This is a Newbie question, as you probably can tell, but can anyone steer me to the place where I can find out the technical difference between a standard 356 A Speedster (replica) and a 356 Cabriolet (replica). I see where the company in Knoxville has both the pics of the Speedster Body and the Cabriolet Body. Are Specialty XXXX the only company that manufacturers a replica Cabriolet? Thanks in advance for your input. Bob Gieser
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Similar but the Cab would have a taller windshield, roll up windows, and in my opinion, a more comfortable seat. Some Speedster replicas have roll up windows too, but most don't.
Check out Intermeccanica they make fabulous Roadsters or Convertible D's: http://intermeccanica.com
Bob -
The Speedster (obviously) has the lower windshield with chrome/aluminum frame. The lower windshield give it a more edgy look.
The Roadster has a taller windshield with chrome/aluminum frame.
The Cab has a tall windshield similar to Roadster, however the windshield frame is not removable but is integrated into the body and color-matched with car color.
Hope this info is helpful! 
Speedster:
Roadster:
Cabriolet:
Cabernet:
Hope this info has been helpful.
Good post. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes a thousand words on this site can confuse the hell out of anyone...
Love that last shot.
Good one, Ted!
Other differences between the Speedster, D and the Cab include a different door line, a 5 1/2 inch longer cut into the rear deck and a dashboard layout more like that of a coupe. Both the D and Cab have better weather sealing than the Speedster, but I still LOVE the Speedster's lines.
Great wine bottle!
regarding the doors specifically. the speedsters is shaped differently where the door approaches the windshield post versus the cabriolet and convert D. the doors won't swap over. there is a fellow here that made his speedster into a convert D and he documented the mods he made to the doors.
on the real mccoys I'm pretty sure that cabriolet and convert D door skins are the same...only differenct there is that the cabbie has vent windows and the D one solid piece of glass...so window mechanism is different.
The Speedster and Convertible D doors are the same, excluding the D's roll-up windows, but the Cabriolet doors are shaped differently, with a higher window line and vent windows.
Here's the Conv-D which still had an A body. What a beauty.
I can find out the technical difference between a standard 356 A Speedster (replica) and a 356 Cabriolet (replica).
Bob,
The technical differences are minor and mostly visual. The dash on a Cab has the gages kind of straight across - it also has a glove box and ash tray as most Cab drivers are heavy drinkers and smokers... The Cab also has a higher windshield and a higher top with roll up windows. The Cab was setup as a touring car with comforts unlike the speedster.
You can get a lot of info by googling "Porsche 356 History".
Whups... I should also add that the Cabriolet and Convertible D's were made for the more discerning Porsche owner. The Speedster was made mainly for people who didn't understand or have an appreciation for the finer things in life... The Speedster was also referred to as "The peasant's sports car"...
Oh boy... here it comes...
While the Cab weighs 3.7 ounces more than the Roadster, the Roadster is 1.5mm longer. One is 2 microns wider than the other, I don't remember which!
The original Speedster was designed to be a stripped down sports car priced under $3000 ($2995) back in mid '50's. A base Corvette was $3200 back then - with 283 ci V8 (and up to 283 hp) and 2850 pounds. A '57 D type Jaguar was a whopping $6900.
Great wine bottle!
It be better, if we had drank it! BTW, how come no smiley faces knocking wine glasses?
Here's the Conv-D which still had an A body. What a beauty.
That photo looks like it was taken at Canepa's in Scotts Valley, CA. They do world class restorations.
The cabriolet's soft top was thickly padded and stretched back farther on the rear deck...eliminating the sexy torpedo butt-end of the speedster, the D, and the short lived roadster.
The "D" (as in the '59 convertible D) was for the body builder Drauz. In 1960 Porsche contracted with other body builders so they of course dropped the D designation and called it a "roadster' instead.
Hehehe...
Give it a bit of time and you'll be rattling off Speedster useless knowledge in no time.
There is a quiz on every third Friday of the month. 
Ted
OK OK…are you ready for some really top secret trivia ????
'cause I'm one of the few folks that knows the whole story on this, and now all my "Speedster Spyder Roadster brethren will know too...
The Cabriolet replica was originally produced by ENVEMO in Brazil, as a follow up to their incredible awesome "Super90" coupe replica (1980's). Here's the scoop, when they cut the coupe moulds to create the Cab body, they reused the coupes windshield frame and windshield…..so the Cab replicas have a coupe windshield. WHY, you say, does THIS matter ???? WELL, good brothers and sisters, the Porsche T-2 thru T-6 Cabriolets (ALL OF THEM) use the shorter 356 A and early B (60-61) coupe windshields, NOT, the taller coupe w-shield used on the late B and all C's (62-65)…No way was the factory going to retool and re make a top frame for the 62-65 CAB's using the newer style w-shield, plus they had stacks and stacks of the early w-shields to use up. The ENVEMO used a 63 body for it's original molds, thus, it had the taller T-6 body windows all around…and thus, the ENVEMO based Cabriolets have the taller windshield and taller soft top too. Sort of odd looking, if you realize it.
I owned 2 ENVEMO's, bet there are very few folks on this planet that have had two, let alone, one. Sort of wish I'd kept the 1st one I had……oh well.
So now you know, the Porsche Cabs have shorter windshields, and the replicas have taller ones.
This info is good for at least one beer in a gentleman's bet ????
Very nice. I'll bet you didn't know that Carey (and his dad, Kevin) Hines frequent this site a lot. Kevin was one of the principals of the Envemo effort, and they recently built a handful of new C Cabriolets. Carey, any comment?
I always wondered why the Envemo and Beck Cabriolets had a taller windshield. Now I know.
Darkbeer--very interesting and news to me and probably many others. Thanks fo sharing this bit of enlightenment. Very interesting ---Thanks!
I've heard that certain Convertible D's were made with a closet full of women's shoes. 
Am I the only one that has no idea what obtuse reference Drewek is making about Conv.D's and women's shoes?
Carl - Rich post re: Marty G's post about Sandy's shoes!
Probably not the only one, Carl. Marty posted something on the Facebook page about him buying too many car parts.
It's one of life's trade offs........men buy cars, women buy shoes! Something like that.
darkbeer,
i think the hight difference in the windshield on the envemo is because the lower cowl is different. If you look at a genny 356 cabriolet the cowl extends/curves upwards about an inch...the envemo's is flat across. I say this because I am pretty certain the top frame is exact copy of the factory top frame...infact, my car uses an original pattern 356 canvas top and it fits perfectly....many envemo's have a home grown canvas top that doesn't look right.
