Driving the 911-Powered ‘Not an Outlaw’ 1959 356A Widebody Coupe
Started as an original 1959 356A, but thanks to a custom body and a hodgepodge of parts, it is now a ‘Bandido.’
This is another one of those stories where I feel like I need to warn the Porsche purists right up front to cover their eyes. Of course, I want everyone to read anything I cover for Rennlist. But at the same time, I know that some people might cringe whenever a classic Porsche is not restored to original factory specs. I understand that reaction to a degree. However, the whole point of owning a Porsche to have fun driving it, right? Sure, having an all-original 1959 356A Coupe sitting in your garage is cool. But if you never get behind the wheel because you are afraid of putting miles on it or getting a rock chip, are you really enjoying that car?
Well, one person that enjoys driving his cars is Chris Barba, the owner of DNA Motorsports in San Diego, California. Barba was recently featured in a video on the Nicole Johnson’s Detour YouTube channel for his work on a 1959 Porsche 356A Coupe. He took the precious little bathtub and cut it up to turn it into a widebody Bandido. Barba was born and raised in Mexico which is why he calls his car a Bandido instead of an Outlaw. But no matter what you call it, the end result is the same. It is basically a 356 hot rod. And Barba drives the snot out of it.
Not a Normal Enthusiast
Barba is just 27 years old. He does not really fit into the traditional Porsche 356 demographic. Most of the 356 enthusiasts are twice his age. The 27-year-olds tend to drool over the newest GT3s or 911 Turbos. But when Barba was about 16 years old, he lusted after a Ford Mustang. But his father was the one that pushed him to buy a rundown Porsche 911 instead. That is some good parenting right there. Anyway, from that point the Porsche bug bit hard and now he turned it into a business that specializes in Porsche custom and restoration builds.
1959 356A Widebody Coupe
Building this car was a long process and there are hundreds of custom touches. I will cover just some highlights here, and you can reference the video for the full scoop. Barba sliced into the rear fenders of the 356A and widened them by about two inches on each side. He never did body work like that before. He built a custom fuel cell. Something else he never did before. Then he built a custom oil tank. Which he had never done before. The exhaust he cobbled together himself as well. The point is, Barba is crafty and not afraid to take some chances and figure things out on his own. And the end result looks amazing. Powering this little car is a bored out 2.8L flat six from a 911 making about 250 horsepower.
On the Road
This is what it is all about. The Bandido Porsche looks and sounds amazing on the road. It handles well on the road; it feels balanced and has plenty of power. It is not all original, it is not a million-dollar Singer build. But most of those cars just sit in a garage or on a golf course green somewhere. This little Bandido is built with blood, sweat, and tears and is driven as a Porsche should be driven.
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