About a year ago, Hoonigan expanded its suite of multimedia offerings with the launch of Hoonigan Autofocus. The channel was formed out of a partnership with the wizard of automotive photography Larry Chen and focuses photography’s relationship with the cars the cameras are pointed at. Each video features a new ride, and the most recent episode welcomes a custom-built Porsche Spyder with a boxer engine from Japan.
Purists will be thrown into a fit when examining this 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder recreation that is self-classified as “Outlawd Couture.” It comes from Los Angeles-based automotive artist and car builder S Klub, who formerly built an outlaw Mercedes-Benz SL300 Gullwing. This build, along with a second 550 Spyder that had only one seat, first appeared at SEMA in 2019 and has since gone up for sale.
The most significant part of this project is surprisingly not a part of the outlandish outward visual experience. Under the rear hatch, which opens with actuators, this Porsche packs a Subaru EJ207 from a 2002–2005 WRX STI. This 2.0-liter flat-four engine was never available in the United States and was sourced from Subaru’s homeland. A few of the add-ons include a Haltech engine management system, custom iWire wiring, titanium work on the intercooler piping and turbo piping from Wisecraft, and a Garrett GTX2860R Gen II Turbocharger kit.
The smaller turbo was used to reduce boost lag, so the boost on this thing kicks in at about 1,500 rpm. All said, it manages 370 horsepower on E85 fuel. According to the wheelman Alan Iwomoto, the swap was made for convenience and reliability. No carbs to deal with means he can hope in and drive at any time.
The rest of the car wears a blend of styling, with a modern steampunk type of vibe while maintaining some Porsche heritage. Small details to notice are the stopwatches on the dashboard, the tartan-covered radiator, the custom shift knob, custom Budnik steering wheel, the diamond-stitched leather that seemingly covers everything, riveted copper trim, hand-polished frame, and the HRE wheels wrapped in Toyo tires. Oh, and it has a ridiculous box of money for … well, just because.
Check out every inch of this interesting build and listen to the insane sound it makes in the video above.
