IM cannot do coupes...how do others?

When/if I do my dream car it might be a coupe. I'd prefer it was done by IM (great rep here), but...

I wrote Henry about doing coupes in the fututre...his answer...

"The quick answer is I do not think so. I feel that to do a 356-A Coupe right you will need to manufacture all the good looking side window chrome components. To do this it will take a significant investment and unless some outside investor is interested in making this happen I do not plan to do this on my own."

Have others (JPS, Auto Specialty, etc) solved this? And are they solved properly?

I'm regular follower/dreamer here...Thanks in advance for your answers!

Bart, I have asked that too. Henry is right, to do it the IM way would cost $$. Henry would want the fit and finish to be better than the original. Hopefully our governments don't spend our way into oblivion and that the Economies get better so we can one day in the future have an option to buy a Coupe from Henry at IM.

I cannot speak to how SAS addresses the chrome side windows issue but can only provide pictures of the completed product. I am not suggesting that SAS could build another coupe in your required timeframe with the current backlog. However, I will discuss the fabrication of the side power windows and surrounds with him.

It looks like neither SAS or JPS to chrome on the rear side windows, behind the door.

JPS is obviously making coupes - now available with back motor Subaru power. See his latest ad in KCB magazine. I've seen his cars. He has made the investment. They look great. Well worth considering.

The current crop of coupes (a little alliteration there, eh?) doesn't completely replicate the window trim, which could well be the most difficult part. Henry won't settle for anything but perfect. SAS is closer than JPS because they have a drip rail molded in, but you are correct that none of them have trim around the rear side window. Still, if you want a coupe and it doesn't have to be perfect, go for it. There are times when I long for roll-up windows and a hard roof.

The SAS side window surrounds are from real 356s cleaned up and re-chromed - expensive as Henry indicates. The supply of these is probably diminishing.

The SAS rear quarter windows are fixed, do not open, have no rear latch, and no chrome surround. Given the mid-engine configuration and no rear jump seat, this probably makes sense. Until it was brought up on this thread, I never really noticed how they were configured. I seem to recall that in the day some of these latches did not work very well and often lead to wind noise.

Even if the rear side windows are fixed it would be nice if they had the chrome surround.

The door glass has a chrome frame. It doesn't look right to me if the rear side window doesn't.

I do appreciate that the SAS coupe has the gutter thing above the door. I think the SAS dash is more authentic than JPS too, if I remember right.

Some of the 356A carrera models that came with factory plexiglas rear side windows did not have chrome trim. They look very similar to the JPS coupe's rear side window treatment.

BUY A FOCKEN REAL ONE OR
ORDER A SAS AND GET IT IN 10 YEARS
DONT BUY A JPS
IT HAS NO CHROME REAR WINDOW
AND BILL WOULD NOT LIE TO U

CHARLES
TOO FUNNY
THANK U MY FRIEND

Well, you guys made me go to the garage to take another look at the SAS coupe rear quarter window surround. I see it does have a chrome-like surround - just not an original Porsche one. Here is a better picture.

I do recall that the entire car including the dash were molded from an original car. I suppose if someone wanted the latching quarter windows they can be installed. The comment about the Carreras having plexiglass quarters without chrome trim is correct.

My old 911 had the latches and they were a pain. Plus, when you have air conditioning, why would you want to open them anyhow?

BTW, GERD, I believe the current SAS coupe delivery time is only eight years, 2.7 months. For a price, I could make the Creme Brule Coupe available a lot sooner!

Whilst researching how to make those surrounds for my coupe I found a company willing to make dies and extrude the sections from aluminium( originals were chrome on brass) The die would cost About $500 which was not too bad, the rub was that I had to buy 250 kg of Product, enough to build 300 cars. LOL...... so I gave up on that Idea. would have been cool though
Armand

I think that's the issue with a lot of this stuff. There are plenty of folks to make it, if you want 500 of a piece.

We're about to find out what a world like that looks like with Type 1 stuff.

$500 is a great price for a die providing that it is of decent quality, grab the die and look elsewhere for a smaller production quanity.

See, now if ALL the manufacturers teamed up and bought 500 copies, that would probably be a lifetime supply of chrome for all the coupes to ever be made by the current manufacturers.

I'm just sayin.........

for the money....many "real" 356 coupes available and need TLC for not as much money as you think, if bought right. Ive seen nice drivers for 30-40k. How much would a replica cost???? Im just sayin'

Almost all of us know about investments. That's how we got the money to buy the replicas we own. To me, it's not valid to compare an authentic 356 to a replica. Will the authentic vehicle increase in value? Of course. Will the replica decline in value? Almost assuredly.

The critical factor is the fun factor. I don't mean to suggest that authentic 356's aren't fun to drive. They are. However, if you don't get greater enjoyment, thrills, and SEGs from your replica than from an original, you need to sell your ride and get something different.

Can I make more money with a real 356? Oh yeah! Do I want to? Oh no! This is a part of my life in which pleasure overrides fiscal responsibility, and I'm happy that's the way it is.

Armand

How have you solved the problem, how are things coming on with your car?

Somewhere in Brazil there must be a stash of Envemo super 90 tooling molds search party . www.envemo.com

That type of quest sounds like Carey Hines 'stuff' to me. I still think there are enough disassembled coupes around to supply the somewhat limited demand.

"The critical factor is the fun factor. I don't mean to suggest that authentic 356's aren't fun to drive. They are. However, if you don't get greater enjoyment, thrills, and SEGs from your replica than from an original, you need to sell your ride and get something different."

Exactly ! ! ! And well stated.

I've bounced around on this idea and procedure for a long time now and am finally well into the process of turning my '55 356 coupe into a replica. I can't wait to finish and enjoy the car as it was meant to be enjoyed rather than continue on as the curator of a single exhibit museum.


TC

I believe that Carey told me the coupe molds were destroyed in a fire, so the Envemo coupe is dead, but the Cabriolet lives on - sort of.

I was only suggesting that a coupe replica use the window surrounds from a recycling dealer, not a restoration of a real coupe. It is certainly a lot easier to rechrome a couple of window surrounds than to go to Brazil or wherever or have a set of tooling molds designed or rehabilitated. What is the worldwide demand for 356 coupe replicas - maybe 25? The molds would not be cost effective for a very long time - someone suggested 500 units. The rechromes seem to work well on the Creme Brule Coupe.

Yes, the window details are a bitch, and JPS has improved on this since his first coupues, which as I recall had no trim and no moveable aft windows. Believe the aft windows now can swing out; as to chrome frames, etc, I am not too sure. Auhtentic is as auhtentic does, so getting it right will matter to some. And you are right: if Henry were to try this, it would end out perfect. Expensive, but perfect.