can anyone give me some guidance on the cmc replica speedster body shape ? Are they a good representation ? I get the sense from the pics I received they look a bit short ?? Is this the reason they all seem to be a little cheaper than IM, Beck etc . ???
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Mostly, they're "cheaper" because they were originally sold to be built by "home builders" and present-day buyers, not knowing who the builder was and subsequent build quality of the car, tend to discount them in price.
No one has ever told me that my CMC body is "shorter" or otherwise different from any other cars out there, nor have I noticed it in the past 20 years since I built it, with the exception of the flared or "Californian" body style which is different from "wide body" cars from Vintage - and the beauty of each is in the eye of the beholder. To that end, each body builder makes them very slightly different from the others but most of us cannot see the differences unless they're specifically pointed out, but overall body style is pretty similar.
I will say that, from personal experience and from other members on here who have been completing or modifying their CMC cars, that the fiberglass can tend to be a bit thicker in places, leading to a car that is a bit heavier (20 - 30 pounds) than others.
CMCs also had a reputation for getting cracks around the headlight areas but over the years I think we've discovered that the builder didn't install the front body brace properly (or left it out entirely), leading to body flex in that area. Put the brace in right and you get no flex or cracks.
The other thing about CMCs is butt droop over time, opening up the door seam at the rear of the door at the top. This is easily fixed by drilling out the rivets holding the rear of the body to the rear frame member, lifting the body til the door seams line up properly, then re-drilling, gluing and bolting the body back to the frame member. Maybe an hour to do that one.
So that's about it. People think that CMC cars are lower quality because some hack mechanic built them in his backyard, and some of them (especially one guy down in Texas) were built that way, but I gave Henry Reisner, the owner of Intermeccanica, a ride in my CMC once and he was surprised at the quality level. It all depends on who built it.
The initial IM mold (when in Sana Anna, Calif) was the same one sold to CMC and used for near 20 years by CMC. It was taken by Henry Reisner from an actual OEM Speedster he borrowed. Current IMs with the 6 cylinder Porsche engine and suspension are slightly longer in rear deck area - think 4-5". Beck seems to be identical in size to IM/CMC as are JPS and VS. Got me on SAS? - assume same size just that engine is in back seat area.
The reason some are cheaper is that the level of finishing effort and attention to detail was less. I have a 1988 CMC classic body that cost $7999 for kit - in 1988! (plus $1400 crating and shipping from FL to VA). That was with fitted doors, black (extra) gel coat, crappy Vintage instruments, vinyl top/tonneau, 2 pieces of plexiglass. precut foam for fiberglass seats, over-riders (extra).
I had to supply a VW pan (cut ~11"), wheels, suspension, engine. Both IM and Beck use a custom tubular chassis (Late CMC/StreetBeats has a tube chassis and a Metal Craft chassis was available for early CMC too).
There are schematics for the original Speedster on the web and same for cutting down a VW pan for a FF/CMC. I'm sure wheelbase is within inch or so.
http://carblueprints.info/rus/...rsche-356a-speedster
I replace CMC vinyl top/tonneau with Haartz cloth "canvas" $2x400=$800, plan to replaced CMC interior with VS Supplied vinyl interior $2800, one day sand/repaint gelcoat $4000-6000, add 2110 engine $10-12k, fire suppression system $1k, go for a 5 speed Gene Berg transmission $6-8k, SS exhaust $1200, rear disks $1200, and fake Fuchs $800. Easy to drop near $30k in any car quickly.
As Wolfgang said it's easy to drop in $30k or... buy the one I have for sale for $23k
Thanks for the reply, without seeing it I didn't want to be stuck with something that had an odd look, (like how chesil speedsters have the headlights too high) thanks.
Aussie posted:Thanks for the reply, without seeing it I didn't want to be stuck with something that had an odd look, (like how chesil speedsters have the headlights too high) thanks.
Chesil headlights are where they are because of your country’s restrictions/requirements.
I don’t believe that it’s an Australian MOT requirement.
That’s a peculiarity of the UK ( along with a few other peculiarities over there, like that “warm beer” thing).
Yes - it's a UK thing along with an external petrol filler reqmt.
WOLFGANG posted:Yes - it's a UK thing along with an external petrol filler reqmt.
I keyed on the Chesil headlight thing being a UK requirement and didn’t even think about Aussie being, well, an Aussie.
Gordon Nichols posted:I don’t believe that it’s an Australian MOT requirement.
That’s a peculiarity of the UK ( along with a few other peculiarities over there, like that “warm beer” thing).
Why do the English like warm beer?
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Lucas refrigerators...
The English say : "What's a refrigerator?"
ALB posted:Gordon Nichols posted:I don’t believe that it’s an Australian MOT requirement.
