These cars (and I used that term loosely) are generally a slippery slope, made all the more difficult if you are a perfectionist.
An original A-bodied 356 was in essence (and in actuality, in many ways) a sporty VW beetle. Their reputation as sports cars was built mostly in comparison to who they were competing against. The British cars of the day were not exactly titans.
The "giant killer" reputation was mostly the the result of the purebred racing cars-- the 550s and RSKs, etc.
Why this matters is that a Speedster replica can be pretty easily built to accurately replicate that 1950s level of spartan performance. An original car weighed about 1750 lbs and made way less than 100 hp. That's a power/weight ratio worse than most modern minivans. The suspension and brakes were late 1930s tech, made "mid-century modern". They were acceptable because the limits of the car were not all that great.
Some guys can accept that level of performance (I'm looking at you, @MusbJim), and they are content to have other cars for other purposes. Most of us cannot, and that's where "the madness" comes into play. Money changes hands, parts are changed, etc. in an effort to raise the performance threshold to something less pedestrian.
The platform of these cars are antique, and it costs a lot to do anything right. There are no shortage of parts vendors and "engine builders" who cut a lot of corners in an effort to offer more performance for less money. Almost all of us have been suckered into heading down the "value" road. It's a dead-end. There's no free lunch here-- good stuff costs what it costs. Nobody is getting rich, and you don't always get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get.
There is a sweet spot for these cars, and going beyond that spot takes the cost/benefit equation deep into the red-zone pretty quickly. I've gone well past what is prudent, and one choice forces 10 others. Before long, the stakes get way to high.
If I were on the front end of the hobby, I'd recommend the following spec:
- IRS rear suspension. Lots of guys argue this, but there's no comparison. Swing axles are dangerous at the limit. Driving quickly should not be a danger to yourself or your passengers.
- These cars need a front sway bar and decent shocks. I like my Konis, but lots of guys are happy with oil-filled shocks. Don't go nuts with gas shocks, etc.
- Disc brakes on all 4 corners. These are not created equally-- the EMPI and SoCal wide-5 brakes are ridiculously heavy. Most of the other alternatives are expensive. If you can live with the later 4-lug (or with modern Porsche 5-lug) wheels, the EMPI 4-lug brakes are not that heavy or bad.
- IRS and rear discs are going to mean expensive wheels. The back-spacing on 5-1/2 wheels will mean the rear tires will rub, unless you get them recentered. This costs money. The alternative is running narrower wheels. Narrower wheels means narrower tires, and narrow tires are limiting in the extreme. You want to run at least 185s. Get good tires (Vredeistein Sporttrac 5s, for example)
- I've had everything from the crappiest Serrano 1776 imaginable to a 200 hp 2332 in my cars. IMHO, the point of diminishing return is a 2110 (or thereabouts). A well-built 2110 on an AS41 case with good heads (CB Panchitos are the current favorites), a counterweighted crank, H-rods, and a W120-ish cam is as reliable as an analog flat-4 will ever be, and makes about 130-145 HP. Less than this puts a car pretty firmly in cruiser territory-- there isn't anything wrong with this, but it'll be fun, rather than engaging. More than this makes the care and feeding "iffy", and starts overloading the oiling system, the cooling system, and every other part of the car.
If you want your car to handle like it's on rails, run with Mustang GTs, and be dead-nuts reliable-- I'd recommend getting nice nice Cayman GTS or a MX5 with a V8 conversion. You'll be money ahead, and people will be impressed. If you want that level of performance in a Speedster replica, prepare for expenses in the upper reaches of 5-figures and reliability on the order of a Fiat (or worse).
If you can be satisfied with some other car, the I'd recommend getting some other car. If you can't, then try not to abandon all reason in the hope of a mirage.
Forewarned is forearmed. Happy hunting.
