Does IM/Intermeccanica make a wide body - How rare

Looking for a widebodied 356... wide and super wide by VS are OK but would consider less extreme wide bodied cars... paintwork needed OK (yes painting my 356).. really want a car with some role up windows and think this narrows me to the IM/Intermeccanica cars... Plus all the other research I have done tells me an IM is right for me. Thanks...

Seeking a year 2000+ lower mileage IM/Intermeccanica car in great shape or needing some TLC willing to spend 20K ish... have seen some (not many I know) IM cars sell for much less then I am sure the owners had hoped but market is soft... I know, my newer 997 P car dipped in value quite swiftly over past 2 years...


Off topic, are their any resto mid like speedsters... Matte black, large white wall tires, mods, wide body, some other light mods maybe some Fuchs etc..painted in unique color!

Here's a sample of a flared build from the IM website...

http://www.intermeccanica.com/IM13465.html

Steve, can you clarify your last question?
Are you asking if there are any 'outlaw' 356 replicas -- cars you might like to see in order to use ideas from them?
If that is what you meant, there are a ton of differences from one car to another in our world. We aren't constrained to keeping them 'safe' in the concours sense, and many owners make small, subtle modifications in order to personalize them to taste.
Some are wacky, like mine, and others are very faithful renditions of factory cars. The majority -- if you put them all in a lineup -- are similar in the body's form only.
Which, frankly, is part of the appeal.

Sorry about that, I am looking for a speedster but living in new england (newport RI) the weather changes so fast and swiftly just feel my wife will need roll up windows. Other converts we had in the past she would always have her window up. I know, kind of a crazy option that impacts the actual build/car we get but its a must have. I live the Vintage Speeders wide body rendition of the speedster but need those darn windows....

I tend mod every toy I have, from scooters, to personal watercraft, to sports cars to jeeps etc etc... just can't keep anything stock. I do NOT want a period correct purist car and thats what I find so cool avout these speedsters, you can do as you please and make them unique...

I have a vision in my mind of a speedster, wide body (at the least flared) exterior color matte black, fuchs or other cool wheel with a nice fat white wall tire... I would love to see such or similiar like set up if anyone has done something similiar. There are some old school hot rodders in town with some resto mod like open bucket ford roadster cars in the matte black etc and I love them... such a direction in a speedster I think could be quite interesting. Just don't see it on a none wide bodied car though... for me the fat arse/tail is more important then the windows, but this is suppose be a gift to the wives 40th B day so need to keep that in mind... will only do the flat black if the car needs paint, otherwise will have the car wrapped in the flat black, so I can easily remove later etc...

thanks all for any and all words of wisdom. Can you roll the fenders or other in an IM car to get the wide tail or not really? No other cars that are good builds come with role up windows correct?

thanks again all...

also nice custom car you posted, I love any unique build.. Concours contender (although apprecaite the concept greatly) and the purist I will never be. thanks again

There is a car in the classifieds on this site which might meet most of your needs.
The roll-up windows can probably be added by one of the vendors who frequent this site. If not, they can almost certainly point you in the right direction.
The car I'm thinking of is owned by a guy named Paul Rich, and he would like for it to go fairly quickly (from what I've read), so he might negotiate his asking price.
It has a wider-than-stock body, but the fiberglass was added in pie-slice wedges to the body by the builder. It's very, very subtle until you line the car up with another Speedster.
It's a beautiful silver car with an oxblood-colored interior, and is virtually new. It was built by Thunder Ranch, in California.

thanks, nice car but for 30+K (I would spend that) I would want closer to excatly what I want, but really apprecaite the heads up, saw this car posted and looks great. I did see some vintage speedster cars out there fpr near 15+K mid to upper 2000 year and low mileage. But again not the roll up windows, can this option be added as you mentioned?

Roll-up windows are difficult to add to a Speedster due to the windshield frame shape. Henry at IM has done it, but he concedes that even his leak occasionally. The convertible-D (Roadster) is his other model, and it has a taller windshield that accepts roll-ups more easily. At present, and for quite some time, he is the only manufacturer of that body style. IM does not make a wide-body, but they will do a flared as you have seen. Those are custom order, and there aren't many. Expect to pay well over $30k even for a used one - if you can find one.

As for adding roll-up windows after the fact, at one time CMC produced an option kit to convert their Speedster to a Convertible-D (different side windows, windshield, top, plus mods to the door), but they're as rare as hen's teeth now. A good hot rod shop might be able to fab up something. That's probably your best bet at the price range you're quoting.

