GT Mirror and alluminum housings

Over this passed weekend I met a really enthusiast that made his own GT mirror housings and mirrors. They were perfect and I asked him how much. he said $275 for the complete unit mirror and housing. I thought that was a great price but then he said if you buy 10 of them I can give them to you for $225. I thought OK I would ask some of you if you may be interested? I want one for my 53 coupe. If there are any takers please e-mail me directly.

DMAN

Are you talking about Robert Kann? If not, you might want to check out if he's cheaper because I found an 1998 catalog where he asks $196 for the Alum. GT mirror covers. That doesn't include the mirrors though but I've read somewhere that you can use VW bus mirrors, I think.
Robert Kann can be contacted at gtwerk@aol.com or by phone at 562 431-1523. He makes all the GT parts you can think of.
No affiliation...

Johan

Porsche 356 Carrera Speedster Inventory
home.tiscali.be/carrera-speedster

Johan,

Generally speaking did GT's have one mirror or two?

FYI, those of you who don't know Dario, when he says something is "perfect," it is. I bought a Nardi wheel from him, plus badges, but my favorite purchase was his repro leather Porsche Spyder/Speedster key fob. You guys that like to make your cars as authentic as possible should consider one. Very nice.

Erik,

Generally speaking, they had none. Mirrors were dealer installed options so there is a lot of variation. Most have the regular Aero mirror. The GT mirror is a close second and only a few seem to have two. Some even have the Spyder mirror which is similar but more round compared to the GT mirror. Other GT Speedsters have the Talbot or Ponto Stabil. It was all down to the personal preferences of the owners and what the dealer had in stock at the time probably.
I think they look great with two GT mirrors and without the hood handle but that's just my personal opinion.


Johan

Porsche 356 Carrera Speedster Inventory
home.tiscali.be/carrera-speedster

I on the other hand like one on the drivers side. But the two was also done. Theses mirrors where also installed by the factory and came on many of the GS/GT speedsters.

These mirrors are $225 including the mirror which is a work of art itself. If any of you are interested please write me at dman550@shaw.ca and I will get you all the info you need.

DMAN

Dario,

Are you sure there were Speedster GT's with factory installed mirrors? I'm not saying you couldn't order them from the factory but I always read and heard they were dealer installed. Do you know of any Kardex that lists the mirrors? From 1959, according to Dr. Brett Johnson, some 356's, but only those delivered in Europe, had factory installed mirrors but I have never seen evidence that it also happened on the GT Speedsters. On all the delivery pictures I've seen, the Speedsters GT's are without mirrors. How else could you explain the difference in mirrors (GT, Spyder, Aero, Ponto Stabil, Talbot) even when only looking at the last 32 GT Speedster made in 1959? When you look at this page home.tiscali.be/carrera-speedster/59.htm , you'll see a picture from 1959 of Speedster GT #84934 which the original owner sent to me. It doesn't have a mirror. Many Speedster GT owners are restoring these cars to "factory condition". As a result, they don't have a mirror. See #84927, #84933 and #84954 on that same page as examples.
btw I hope you sell lots of those GT mirrors because they just look great even on non-GT Speedsters.

Johan

Porsche 356 Carrera Speedster Inventory
home.tiscali.be/carrera-speedster

Please pardon me while I Y A W N...

George,
Johan sticks to the point, i.e., Speedsters. You, on the other hand, feel that every car you ever owned is of interest to the group. Nobody likes a dickhead, especially a smartass dickhead. It seems that Johan's knowledge offends you. If so, ignore his posts, just like the advice you give to others. If you ever consider professional help, I can recommend some competent individuals in your area. The knowledge you provide the group is not worth your misplaced condescencion. Regards, Jim

Simma don na!

Point well taken Jim!! Thank You!!! Could not have said it better myself.

Yohan,

I am slowly converting my Speedster replica into a faux GT Carrera.

