Ghost Outlaw: reviving the UK Outlaw movement
For as long as the 911 has been in existence, people have sought to modify it. It is the reason Porsche’s Exclusiv department was created, it being an official approach in tending to the bespoke requests of customers. Away from Stuttgart, a Porsche tuning scene has always thrived, most notably in California, where the ‘Outlaw’ style has long been prevalent.
There are many reasons for this. While other factions of style from within the Porsche tuning fraternity, such as backdating, forward-dating or even the Singer-inspired cars are fairly rigid by definition of their appearance, an Outlaw car can take on many forms, for each build is distinctly personal to its owner. Each has its own unique story to tell.
It’s more than that, though. In our contemporary Porsche world where matching numbers and absolute originality are coveted by collectors, causing many owners of classics to adhere as closely to stock spec as possible, the Outlaw cars are perhaps more ‘Outlaw’ than ever, palpably going against the grain in a crusade for individualism. That message arguably rings louder than ever, too: as more and more reverse their tuned car back to stock spec to protect its value, Outlaw cars appear to be shrinking in number.
They’ve become ‘one percenters’ of their culture, to coin a phrase borrowed from our two-wheeled Outlaw cousins. Owners of Outlaw cars are proud of that; they aren’t remotely concerned about the value of their classic 911s, electing to modify, drive and enjoy their experience from behind the wheel rather than park the car and cultivate retirement plans.
Of course, the Outlaw scene has had numerous dignitaries keeping its metaphorical crank spinning over the years, including members of the R Gruppe or, more recently, one Magnus Walker. The Urban Outlaw himself has hand-crafted a sizeable collection of Outlaw Porsches over the years, ranging from an early short-wheelbase 911 (dubbed the ’67R and later sold to Prodigy frontman, Liam Howlett), right up to a water-cooled 996 GT3. However, Magnus’ favourite Outlaw Porsche of the moment wasn’t built by himself, nor was it ever resident in California for that matter. No, the Urban Outlaw’s current most admired 911 lurks in the shadows of dense moorland around the UK’s Shropshire borders.
Dubbed the ‘Ghost Outlaw’, in part a reference to its owner’s wish for the car to remain nebulous among wider Porsche culture, it has already achieved notoriety online, in part thanks to that high appraisal from Magnus. Not so much a phantom car any longer, but nevertheless a 911 with plenty of soul, the Ghost Outlaw name aptly depicts the spiritual journey encountered by the car’s owner right from the day of purchase. Here is the car’s tale.
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