You really need to cull through the photo section of this site because there is flared and their is flared. That blue car Henry did not long back had 'widebody' treatment that really looks radical and subtle...not the 21/2"wide wheel well sculpture piece most replicarzzz have molded on front and back. Rumor was the extremely wide body flare Vintage offered was prone to cracking. Don't know first hand.

Reading through your aspirations, I could see a roadster like Rick Davis' with your wide whites in a matte black. Age has crept up and taken me over. I can't remember the fellow's name in Pleasant Hill who had the matte/flat black car for the longest time. It always looked so 'worn-out just right'

As for roll-up windows, IMHO either the car's maker does them at the time of the whole build or you go without... A hot rod/custom car shop was mentionedin the alternative. I got a quote recently to:
1. pull my standard rear windows out of my V-dub and replace them with my pop-outs.
2. fix the roller mechanisms in my doors
3. replace the 1/4 wings with my new ones
$2500 + additional parts as needed

I can't imagine what engineering a roll up window involves or the fitting time needed.

I think Ziggy (Barry Hudson) added a Cabriolet windshield/frame and windup windows to his. Ages ago he sent me some rough sketches and its not for faint of hear. First the OEM windshield frame is costly then he had to modify the doors quite a bit. Goint to the D option increases drivabilty though (increased vision and better weather protection).

https://www.speedsterowners.com/files/view.asp?sf=Ziggy&f=Picture+007%2Ejpg

Attached is ad for the CMC option when you ordered the kit from them.

It would be best to pick up a nice IM and have it custom flared, I think VS sells the flairs. Also you may want to look into the whole whitewall thing closer I like the idea and thought about doing this myself but the size limitations for real ww tires is limited I think a 225/55-16 is the widest narrowest tire they make for our cars. Check out http://store.coker.com

I'm not sure if some of these posts are suggesting that the Vintage widebodies start out as regular bodies and have the flares attached or not, but just to be clear...they don't. Also, my Vintage super widebody is almost 2 years old and I have over 10,000 miles on it with no signs of any "cracking" and I have never heard that rumor before.
As for roll up windows...It sure would be nice, but on the other hand I have only had my top up about 3 times!
Troy

Great forum, thanks so much for all the replies.... love your blue wide body.... but running into issue with the wife, she wants more the classic look. I should be able to get away with a flare, wider then stock without her noticing all that much but the true wide body I fear she may sniff out and this is suppose to be her fun car:)

great advice and again thank you for the notes back, I am the leading bidder now on a 07 beck build on ebay but not near their buy it now price so doubt I will end up with it...

I hear you on the white walls, just seeen a few pics and given the right color combo I think would look great, I have found some greatly dispise the look, not me... type of owner (based on other cars) that I will most liklely have 2 set ups swap them out time to time... mood with fat white wall set up and maybe some FUCHs with none white wall etc....

No signs of butt crack on my Superwide VS either.

Oooo, Marty! Now I have to think of a proper wisecrack before I see you in October ;-)

Steve,

I recently bought the GS flares from Henry and added them to my '82 roadster D. I am very pleased with them as they are a subtle flare that will allow larger tires/wheels to my slightly over powered ride. I have never done fibreglass work, so, they were a challenge to install, but are just what a wanted.
I am putting in power windows as I, too, need instant access to closure (Houston). I have A/C, but do like to drive the wind when appropriate.
Look at the GS flares on IMs website to get a feel. I don't think that many were made.

GG

I want to see Steves car when it's done. It sounds like it's right down my alley. :)
Good luck with this Steve. The folks on this site and the vendors that build these will surely point you in the right direction. It doesn't seem like anything too out of the ordinary as long as you have time and money.

Here's some pics of the IM flares, front & rear plus a comparison rear view of Howard's IM-6 flared Speedster and our IM-6 Roadster w/o flare.

SOC member Pete Van Rossum has a flat black Envemo coupe that is a great outlaw/hotrod looking car. I can't post his photos, but if you look under the Registry and check under Envmo as manufacturer you can see his car, It is slick.

Here's a picture of Pete's car.

Rick-how was this one done (if you know) ?
http://www.intermeccanica.com/IM13470.html

"Rick-how was this one done (if you know) ?
http://www.intermeccanica.com/IM13470.html"


Rarely happens but in this case this is the exact set up I would love to own, minus many of the bells and whistles, minus us the high output engine etc... I would like a similiar like build to this car but done on a budget compared to this. Looks like near no expense spared on this build. But a car resembling this in many ways would be the build I would go for.

Thanks for posting....IMO perfection...