The whole discussion strikes me as disingenuous from the onset, as the comparison of a fake watch and a replica speedster is purely apples/oranges, at least from my present perspective.
A fake Rolex exists for no other reason than to mislead people, and doesn't fulfill any role that a thousand other time-pieces don't do just as well. They don't look better than my Casio and they don't keep better time than my Casio.
My Intermeccanica is a unique vehicle, which meets my desires uniquely. Yeah, it has an iconic shape... which happens to be drop-dead gorgeous- but otherwise, it's its own machine.
10 years ago, I was in the market for a convertible. The thing is, I'm a Luddite at heart- and EFI equipped OBMII compatible, mass produced cars, regardless of how cool- leave me completely flat. I own a 540I with a 6 speed- a perfect car in every way, and something I think of as an extremely nice appliance. For MY car (the one I love), I wanted something I could tinker with, and improve, and make my own. I happened on a Kit Car magazine with a speedster on the cover, and it was love at first sight.
I bought a car on ebay to see how I liked it, and found that the car suited me perfectly- beautiful, unique, fun, and something I was able to work on. I did the usual stuff to that car, and decided to have a "better" one built. It was at this point that I lost sight of my original goals, and got lost in pursuit of "replica authenticity", which is an oxymoron if ever there was one. My 2002 JPS was beautiful, and not any more usable than my first car. It brought me less joy than my "mutt" had, and I felt like a poser with all the "Porsche" badging all over it. I even went so far as to title it as a Porsche through a shady title company recommended on this site. That car was a disaster, because I had lost sight of what it was I was after in the first place- a pure, unique driving experience... cut a little closer to the bone.
In 2005, I had Henry build me a "coach" speedster, to which I added my own running gear. The car itself is exactly what I was originally after- simple, well built, and pure. I have had an enormous amount of fun adding all manner of non-original, but exceedingly cool stuff to the car. Everything I do to the car is to embrace what my idea of the perfect car is like, not what was original in 1958. If I had it to do again, I'd incorporate 911 running gear- but only because I think it would enhance the driving experience, not because the parts are any more or less "original".
My Intermeccanica looks like a Porsche 356, but isn't one- a fact I went to great lengths to make as clear as possible. I've got no Porsche badges, and Intermeccanica crests and scripts, and builders badges all over the car. It's legally titled as an Intermeccanica. When people ask what it is, I tell them it's a Speedster, and they are happy.
The purpose of all the hand wringing and angst really confuse me. Do you really care so much what other people think? If you like the car, then I think it's great if you embrace what it is: a car in it's own right. If you need Porsche badges to feel good about it- that's OK, but it seems to me that it just muddies the waters.
I would not want a car like my speedster for a daily driver I was depending on to get me back and forth to work every day- but I'd also hate to try to find the joy and adventure I get every time I go out in my car driving a 20XX 370Z/Corvette/Boxter/911. I've got very little interest in a car I can't work on, and can't drive at 25% of it's potential.
I've got what I want. If I wanted a car I needed to park and look at to enjoy, and obsess over the correctness of the date codes stamped on my wheels- I'd buy an original. If I wanted a great car I had to pay somebody to work on, and drive 100 mph to enjoy, I'd buy a Corvette.
As it is, I think my car is perfect. It's not a fake by any objective definition. I'll not make it one with badges that don't belong.