I have a question about scripts. Generally speaking, and I realize there are no hard rules, but they would have Porsche script on the nose. I will not be using the handle/crest. I have seen some photos with a small Stuttgart/Porsche crest where the handle was, others don't show it. Your personal suggestion?

Some GT's had Carrera scripts on the front fender while others didn't. I have them but not sure if I will be using. Your input?

On the rump of the cars there will be the Porsche script and beneath it Carrera. I have seen a couple of photos that showed a GT script beside the Carrera but wasn't sure if that was accurate.

I am stripping the deco trim and am trying to figure how to remove the rubber trim on the bumpers without damaging the surface.

I like twin GT mirrors, also.

You have any other suggestions?

Danke.

Erik,

I assume the hood handles were deleted because of weight reasons and the front badge was usually deleted when the nose needed some restoration. For that reason you find all different combinations. The Porsche badge on the nose, without the hood handle, doesn't feel right to me. I like the way it looks but in the 50's and 60's, people were not that "badge conscious".
A Carrera script on the fender of a GT was very rare. I seem to remember only one GT had those. They really belong on the Carrera GS and I think the Carrera GT's look better without them. The GT script on the rump was only used on the Carrera 2's in the mid 60's(only Coup

Johan,

I agree. The crest without the handle is nice but doesn't work for me. Lean and mean. I am not planning on using the Carrera scripts on the fenders. Nor will I concern myself with the GT script on the rump, but I am assuming I should use a Carrera script beneath the Porsche script? And my favorite modification is I am adding a large capacity gas tank with a through the hood gas feed with a racing fill cap. And of course a Carrera louvered engine lid. I am getting the tank and lid from JPS; John has been great to work with.

Erik,

The Carrera script beneath the Porsche script on the back is on all GT Carrera Speedsters, but if you would put a 1600 Super badge on a GT Speedster, it wouldn't be incorrect. In 1959 Porsche produced 7 or 8 GT Speedsters with a regular pushrod engine and they of course didn't have the Carrera badges. That makes them even more special than the GT Carrera Speedsters. Four of these were the Block Speedsters (named after the dealership they were delivered to). If I would order my replica Speedster today, I would go for that look. They are also special because they are Slate Gray (a 1959 Coupe color) and have a roll bar which is also painted gray. A GT Speedster with a 1600 Super badge adds to the mystique in my opinion.

The fuel filler through the hood is one of my favorite options also. There are two possibilities. One is the "factory" version which is twist-off system where the hoods fits around it. The other is the flip-top, where you have some space around it and. What version will you be using? If you're not sure what they look like, you can find the two versions in the "Carrera Speedster GT/ Through the hood" map on this site.

Johan

Porsche 356 Carrera Speedster Inventory
home.tiscali.be/carrera-speedster

Johan,

Re the fuel filler cap, I am using the same flip cap that Vintage Spyders uses on their 550 Spyder replica's. A rubber collar is used around the steel filler tube in the trunk for rain diversion.

Dario, who started this thread, has a very special 550 aluminum flip cap that is a b-e-a-u-t-y, as are all the parts he has custom made. The guy has an eye for detail.

I understand what you are saying about the rare GT's with pushrod engines, however, I will likely use the Carrera script under Porsche on the rump. I am not sure what Carrera actually means other than it was a famous Mexican rally race?

My current car is an older IM, it is a bit long in the tooth so I don't mind modifying and experimenting some. If I order a new car it will be a GT version. I salute your passion Johan, in fact your photos and posts are why I decided to convert my car. Thanks for your input.

Well Jim, Johan and I exchanged emails off-line, and I told him my response was not to HIS POST, but to a seemingly long and boring series of stuff about mirrors, of all things. Some days you get the bear, and some days the bear gets you, podnuh.

Well George, if the Carrera mirror subject is boring to you why not just skip over them and not comment at all? I personally wondered what Corvairs had to do with Speedsters... but shrugged it off.

Your posts are always helpful when sharing knowledge.

Boy oh Boy!!!

Aren