I've always wondered why the maker of a Speedster body doesn't identify it as theirs. Some are flashed (molded) and shipped to multiple builders (at least early on in the '80's). Even a business card embedded in resin somewhere would help.
You could tell an early IM by the cast hinges with their logo and the silver foil copyright/build info in passenger's door opening. Early Vintage Speedster's had the curly red wire to gen/alt, faux torsion bar cutouts and the chrome strip on dash. JPS seemed similiar to VS but had spectacular paint finishes. CMC/FF had the Vintage Speedster hood (horn) badge, rubber dash eye bows, finished gel finish, VINTAGE gauges and cast hibachi engine grill. With many cars now 30-40 years old - many have mixed it up - you see many cars with the popular Vintage Speedster interiors (seats and door handles), and canvas vs vinyl tops/tonneaus.
So here's a mystery. The car is advertised on SAMBA as a Vintage Speedster brand from the late '70's. Except dash has CMC rubber eyebrows, no curly red wire, and apparently a faded gel coat red finish. Interior seats/door panels - and even an added chrome strip to the dash appear to be Vintage Speedster. BUT Vintage started building cars in 1988 --- not the late '70's. Even touts the extra heavy fiberglass - another CMC/FF feature. So is it a CMC with VS interior?
TheSamba.com :: VW Classifieds - 1957 Porsche Speedster Replica
Apologize if the owner is here on SOC - just seems to be a conundrum!
I have a similiar conundrum. I have hidden in my FL Barn a Dolphin Industries Mod-T Shriner dune buggy. I bought it around 2000. Dune Buggy Archives (DBA) identified it for me. Made not too far from me in Pompano Beach in mid-'80's (has expired 1991 Pensacola license plates). Well to tie it to the above - I have found other Dolphin cars and some of them actually have embossed id on them -- but I can't find it on mine (and mine is still original white gel coat).
