Classic Porsche 356 Is All Cayman Underneath

Is this 987 Cayman with a Porsche 356 shell the ultimate restomod, or complete sacrilege?

Back in its day, the Porsche 356 was one of the better sports cars in existence. But let’s face it – times have changed. Today, you can buy a Porsche Cayman and smoke all manner of top tier sports cars built even just a few years ago. We truly live in the golden age of performance. Even if it does involve things like turbo fours and electronic nannies.

That’s why lots of folks are shoehorning modern powerplants and suspension components into old cars. The restomod movement aims to combine the best of both worlds – modern performance and classic styling. But you rarely see this treatment in the world of Porsche. Because, well, old Porsches are amazing vehicles in their own right.

That didn’t stop one gentleman from commissioning West Coast Customs to do the unthinkable, however, and combine the chassis of a 987 Cayman with the body of a Porsche 356. That’s right, the shop (in)famous for the TV show Pimp My Ride and gaudy blinged out lowriders. Thankfully, the end result is actually a clean and somewhat original looking car. Well, minus the big hump out back. And it was interesting enough to score a segment on one of our favorite shows, Jay Leno’s Garage.

Still, non-Porscheophiles will be hard pressed to notice that, and the extra wide body. Unfortunately, the Porsche 356 donor car was obviously cut up in the process. But in all fairness, it was in rough shape to begin with. The craftsmanship is clearly top notch, and at least there’s no leopard print interior or disco ball inside. And we can appreciate the fact that they retained much of the car’s original character.

The end result is quite an interesting package, but it’s already up for sale. Turns out, the current owner realized after the car was completed that it didn’t make a reasonable family car. Imagine that! So if this Porsche 356 and Cayman mashup looks like your idea of the ultimate restomod, the guys at WCC are ready to make your dreams come true.