Real vs Replica

I WAS WONDERING WHAT THE VISUAL DIFFERENCES ARE BETWEEN A REAL SPEEDSTER AND A REPLICA SPEEDSTER? HOW CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL IS A REPLICA?
AFTER LOOKING IN THE SIGHTINGS AREA, A COMMENT WAS MADE THAT TO A TRAINED EYE THEY COULD TELL IT WAS A VINTAGE SPEEDSTER. I'VE HEARD THAT COMMENT MADE BEFOR, SOMEONE COMMENTED THAT THE VINTAGE HAS A FLAW SOME WHERE ON THE BODY. IS THIS TRUE?
THE ONLY REASON I ASK IS BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE MY FUTURE SPEEDSTER TO BE AS VISUALY CLOSE, IF NOT EXACTLY, TO THE ORIGINAL AS POSSIBLE.
I DON'T WANT TO SOUND CRAZED BUT I KIND OF LIKE THE THOUGHT OF A REPLICA BEING AS; SIMILAR, AUTHENTIC OR ORIGINAL TO THE ORIGINAL SPEC AS POSSIBLE. OR AM I WAY OUT OF LINE WITH SUCH A BELIFE?

I don't think that there are too many people around who ever saw an original speedster up close. They didn't make that many and it was a long time ago. I once sat in the car and talked to a guy my age for 15 minutes who had owned two of them, and he was suprised to hear that it was a replica. The secretary of the local 356 club talked to me for 5 minutes, trying to get me to join and ditto. Then I had some moron yell out to me from 100 feet away that my car wasn't real. (I think he was in a clapped out toyota)
When people talk to me about my car, which happens more frequently than I like, I usually tell them upfront that it's a replica in hopes that they will go away sooner.
ed

First off, take off your CAPS key. It is considered SHOUTING at someone and is considered bad forum manners. Take a look at the sponsored site at the top of the opening page for Specialty Auto Works at www.specialtyauto.com/PORSCHE.htm

They claim that their replica is very close to the original. If you can overlook the watercooled Subaru mid engine power and modern drivetrain with heater, defroster, and air conditioning it may fit your needs. I think that it is the best of both worlds. Old car looks with modern drivetrain.

There are key parts on each venders replicar.

The VS is what I am most familiar with. 8 slots instead of 10 on wheels(4lug). padded seats. Dash pad not to door seam. black wiper blades. e-brake on floor. shifter location and style. Dash knobs are 60s beetle. Picky, Picky, ...

The VS and JPS classic cars are based on a mold pulled from a real Speedster with some damage. Therefore the front right fender is bowed. There is also a molding flaw on the right door near the upper hinge. This can be worked out during prep, but I have seen it on a few cars.

There are many visual differences between Porsche Speedsters and Replica Speedsters. Two that can be spotted immediately are: replicas have the parking brake in between the seats, Porsches' e-brake is an umbrella handle type mounted beneath the dash; the pedals in a replica are anchored to the center tunnel, the pedals on a Porsche come out of the front "firewall."
There are scores of other minor differences, but overall the replica body, having been made from molding a Porsche Speedster, is identical to an actual Porsche in shape and size.

Gaetano,

The flaw you are talking about is only present in some Speedster Replica bodies. It comes from the master that was used for developing the mold. The original car (master) had some bodywork done on one of the front fenders; the bodywork wasn

DUDE!
If you start planning now, continue to visit the various websites and classified sales sites, you can acquire & assemble a whole bunch of more authentic parts to use on your future build.

As mentioned there was a bend and a kink here & there with a mold and a lot of us wear it well...a little more elbow grease and the builder can off set the quirk to your satisfaction.

A very close approximation to an original can be had and the small tell-tale items mentioned here are a very small price to pay to achieve that look if that's the look you are after!

If being 'just like the original' is the sort of thing that is going to get you nutted up, you may not fully enjoy your replicar speedster experience... As I have said elsewhere on this forum, when my speedster arrived and rolled off of the truck, the driver says, "Hop in and fire it up!" I did and it was like deja vus all over again.

I've had a number of originals over the years and the replica had a very consoling familiarity to it. I could see both improvements as well as stuff that was just plain in better condition than my cars had been...

Enjoy the ride, and a word to the wise...go overboard on your planning and pre-build concerns and strategies!

Gaetano,
Buy a real one and avoid all the B.S.
One of the first things people will ask is..."Is it real"
If you say yes, it changes the whole drift of the conversation..
Any previous owner of a real 356 can tell the difference just looking,
others don't have a clue.....Being authentic to the last degree is a
waste of time and energy..........
Just my opinion....

Because of all those Porsche books I have laying around the house no replica could put one over on me but the tube frame IM comes pretty close (like Dale's). If you want to have some fun putting on all the original shiny bits to make it more authentic looking for you, great. But if you want to try to fool everybody, like Vince says-waste of money. A couple more give aways are: top using snaps to attach to body, windshield mounted approx 1 inch forward on body,wheel well openings thicker than original (fiberglass vs steel),windshield frame lacking clips for top latches,rear end often higher off ground than original,no horns peeking out from behind horn grills,no key lock holes in door handle,blah blah blah. AND, this is before anyone sees the interior.

Anyone gone as far as adding simulated rust holes in the floor pan?

Jerome

..or paint your whole car like ebay item 2484002138. That would also take care about any additional security questions.

Andreas

I have to a agree with Vince. If you want it to look identical to a real one, then buy a real one. Then, when people ask you (and they will), "is it real?" you can say yes, oh yes!
I always thought that I could tell by the front and rear bumpers, but I came across a real 356 at a show that, at first glance, I thought was a replica (bumpers didn't look right). But it was real..I think.
Ron

Good one Jerome... :~)

I don't really mind the constant "is it real" question as much as the occasional asshole who says defiantly "thats a kit not a real one". I put up with this kind of crap a couple of times but now I look them straight in the eye and say "if your so smart tell me what it is on the car that tells you its not real". Not a one of them has ever been able to give an answer that was at all correct. Then I like to point out some of the differences and tell them "next time instead of just pretending to be so smart maybe you will actually know what your talking about and not embarrass yourself."

Firstly i would like to appologise for the caps lock key being on, hope everyone understands i wasn't shouting.

Secondly i would like to thank everyone for their feedback, you guys realy know your stuff.
I understand exactly what you guys mean when you say buy an original, but i hope i didn't give the wrong impression that im trying to fool on lookers. I'm not about deception, I would be the first person to say to people it's a replica. But for myself, i would also like to follow that by saying to on lookers that the time and money i spent on the replica to make it as authentic as possible was to honor the original. i mean if you have to lie to people that it's real than you have to try and lie to yourself, and that never really works, does it?

Again thank you all for you feedback, i see that i still have a lot to learn about the speedster. I guess that being in love with a car is simply not enough, but some research might be able to bridge that gap.

Guy,
Learn as you go. Loving the car is just another way of saying that it could be a passion. The way I look at it, driving the original or driving a replica -- either one is a tribute to the car. I chose the replica because I am not, and do not have the time or inclination to become, mechanically astute. Keeping an original 356 in good running condition can be a challenge, unless you so bastardize it with new mechanicals that it is almost a replica anyway. If it is about driving a car that is a tribute to the legend, go for the replica. There are some great ones out there at very reasonable prices.