The infamous traditional vs updated Speedster debate. It is a personal question whether to remain true to the original design or should its limitations be improved upon?
Old school guys say part of their enjoyment with these cars are its quirky personalities, they shrug off the annoyances as minor and part of its charm. New school guys say non-leaking tops, heater/defrosters that work, roll-up windows and a better fuel management system would civilize, and in their mind improve, these cars.
The two manufacturers of the pan-based Speedsters try to keep the price point low so more people will be able to afford these cars. Going new school may price some pilgrams out of making a purchase. IM isn't concerned about price points because their customers may be more affluent and don't mind paying more. Beck Speedsters are priced between the pan cars and IM so perhaps they provide a middle ground.
What is the soul of these cars? If you believe it is the aircooled engine then there are many great T1 & T4 engine combos and talented builders, but strictly speaking, the more powerful options have two or three times the hp output of the "original" so maybe there is a grey zone between old and new school. Disk brake upgrades would fall into this grey zone also, ditto modern music systems.
If you live in a year-round warm climate you likely don't fully appreciate the fuss over heaters and leaking tops, whereas someone who encounters sub-freezing winters and tens of inches of rain in a normal year they may believe otherwise.
In fly fishing there are purist who refuse to tie on anything other than dry flies, that's it. If one is an old school purist then I suppose that would mean having six-volt electrics, a 60 hp engine, no stereo, no disk brakes, etc. Once you start upgrading those components the original design has been altered, to a degree.
I personally believe the soul of the Speedster is its body design and not the engine. I love the "chopped" look of these cars with their tops up. I fell for the 356 Speedster A profile the first time I saw one, certainly more so than the way the "D" model looks with its top up, but that may be just me. What would be nice about roll-up windows is that means you can lock your car doors when you go to a movie or run into the mall on an errand for your better half. I would feel more relaxed with doors that lock even if a thief would only need to unsnap a few snaps to reach into your car to unlock it.
I would like the car to look old school but I lust for new school features. I am anxious to see how the mid-engine Suby (turbo, perhaps one day) with its five speed transmission turns out. Its funny but one of the things I like best about aircooled cars is the mechanical noise they make. I love that sound. If the Suby engine doesn't have a soulful sound I would take points away for that.
Oh, and I have really enjoyed the updated photo feature here and am especially enjoying the Outlaw cars. Some have a custom look, others going for a 50's retro racing look. Love them both.
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