I got an email this morning from Dennis O’Brien of the Hot Rod specialty part supplier, O’Brien Truckers, who apparently is on Maui and went to “Peggy Sue’s Cruise Night” last night and sent this photo:
Could it be he missed meeting our @Michael Pickett ?? Small world for sure.
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That is not @Michael Pickett's Speedster. He has Fuchs and his plate reads FAUX 57.
According to a member search only Michael Pickett and the rental company Maui Speedsters are the only SOC members on Maui. Of course there could be another dozen Speedsters on Maui but they aren't wise enough to have joined our special little group.
@Gordon Nichols posted:Could it be he missed meeting our @Michael Pickett ?? Small world for sure.
Looks like I missed him. We talked about driving by Peggy Sue's last evening, but were both pretty whipped. I'm sorry I missed Dennis, but the rest of you have no excuse 😄.
I've seen one or two other speedsters on Maui besides the 4 that are rented by Maui Roadsters. Knowing the kind of money floating around here they may be the real deal.
I’ve known Dennis since we worked together at Data General in 1978 and his ‘34 Ford Panel Truck Hot Rod was already 6 years old. He’s had it ever since, put around 400K miles on it and built a very cool retirement business in the hobby. He was also one of the “gang of four” I Shanghaied to help lift the body onto my pan back in 1997. His daily driver is a Jeep “ Track Hawk” with a Hellcat engine in it. Lots of memories (and beer) under the bridge between us.
@Michael Pickett posted:I've seen one or two other speedsters on Maui besides the 4 that are rented by Maui Roadsters. Knowing the kind of money floating around here they may be the real deal.
The speedster in Gordan's post looks on point to being a real Speedster; at least judging from that particular angle. Those smarter than I may (and are encouraged) to tell me differently.
“looks on point to being a real Speedster”…I’m guessing the zip ties securing the license plate is the tell.
zipties dont rust over there?
Over here you can choose: use ferrous metal and watch it rust overnight or use plastic and watch the sun make it brittle and fall apart by noon.
You wouldn't believe how much fiberglass work I had to do on the speedster after the body sat in the sun and near the ocean for 15 years. All of the switches were just lumps of rust.
I suspect the owner just zip tied the plate on the front because it's worth a zillion dollars and didn't want to put holes in it.
Zip ties can be bought that are UV resistant. Nothing lasts forever though, especially nearer to the equator.
I suspect the guy just didn't want to drill holes. Zip ties are often used for license plates. I heard somewhere that they are not technically legal being as they are so easily cut.
On that nice over-rider bar it would look great to just get rubber-clad stainless steel tube clamps and a couple small stainless bolts. That would certainly look "legit".
@Jon T posted:“looks on point to being a real Speedster”…I’m guessing the zip ties securing the license plate is the tell.
@Kevin - Bay Area May be on to something with his assessment. If you look at the outline of the bottom of the soft top you will see there are no exposed Tenax snaps or the heads of button snaps. What is there is a single exposed Tenax stud just below the outline of the bottom of the soft tp. That is a tell tale sign of an original car since the bottom of the soft top was always secured to the body and the tonneau was snapped to the body along its edge.
Here is an original car with the top up:
And here is the reference point I'm talking about:
The one on the bottom looks like a Pre-A, while replicas are generally based on the A. The Pre-A and A had some differences in the body shape and trim that no one has put into replicas to my knowledge. The replica on top looks pretty close to an A.
Windshield wipers on the Maui car look suspiciously spindly. And the passenger arm isn't hockey stick-shaped by way of "Chevy Hands." I think that signifies "real."
@ALB posted:Speaking of quick ways to tell originals from replicas- can anyone vouch for how accurate this comparison is?
I think that’s all in ride height. Both real and replicas can be changed. (Although it might be true of turnkey replicas)
The easiest way for me to tell is look in front of the front tires. Real ones have some stuff in there that blocks the view of everything. Replicas don’t and you can often see light through the horn grills.
On the Maui Speedster I looked at the inner fender well to see if it was there….looked legit, but I’m not familiar with what IM does. As mentioned, the horns behind the grills are usually a tell tale sign, although the Maui speedster photo is dark.
A few years back, I know a group of us all splurged on “real” wiper blades to rid ourselves of the VW blades. I positioned mine at the base of the windscreen, although most original speedsters seem to have them angled on the windscreen like the Maui Speedster.
Pre-A and A’s seem to look close until parked next to one another. I had mine parked in between a Pre-A and an original A. It was very apparent the differences between the Pre-A and A, just from the front (bumper position, horn grill location, and the way the Pre-A body rolls under the car to name a few).
@dlearl476 posted:I think that’s all in ride height. Both real and replicas can be changed. (Although it might be true of turnkey replicas)
The easiest way for me to tell is look in front of the front tires. Real ones have some stuff in there that blocks the view of everything. Replicas don’t and you can often see light through the horn grills.
On an Intermeccanica (and maybe a Beck?), changing rear height is a matter of adjusting two little bolts. No major adjustment of the rear suspension is needed.
I had it done yesterday. Just went on a four day driving tour/fun rally over a lot of rural rough roads, and did a little bottoming out, so had to raise the rear a little.
@dlearl476 posted:I think that’s all in ride height. Both real and replicas can be changed. (Although it might be true of turnkey replicas)
The easiest way for me to tell is look in front of the front tires. Real ones have some stuff in there that blocks the view of everything. Replicas don’t and you can often see light through the horn grills.
What I'm referring to (and what I see the pics I posted show) is the difference in rear valance height- I believe all replicas are built with that way, with the lower edge being lower. Look at the line drawn along the bottom rockers of both cars- it has nothing to do with suspension settings or ride height. What I'm curious about- is that pic of the original (with the higher rear valance edge) indicative of all Porsche Speedsters? I don't recall ever reading that the rear of the body changing that much through the years, but I could be wrong- someone feel free to correct me if I am.
@ALB Not only the rear valence, but the front is higher also on the original - at least, on this example shown. Never noticed that before, but then, I haven't seen too many 'real' ones...
And the angle of the top edge of the rear wheel well is also different.
"And the angle of the top edge of the rear wheel well is also different."
That, along with a little tuck under on the rockers, are the major differences in body shape between the Pre-A and A. I agree that the real one's stance looks a touch off.
