Silver Speedster with B nose grafted - New Jerzey

That looks like crap!

On ebay with painted nose -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replic...mp;pt=US_Cars_Trucks

The owner's promotional hype in attempting to sell this (again) states

"You'll never see another one like this"

Hopefully not!

It wasn't my cup 'o tea when I first saw it, but I didn't mind it all so much in the primered configuration.

However, in paint , the car is transformed!

... you know, like one of those toys that changes into a mailbox or something. Actually, looking at it-- it does look a bit like a USPS ad. Or Mercury's hat, or something

"... a swing and a miss, strike 2. Bottom of the ninth, three runs down, two outs, nobody on..."

I don't care for the paint job, but the idea of a B nose on a Speedster doesn't sound that bad to me.  Not so sure about the execution with this one, though.

I should have said the paint job looks like crap.  With a solid color paint job and a top it wouldn't look bad.

I agree, the wide fives are the best part of the car.

I keep thinking about getting a set of chrome mangles and having them powder coated silver. It'd be nice to have two sets of wheels. One set for a classic look and another set for the times when I'm feelin' a little 'outlaw'.

Oh, and I think the red paint is there to hide some of the flaws in the body work. You'll notice he keeps stating that it needs a better paint job. He *JUST* painted it!  I'd be worried about what's under that paint? I don't know a lick about body work, but can you successfully bond a metal nose section to a fiberglass body? I feel like there could be issues where the metal meets the fiberglass. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but over time I bet you'd be able to see the intersection of the materials. It's even worse really because you most likely have metal, fiberglass, and bondo in the mix. 

The really odd part about this car is that if he just took some time and quit hitting it with the ugly stick, it could be a really nice unique speedster. Once he painted it silver, the nose didn't look so out of place.

Ted

And the wheels are not even included in the sale of the car.

Here's an excerpt from his ad:  ...."have a new set of Porsche wheels that will go with the car ---wheels on the pics do not belong to me...."

Good catch.

My brutha! FWIW - I'm pretty sure the chrome wheels would have to be (chemically) stripped down to metal before they could be powder-coated. Could be a pricey project! I think that would look pretty cool with those chrome nipple caps against silver powder coat wheels.

No kiddin? Good to know.

Might be cheaper to get some original 4.5's and have them repainted.

Ted

So, what's interesting? His Samba ad does not state that the wheels do not go with the car. Only his ebay ad does.

I'm so glad I'm not in the market for a speedster. The guys who own the project cars all seem to be bonkers!

Ted

I just hope he didn't cut the valuable nose piece off a rust free 356 when he could have made a fiberglass copy and had better success with grafting it onto replica.  There a real 356 owner willing to pay $3k for that metal nose section iif it isn't rust rotted and stuffed with 2 gallons of bondo.  

You can find old rusty chrome Mangels and sand blast them to get a clean surface for powder coating. Not much sticks to chrome.

3k for a bondo free A nose?...who woddah thought?

Between '72 and '78 I frequented a Porsche dealer's parts counter in Southport CT for bits and pieces when I drove the 'A coupe' and the 'B roadster' 

On the back wall was hanging a NOS factory 'A' nose clip that was priced at $340

An extravagant  expensive, I thought, when you could buy a decent running example, bumper to bumper, for $1800!!!  

No. I saw that nose in photos... it was in ROUGH shape. It's actually SPLIT down the center and grafted on in two pieces. The old fiberglass nose used to be visible in a few places.

I feel really bad for anyone who buys that car. About the only person who should buy it would be Alan. He'd do what's right to make that car a stunner.

Ted

Strange Stoddard has nose section for $3800 - but you can buy the 2 halves for only $600 each.

http://www.stoddard.com/356-1/...-503-011-06-grv.html

I don't get all the hate towards this car, it's not that bad imo.
Yes it's not complete but has a lot of potential to be a amazing car.
I guess a bad paint job means bad car.

I will probably never show my car, due to the fact you guy's would eat me alive.

Tough crowd, Jeff, but cool guys to hang with! 

come on guys ---first off --it has a fiberglass nose and the paint --well i had a friend of mine who did some additional work to the front body and when i picked it up he had painted it like this ---not my choice but he is a great guy so it is what it is ---most importantly the car is just cool looking and as i said not cookie mold ---could be a neat little car ----just could use the money to finish other projects---i have 2 devin Ds and a fiberfab centurion ---just to much stuff ---SO CUT ME SOME SLACK

The issue (as I see it) Jeff, is the guy's gone to a lot of trouble to modify an already iconic style for (what we probably all think) no apparent reason; change for the sake of change isn't always a good thing. I (and I'm sure a lot of other guys here and in the real P world) find the early body lines are "just right" and it seems any updating or major changes don't work and detract from the car. As I've said before, just because you can doesn't always mean you should. The beauty of the earlier cars' (pre A and A? Where's Carl when you need him! He's encyclopedic about this stuff) and our plastic tributes' body lines is in it's simplicity.

And Ted, you hit the nail on the head! While you can bond steel and fiberglass together successfully, it has to be done right, and for there to be issues with a fresh paint job doesn't bode well for a future owner....Al 

While I was writing this, rods (we need a first name here!) mentioned above that the addition is fiberglass, but to mention in the ad that the body work's not perfect and it's just been painted does invite criticism; why would you not take the time to get it right, unless you're just slapping it together to get it out the door?

