.

Now — before anyone throws a magnesium wheel at me — let’s be honest:

An Emory build is almost certainly a superior driving experience compared to a 50+ year-old Carrera 2.

But you know what else is a superior driving experience?

A modern Miata.

And that’s the point.

If “better driving” were the only metric, most of us would just buy the newest, fastest, best-handling car available and call it a day — but nobody ever taped a poster of “objectively optimized” to their bedroom wall.

The original Carrera 2 isn’t just a car.

It’s a moment in engineering history.

It’s something rare, authentic, and fundamentally irreplaceable.

And for me, that authenticity will always outweigh reinterpretation — no matter how beautifully executed.

This isn’t a knock on Emory or Outlaw culture.

Quite the opposite.

They represent incredible craftsmanship and deep enthusiast understanding.

But there’s something about an original Porsche — especially something as historically significant as a Carrera 2 — that exists in a different category.

It’s not just about performance.

It’s about presence.

You’re not experiencing someone’s interpretation.

You’re experiencing history directly.

And that’s hard to replicate.

Paul also mentioned something that always sparks debate:

Celebrity provenance is fascinating.

It adds:

But long-term collector value almost always returns to fundamentals:

Celebrity may amplify attention.

But authenticity tends to win the long game.

What Paul’s message really highlights is this:

Not all modified classics are chasing the same goal.

Some pursue perfection.

Some reinterpret history.

Some feel like alternate timelines.

And some enthusiasts — myself included — will always choose the original artifact over the improved experience.

One of the best parts of this community is that nobody sees cars exactly the same way — and honestly, if everyone agreed, this would get boring fast.

So I’m curious:

👉 Are Outlaws fundamentally different from restomods — or just a different flavor of the same idea?

👉 Would you choose the superior driving experience… or the historically significant original?

👉 And here’s the dangerous one:

What’s your personal “perfect car” that you’d pick instantly — even if something objectively faster or better exists?

Hit reply and tell me.

Some of the best conversations — and future articles — start exactly like Paul’s email did.

— Tim Harris

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