That’s a peculiarity of the UK ( along with a few other peculiarities over there, like that “warm beer” thing).
Why do the English like warm beer?
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Lucas refrigerators...
Actually, some British beer such as bitters need to be served at room temperature, and it's quite good. Served from a cask.
When I lived in Germany, there were certain beers that were served at room temp. Beer was a food group there.
Try to drink a Sudwieser at room temp, it'll gag a maggot. It will almost gag a maggot cold.
Bob, correct you are. Nothing like sipping a truly local-made pint at the local pub!
Carlos, agreed. I think they consulted the Chinese on the cheapest way to make beer. It does have rice in it LOL
Stouts ought to be a bit cooler than room, like 50-55F or so. Iced cold is too cold.
Pilsners and lagers are best cold. A cold Bud on a hot day is still a damn fine thing, I say.
IPAs--cold, mostly.
Belgian style dubbels and triples want to be in a goblet and should not be too cold. Cooler then room, but not too much.
Beyond that I ask the experts.
But there’s nothing quite like the wonderful, nutty, peatty flavor of a Murphy’s Irish Stout, drawn at a pub anywhere in County Cork, Southwest Ireland (I prefer the “White Horse” in Balincolig or, even better, “Blair’s Inn“ on the Blarney Road) and served at the “proper attitude”, meaning the usual 50° where the kegs are stored, in the cellar of the pub.
That, on a Thursday night with a great, open mic “session” going til well after midnight with a bunch of my closest, local friends.........
Damn. Now I’m homesick, and I didn’t even grow up there!
Haha well I have to admit, I was born in the UK.....BUT, we did manage to escape to australia when I was 4. Hard to believe you can drink beer warm, and your summer is about the same temperature of our winter but each to there own ........notice I didn't bring up the cricket once 😊
And Thanks for not bringing up "Foster's Lager", too! It's heavily marketed here in the US as "Australia's Beer", but it tastes like Horse P***.
All of you Aussies know that it sold so poorly in Oz that they moved their marketing campaign to America, instead! (and I think that's it's secretly brewed here in New Jersey from untreated Hudson River water, too).
Last I was down there on the right side of the World, someone offered me a "Pirate Life" IPA, which was pretty good, but I had to reveal that I was a stout kinda guy (No other jokes, you guys...) so they followed the Pirate up with a Murray's Stout. WOW! Wish we could get that here. Right up there with Mexican Chocolate Stout in Colorado!
So, Aussie! Did we answer your questions about the Speedster body shape or did we all just go off on a beer tangent? All of the Western Hemisphere speedster body builders (including Mexico and Brazil) are making them pretty true to the German originals, whether it be a Pre-A, an A or a B/C. Haven't seen any Gmund replicas (yet!)
BTW: Have you checked out RC Speedsters in Melbourne?
Chesil and those French PGOs are a little, shall we say, weird in what they think is "accurate" to the original, so stay away from them. BTW, "Flatfourfan" on here is Gary Bloom from South Africa. He went to the trouble of relocating the headlights on his Chesil to the proper height. MOT in SA has their own rules/regulations and do not follow the UK MOT rulebook so what he did was OK.
Lastly, stay far away from even talking with SAS Motorsports in Knoxville, Tennessee. They have a bad reputation of taking your up-front money and never delivering a car.
There was a UK design by Pilgrim Speedster that was on a full size VW pan. It had a complete back seat for full sized adults with legs. It was ugly with the top down and even uglier with the top up. Fortunately only 8 were ever made.
The company was sold to Tony Holmes in 2002 and traded as Pilgrim Cars (UK) Ltd for several more years at the Small Dole, Henfield base before going bust in October 2008. The Pilgrim Speedster was based on VW mechanicals and shortened floor pan and Tony Holmes even developed a four-seat version using a modified subframe and full-length floor pan. Around 300 Speedster replica kits and complete cars were produced before the company ceased trading, plus, it is believed, 8 of the 4-Seater Speedsters.
That was 8 too many, as bad as the full wheel base Perry Spyder aka tumor on wheels.
I'm sorry, but that is just not right. It's a big tent but somebody please close the flap before one of those gets in.
I think it influenced Porsche to make the Panamerica. I don't find the Panamerica car attractive at all but not enough to gouge them out
Wolfie, there's no 'Murica in the name.
It's simply a Panamera.
IMHO, they look like a beached whale. But it's a different story from the driver's seat. From there they are awesome!
Perry D Spyder: Barf!
Stretched Speedster? Gouge my eyes out, please. Make it stop!
The Gen 1 Panamera looked like a humpback whale swimming backward.
Gen 2 is much more attractive, IMHO.