Edit- If I met the owner I would never put the car down; as Stan said, it's just not my "cup of tea". Just because some of us aren't crazy about it doesn't mean someone else can't be. As Stan also said- it's a big tent, and there's room for everybody. 

Jeff- If we ever meet and I see your car (I don't remember if you've posted pics and I couldn't find them) I (and I'm sure everyone else who meets you) will love it. One of the great things of owning a replica is not being saddled by the constraints owners of originals put on themselves and being able to do it the way you think it should be done. Just don't put a B nose and hood on it...

rodso0 - As I said in my first post, I don't think it looks that bad.  We can be a strange and opinionated lot, but we're great fun to share a beer or three with.  You should bring it to the next gathering.  You might be surprised how cordial the greeting is.

to each his own everybody has a way of expressing themselves but remember it is a kitcar --NOT THE REAL THING so there is nothing sacred about it ---it looks good to me and different as i said not run of the mill ---just think of all those guys who bought kits with flares or the coupes that are being built today with flares---its all your personal choice ---but i never would take a shot at someones personal choice ---90% OF THE CARS ON THIS SITE HAVE THE WRONG STANCE---i have owned several real speedsters in my day and none sat low in the front---wish i kept them all ( LONG TIME AGO)  and by the way there were several speedsters modified with B nose    infact there was a article about one in excellence mag. not long ago---so if you keep this all in mind --that these are just replica--- copies ---kit cars---fakes ---you can do whatever you want  flares, B nose ,911 engines,17in wheels ,----its all just fun

I like the CMC 359 so won't criticize updated nose -

I even like the 914 Chalon slant nose conversion

Rods (please, can we have a first name here? If we ever meet am I really going to call you rods?)- You've brought up very valid points; one of the plusses of owning a replica is that you can do what you want, and everybody else be damned! I bought my full size Revell (thanks Terry for that one!) model when a real Speedster was actually still affordable (and my Intermeccanica body wasn't all that much less), and the major attraction for me (besides not having to fix a rusty car) was that I could make it quicker, faster and handle better than an original, and do it how I wanted without the P community having boom all to say about it. Being the enthusiasts we are, people are going to have opinions and comments, but that's all they are- opinions and comments. As long as you (and someone else, as you're selling it) like it, that's all that matters. I'm guessing that, upon seeing the car in person, the car would be better received, and as Lane said, you may even find the crowd a fun lot to hang with!

And to again quote our revered President for life of the Republic of Stanistan- "it's a big tent; there's room for everybody"

If you're referring to the car I think you are, isn't that a cut down later car made into a Speedster? Al

I can't believe that I'm old enough to remember the initial reaction to the introduction of the 1960 B model on showroom floors

Though tolerated,  the revised nose styling that eclipsed the iconic compound curves of the A, wasn't universally well received. Current A owners referred to the B as a "Newbie".... The tone of voice, and arched eyebrows, indicated if that was a derisive,... or just a factual reference.  

Rods - I like it.  A lot.  I have always like the B nose.  I like the pre-A and A, too, for different reasons, but there were a lot of refinements in the B style which made sense.  and while Bee-Hives look kinda cool on a Pre-A, they emit about 1/2 candle-power of light, making them almost useless.  I think I would rather be seen than have cool lights.

I have often been surprised and amused at people on here who don't like the flared body style, preferring the "classic" slab style much more, and while I have a lightly flared CMC, I honestly don't like the super-wides coming from VS  -  too much of a good thing, maybe?  Dunno.

Anyway, my car won a "Spectator's Class" Award for German Convertibles at the Hilton Head Concours a while back, TOTALLY pissing off a couple of original (and classic-sided) 356's from nearby towns.  One guy even had to come all the way over to me (about 100 yard walk) to tell me my car shouldn't even have been allowed in, let alone win an award.  I just smiled and said "Yeah, really pisses you off, doesn't it, that ordinary people actually think it's beautiful?"

I thought the guy was gonna choke after that, so I just turned to my friends and ignored him while he stomped off.

you see i like that everybody does there own thing ---for me i would never put a speedster script or a porsche crest or even a 356 badge on my cars ---i have had several of these things and i would never try to pass it off as real  that being said i have been to many of show that guys have tried to do just that--holding court says that it was real---your car is clean and nice and i am sure it serves you well----look i am a old dude and i have had --no joke at least 30 kit cars in my life --i have had cars on the cover of sportscar international and a 7 page spread in road & track  i have built kelmarks v8s-- devin D--  valkyries--    becks--  manxs--jamaicans--banshees--corvette gtp---and never once did i ever try to pass it of as something more than what it was   and not 1 was builtlike the directions said . its all fun SO CONTINUE TO DO YOUR THING GUYS ---

Got that right.....

Party on, rodso!

i do not think 9,000 is a bad price for this speedster and that is what it will take to buy it ----try to come near that price to get it this far ----eng--trans ---disc brakes --body frame ---sounds fair to me

If you're happy with that, jump on it.

It needs a few things, but you've got the Winter to sort them out.

Good luck.  gn