There’s little doubt that a Porsche Speedster is an extremely valuable asset these days, and it has been for years. All of the key ingredients are there, from limited production to inspired performance to legitimate racing pedigree. Because of this, an entire cottage industry of replica builders has existed for decades, and to this day, a high quality Speedster clone is a desirable addition to any collection. Of course, with all replicas, variations of quality exist, and in the case of this Porsche Speedster replica listed here on Facebook Marketplace, the seller believes it is a CMC-built example.
It sounds based on the description that this Speedster has been assembled and rolling for some time, but no one has followed through with its completion. The parts installed on it to date seem to strike a balance of period-correct hot rod and track rat. Either persona is suitable for a kit car, but you can also build it as a purist would with as many accurate details as possible. The description indicates the previous owner may have indeed been going for a track build, as the seller notes “….he built a 2×4 and 2×2 steel frame to beef up the VW chassis, has 3 bar roll cage encircling the cockpit, rack and pinion steering up front….and racing tubular trailing arms and aluminum swingarms, four Tatum aluminum wheel hubs.” This was not just a slapped together kit; someone was building their ideal version of a Speedster.
Engine-wise, it sports a 1600 engine with a Freeway Flyer manual transmission. It originally had Porsche 930 stub axles which were converted back to VW axles to mate with the gearbox. There are disc brakes out back but nothing in the front, so the car appears to be a mix of properly built and not yet started. Regardless, it sounds like both the current and previous owners have spent money in the right places over the years, and those Freeway Flyer gearbox are supposed to be a quality upgrade. Lots of additional parts are included, such as trim pieces, a new gas tank, emblems, and other bits.
The interior shows a full roll bar and sports bucket seats. The dash is painted to match, which is a nice touch. There’s still a lot of work to do, which seems to be typical for a CMC kit. He notes that he had to fabricate brackets for the door hinges and modifications to the fuel tank so it would clear the steering rack. Quick Google searching indicates while CMC provided high quality body molds, everything else was a bit of a guessing game as to whether the supplied parts would hang correctly. Lots of reports of post-delivery fabrication are out there, but if you were handy with a wrench and a torch, you could make a decent car out of it. This one is listed for $15,500, and thanks to Barn Finds reader Chuck Foster for the find.
Could be a fun project but priced too high. Roll bar a joke, engine needs shielding to get proper air flow, and every thing underneath is bolted up with rusty bolts. Picture of the real thing.
Roll bar is so bad, car is lowered so much I don’t think the front wheels will turn much. Yours looks really nice, Bob.
Lotta work left to do wonder how well the prior work was done. BTW I have a freeway flyer trans in my Ghia great addition have had it up to 90+
Looks like a Porsche. Has patina. $15,500.
How about this:
Not a Porsche. A beat up piece of plastic lying in pieces. A couple of grand worth of drivetrain parts, maybe, but then you’d have to find a buyer for the parts.
“With patina”. Well, I guess that’s one way to describe it.
Wow, lots of parts to play with for sure! For someone that’s into speedster replicas, this might not be a bad deal but it’s a little bit on the high side as far as price goes. Looks like the guy did try to make an effort to try to make this a nice build, but it needs a lot of work to complete. What’s with the air shocks outback?
And if anyone’s wondering, I believe CMC means Classic Motor Carriages. This speedster kit I believe was pretty popular in the 80s. They also had a decent Shelby Cobra kit car in the 80s and other kits.
Philbo427, I saw the air shocks also. Who builds a track day car with air shocks? The chassis might be nice and rigid. But for me. It would have to be torn completely down and start the assembly process all over again. I would be very tempted to install a 6 cylinder engine in it. (Corvair/Porsche) I mean, it is a kit car! So no sacrilege comments allowed.
My story with one of these….. 25 years ago when living in NJ, I went to a house sale and a Speedster replica was sitting on the front lawn with a sign $950! It was in great shape, needing some minor work but everything was there! I go so excited, I went home and got the cash and came back! Unfortunately, while the car was still there, the wife, in error forgot the extra zero on the sign. It’s was supposed to be $9500. needless to say, my bubble had burst! End of replica story…. That car today would probably be worth that price as a good replica!! This one is only trying to ride on the value of real Porsches… it ain’t worth much to me…..
Philbo427, I saw the air shocks also. Who builds a track day car with air shocks? The chassis might be nice and rigid. But for me. It would have to be torn completely down and start the assembly process all over again. I would be very tempted to install a 6 cylinder engine in it. (Corvair/Porsche) I mean, it is a kit car! So no sacrilege comments allowed.
Well the owner also thinks its a VW . See painted on logo on front hood .
Can’t blame a seller for trying to get back what they have in it, but how many times does that actually work? They state that they aren’t in a hurry to sell it, so I guess they will be packing it up and moving it.