550 spyder spec racer

spec racer? like this all-aluminum replica, FIA approval for classic vintage racing?

https://www.rcnmag.com/garage/arachnophilia

There was a company that tried to get a spec racer class going with cars that looked kind of like this with roll bars but AFAIK nothing ever came of it.

There used to be something online about them I think in RockWest Racing’s site, but it’s been parked. Nothing left but the home page.

The cars looked more like this:  You Can Buy an Entire Porsche Replica Factory on eBay Right Now (roadandtrack.com)

And, in my dim recollection, Beck/Special Editions did something with air-dam and modernized bodywork (remarkably similar to picture in link above).  It seems I've seen pictures of theirs the track?

From my dim recollection, I remember them having bigger fender flares than both my picture and yours.

If I’m not mistaken, Thunder Ranch, which I believed used Beck body/chassis, became RockWest Racing before they went belly up.

The article I remember had several pics of them in the shop and a couple on a track. Like I posted previously, I think it was on the RWR site  

@chines1Can you shed any light?

TR to Carrera Coachwerks (2012-ish) to Rock West to some other name to something else and then (I believe) Kitman. There are probably records available in Secretary of State office and circuit courts in California, Nevada and/or Arizona. Pretty sure these were the old Beck molds, and McBurnie had some ideas to widen/flare them & etc.

The photos in the R&T article are my old Brazil factory photos and those are all spec racers that were being shipped to me for a series that never materialized.  A handful were built and live near VIR and I have one unfinished car here and one last "body kit" that I squirreled away for myself for no good reason.  The cars were originally built for a series at Interlagos, which also never took off beyond initial testing.  The bodywork was designed by German engineer for our friends in Brazil and was wind tunnel tested.  It was reported that the test bed car did near 300KPH at interlagos and felt "pretty stable".

The whole Thunder Ranch thing:  long story short... new Beck molds were made for Brazil production of Gen 2 cars (1988), and the Gen 1 (CA) molds sat at Chucks shop in CA from '88-'94 and saw very little use (we'd run them on occasion for a basic "kit", which is what created Gen 1 and Gen 2 overlap from 88-94) and then in 1994 Chuck "sold" these old molds and fixture to TR. (I say "sold" because the check bounced and was never made good, according to Chuck.  The NSF check stayed posted to the wall in the shop for 10+ years, so I know that part 1st hand and only assume Chuck is accurate in saying it was never made good.)  The molds were changed over the years, the fixture was modified over the years and made the small differences in a Beck and a TR, but the heritage of a TR did start as a Gen 1 Beck.  It is my understanding that the molds were sold to Carrera Coachwerks and then Rock West, but we didn't pay much attention to them after '94 other than to protect our trademark when TR started making their own "Beck/TR" chassis plates for a short time.

Carey, you really need your dad to sit down and write a book.
You can “self-publish” these days for next to nothing and I guarantee you could sell 1,000 of them between here and The Samba.

ps: Are there some good clues to tell a Gen 1 & 2 apart?  I’d like to check out my #201. Given it was first register in CA as a ‘96, I’d assume a Gen 2, but it would be nice to know.

Carey made me chuckle a bit with whether Chuck’s stories were apocryphal. . Maybe the book should be written sooner than later as age hits us all

Boy ol’ Tom McB’s rep just gets more and more burnished with the passage of time, doesn’t it?

Yup, he was pretty much always that way.  Those once burned (and there were many ) tended to stay away but they were replaced by many uninformed newer buyers.  McBurnie made a lot of one or few-off cars that could be stunning, but many seemed to have teething issues when delivered.  He seemed just as difficult to deal with as Mr. Steele.

https://www.rcnmag.com/garage/rsk-y-business

When I taught Auto Shop our Agency purchased a speedster tube chassis from T M'B..what pos... it wasn't even square or level, I initially thought it was dropped from quite a height.  I could clearly see there were two different ppl who did the welding one welder was actually good and the of the had chicken shyt skills. I cut the chassis over time using the chassis steel for donor steel on projects it was that bad.

I bought my TR Spyder back in 2004 because I wanted fast delivery. I just wanted a body and frame, nothing else. I did get it delivered in a month but I strongly suspect I got somebody else's  car because he needed fast cash. There were a few minor glitches which I was able to correct but generally it worked out ok.

In 2005 I had TR build my Speedster.  I made each progress payment in person and followed my money.  My experience with TR seemed good to me.  I'm no car builder by any stretch, so a lot of bravo sierra could have been heaped on me.  I have to say the car has been and continues to be a kick.  I do my part listening to it doing maintenance and fixes.  Over the years, I've made the car more fun to drive and easier to maintain.  For me, that has always been the draw of these clown cars. 

@Ewatub posted:

In 2005 I had TR build my Speedster.  I made each progress payment in person and followed my money.  My experience with TR seemed good to me.  I'm no car builder by any stretch, so a lot of bravo sierra could have been heaped on me.  I have to say the car has been and continues to be a kick.  I do my part listening to it doing maintenance and fixes.  Over the years, I've made the car more fun to drive and easier to maintain.  For me, that has always been the draw of these clown cars.

Is Bravo Sierra a special sauce sounded like El-Toro-poopoo

@dlearl476 posted:

ps: Are there some good clues to tell a Gen 1 & 2 apart?  I’d like to check out my #201. Given it was first register in CA as a ‘96, I’d assume a Gen 2, but it would be nice to know.

Yeah I'll have a full list on the latest website update showing all differences between generations, but the easiest to look for are: Gen 1 had an unhinged lift off front hood, was flat behind the seats (Gen 2 added a 1.5" recess for added leg room), and the doors swing completely outside of the body (Gen 2 has a door pocket and the A side of the door dives into the body like a modern car)

A side note: I tried to edit my comment (unsuccessfully) simply because I don't want this to turn into a TR bash and that tidbit is irrelevant, albeit fact.  

IaM-Ray:  Bravo Sierra may be a sauce.  First time I heard it was from an unhappy colonel who may have not liked the taste of it.  To me, El-toro-poopoo beats Bravo Sierra and Bovine Excrement.  I'm going to look for opportunities to use El-toro.

@chines1 posted:

Gen 1 had an unhinged lift off front hood, was flat behind the seats (Gen 2 added a 1.5" recess for added leg room), and the doors swing completely outside of the body (Gen 2 has a door pocket and the A side of the door dives into the body like a modern car)

Hmmm, interesting. Mine ticks two of three boxes for a Gen 1:

Flat bulkhead and outside the body doors. And I guess the “My first welding project” frunk hinge would make it 3/3. (IIRC, you told me when I was out there that your frunk hinge wouldn’t work on mine because: changes)

Given the ‘88 cut off, I guess that means I have a classic antique car.

ps: I always thought Vintage and Antique were reversed. Antique being the oldest.

@dlearl476 posted:

ps: I always thought Vintage and Antique were reversed. Antique being the oldest.

...especially when referring to my wife!

I bought this TR/CCW car last fall.  Previously a SEMA car.   I spent the past six months working out a bunch of mechanical issues and replacing the interior.  Today was my first drive to the local C&C and back home.  It rides much nicer than when I got it. I cant wait to get it all sorted out so I can actually learn how to drive this car in a sporting way.

@HRC51

WOW! That car takes Bad-A$$ery to the next level!