Close Enough? 1957 Porsche Speedster Replica

Kit cars, even after all these years, still seem to be the Rodney Dangerfield of automobiles.  They just don’t get no respect.  Is that a fair attitude to take?  The majority of them were built to replicate famous vehicles of the past.  However, these usually home-built contraptions ranged from almost absurdly cartoonish to near-perfect recreations.  They have also, by virtue of their age and quirkiness, become antiques and collectibles in their own right.  Do these factors legitimize this much-maligned branch of our automotive evolutionary tree?  Do cars like this 1957 Porsche Speedster replica deserve to be considered true sports cars, or will they always be a Beetle chassis with a fiberglass body slapped on in someone’s garage?

It is not hard to understand why the Speedster was a popular choice for builders and buyers.  The Porsche “Bathtub” Speedster is one of the most famous automobile designs ever built.  Originally requested by Porsche’s North American importer Max Hoffman, the car was originally intended to be an aluminum-bodied no-frills sports car with a low price and an even lower curb weight.  When the company discovered that the planned aluminum body’s costs would push it out of the target price range, the decision was made to use steel for the body panels.  The car’s weight ended up being not much of an increase, and customers looking to dip their toes in the quickly growing road racing hobby flocked to the little Porsche.  The car quickly gained a giant killer reputation on both the streets and the track despite its diminutive flat-four engine.

With a cut-down windshield, side curtains, and very few options, the Speedster succeeded at having a better power-to-weight ratio than the 356 Cabriolets or coupes being sold at the time except for Carerra four-cam engine-powered variants.  It also wore a distinctive look all its own that made it recognizable to even Porsche neophytes.  4,858 examples were built between 1954 and 1958.  Decades later, surviving Speedsters are one of the most sought-after collectible cars on the planet.  While accidents took out a large number of these cars, rust was perhaps its biggest enemy.  Speedster prices today can range from low six-figures for lesser examples up to $600,000 for perfect cars with the proper history attached to them.

The price and scarcity of surviving Speedsters along with the car’s simple design and construction opened the door for it to become one of the most popular kit cars of the seventies and eighties.  Fiberglass would replace steel as the material of choice for the body and the chassis and driveline would come from a Volkswagen Beetle.  While there is something to be said for the original Porsche chassis and engine, the Beetle was a close cousin of the 356.  The Beetle-based aftermarket industry had also evolved considerably at this point.  A customer building a Speedster replica had many engine and suspension parts to choose from to make their garage kit as formidable as an original car.

That may have been what happened with this Speedster replica.  The seller tells us that there are no maker’s marks or plates to identify exactly which of the many kit car makers was responsible.  What we do know is that someone put a lot of work into making this a functional car that, at first glance, could pass for a real Speedster.  The badging, engine grill, bar bumpers, and even the hubcaps look correct for the car.  It is said to “run, drive, and stop straight.” All of the lights, gauges, turn signals, the horn, and even the windshield wipers are functional.

In the ad, the seller says that the car has sat unfinished since the nineties.  Perhaps that means the exterior finish, as we are assured that this is a driveable car.  The exterior’s patchwork of primer spots over a faded red finish provides the car an air of authenticity that makes you think it is an unrestored example of Porsche’s little bathtub.  The subterfuge is revealed when you look inside and are visually slapped with what appears to be Porsche 914 seats and gauges.  The gear shift, the auxiliary gauge, and the different dash layout are also giveaways that it is a replica.  Under the hood, the aluminum-backed heat insulation and more modern components are also telling.  Yet, only people like us would be able to tell it from an original.  Many kit cars are abominations.  This one I would be proud to drive and not be afraid to treat every trip like a road race.  Do you feel the same way?  Why or why not?

If you are in love with the gorgeous good looks of the Porsche Speedster, but do not have the financial ability to purchase an original car, then there is still hope for you.  This 1957 Porsche Speedster replica, titled as a 1970 Volkswagen, is for sale on Craigslist in Laguna Hills, California.  With a bit of honest wear and tear, this car could pass for a real Speedster from about 20 feet and can be yours for $36,500.