Here’s the thing about kit cars: they look awesome when they’re done, and you may even end up with a decent performance car that costs a pittance compared to the real thing. Of course, that’s only possible if you assemble it yourself, which involves the kind of free time not many folks are lucky enough to have. This Speedster replica here on eBay is for sale by the second owner, who, like the first, is not going to have the time needed to finish this DIY project.
The seller isn’t sure which company made this particular 356 kit, but suspects it to be the Intermeccanica kit. I’m not sure how you can tell, but it definitely doesn’t look like a Beck. Located in Northern California, it sits on a shortened VW frame and the seller seems to hint that longterm outdoor storage would make it wise to find a new one, as he planned to do. The VIN from the frame was cut off when shortened.
The interior is as you’d expect for an unfinished kit, with bare floors and dash and no door panels. The body is currently being held together with some sort of tensioning rod, and that’s because it’s not actually tethered to the pan – it’s just sort of resting there, which should make transportation interesting. No interior is included, so you’ll have to source one of those as well.
The Speedster kit does come with a transmission but no engine. The short included parts list mentions the top and bows, windshield frame, headlights, taillights, bumpers, door handles, gauges, miscellaneous grilles, fuel tank and sender, windshield wiper motor, and rear view mirror. Not a lot to go on, but the price seems right for a kit with missing parts, especially if it turns out to be one of the better kit brands.
Too bad it’s one of those ridiculous looking flaired bodied cars. It would be worth looking at.
Not as slick as, say, a Beck Spyder, but I like the flares. I’d want a punched out Porsche engine to back up the drama, though.
Why?
4600 for a kit car? Good luck to the new owner..
Cheers
GPC
I wanted one of these when I was a kid In the 80s.
There was a movie named “King of the Mountain ” starring Harry Hamlin. About racing on Mohaland drive.
There was a company who’s main kit was a MGTD knockoff called the “Gazelle “.
It was offered as a vw or pinto kit.
They later offered a 356c kit.
I believe it was offered both with or without the flares.
Hard to remember, it was over 35 years ago.
The “Gazelle” MG TD was one of the products from Classic Roadsters when they were based in Fargo, North Dakota in the 1980s. They also had a Jaguar SS100, Mercedes Benz and Austin Healey 3000 replicar kits. They also came out with the Cobra kit a little later. I built an AH 3000 replicar in 1987 and still have and drive it. The kits were good quality, included many of the “hard to find” pieces and had decent assembly instructions and for a few years the company stood behind their products. Eventually it all went down the tube. Not sure if/when they came out with the 356, but don’t recall that as one of their products.
Seems like a reasonable price but man, that’s a ton of work!
I say add a reverse rotation Corvair motor, add some wide wheels, patch it up enough to have some fun and go!
Intermechanicas didn’t come with flared bodies.
CMC out of Miami did.
If I was only closer.
Like within Grenade launcher range ?
Maybe you could upgrade to a howitzer?? :-) :-)
n
1200, maybe…if it was closer ….