Why we own a replica

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait for it...     $500 ... made from unobtanium Ray

 

http://www.type356a.com/Porsche-356-Spares.html

 

 

Ray, I know you that you posted this to illustrate the absolutely absurd prices for OEM parts. But the statement,"Why We Own Replicas" is a damn fine topic!

 

I'll tell you why I own a replica Porsche Speedster:

It has nothing to do with the rediculous price of an original or that I always wanted one. It just "happened."

 

I was thinking about a sports car for me. I was about to turn 50 and I wanted to fulfill that dream of tooling down some twisty road in a slick car with my baby in the right seat. My baby said she'd divorce me if I bought a Corvette. I had owned a 912 and a 911 in the past but I wanted something a bit more unique and there are a whole lotta 911s crusin' in the SF bay area.

By chance I drove by a house down the street. The garage door was open and in it was a beautiful ivory Speedster. That sight gnawed on me for days! I showed photos of speedsters to Andie and she thought it was pretty cool. I tried stopping by to meet the guy who owned that ivory Speedster but he was never around. I actually came upon the guy in his car leaving his home and tried to follow him with no luck - that sucker was fast!

 

I started doing some research and found the SOC. The thought of having a car built to my specifications was really cool. We were about to move to the Sierra Foothills and I knew it would be the perfect car for our new home.

 

After asking many questions and talking to a lot of you guys that were around back in '03, including George Brown, Jim Ward and John Leader Alfenito, I chose JPS to build Penny. In retrospect, I should have gone with Henry at Intermeccanica. He promised me that he could build my dream within my budget but I was nervous about the registration process. 

 

The first couple of years were tough. Forget "teething" issues! Penny spent more time on a flatbed than on her own four shoes. But there I stood, at the side of the road, with that stupid grin on my face like a proud papa, watching his kid dribbling the soccer ball...

But I got through it. I met a lot of nice and helpful people who got me over the rough years. Anthony (Tony) Merjano taught me how to do most of my own wrenching and helps me out when I just don't get it. Checking in here has always been informative - as Jimbo always says, I 

learn something new every time!

 

After a successful Tour d'Hoe, I realize how much I've gotten out of owning a replica. The friends I have made from this group will be life long, and a lot of them don't even own their cars anymore! We're a bunch of like-minded drooling idiots who have a hard time turning off the garage light - wanting one last look at our toy cars.

 

There's no peer-pressure in owning a Speedster replica. No argument over whether you have the correct license plate screws or if we can find the proper fuel pump without having to take out a second mortgage. While we might argue the proper engine size or exhaust or shifter, we all know we're driving toys.

 

By the way, that guy? The one who lived down the street with the bitchin' Ivory Speedster? His name is Joel Schlotz. He happened to find this site a little while later, after we had moved to Grass Valley. Turns out Joel's car is a JPS as well, ten years older than Penny. Joel has been a big influence on me, regarding replica ownership, and has taught me the following philosophy: "Buy quality and pay once.", and the best: "Just drive it!"

 

Sorry for the highjack, Ray, but this is the reason I own a replica. Over 50,000 miles and still smiling...

Glad you chimed in. The rest of my story is that I was only a kid and it was bleeding me so when I crashed it I sold my 356 but I always remembered it with fondness. Many years whent by and I always remembered that car... Well move to 2009 and I bought my first IM from Henry, used, but with all the options I liked and after 5 years of the AC experience, I moved to a new IM full Subie project.  I drive my car as much as I can and really like the new version. Hoping to make Carlisle next year and meet all you guys. Ray 

 

Great story, Terry.

 

For me, it was the idea that you could still get an old school, basic sports car, warts and all. I didn't realize how many warts there would actually be, but that has made it an adventure.

 

That I've discovered a whole asylum of like-minded folks along the way has made it even better.

 

And whenever you need to look at a bitchin' ivory Speedster, my garage is always open.

 

 

 

 

 

I had used '66 911 around '74. I'd think in my mind what part should cost only to find it was 5x - and that wasn't even including labor.  Dealer only then and Stoddard.  Who'd of thought the oil sump would rust out (it's always filled with oil). Or the $900 each heater boxes which were also covered with oil.

 

With a VW under pinning and engine there is great simplicity.  With over 22 million made parts are plentiful and inexpensive.  Unfortunately many new parts are of questionable quality.

 

New car parts are crazy too - price a Lexus alternator ($1200) or a MB oil change ($325!)

 

 

The first few sentences of Terry's post sound just like my story.  I had been a few years without a toy and needed too fill the hole as I approached the 50th landmark.  I had been an MG guy for years but didn't want to deal with rust, so I thought "Why not look at replicas?"

 

I started with Cobras because, well, they're obvious.  Liked what I saw but my tastes exceeded my budget and I really needed to do some hands-on research.  Found this site online in 2004 and read all of the talk about the upcoming '05 Carlisle gathering, so I contacted Bruce Stumpp and asked if I could crash the party.

 

The welcome I received was such that all further thoughts focused on Speedsters and Spyders.  After a few rides and lots of fun with the crowd I was hooked.  There was still the issue of budget, but that was resolved when I received a veeeeeery interesting phone call from Gordon Nichols.  He said something along the lines of "Carey Hines is going to call you and you really should listen."

 

Beck had only been selling Speedsters in the states for a short while, and they wanted to illustrate how easy one of there's was to assemble since even in it's most unfinished form all of the heavy lifting (paint, wiring, interior) had already been done.  At the same time Gordon and his son Chris had concocted the idea of a build at Carlisle.  They put their heads together with Carey and decided too do a Beck build.  Now all that was needed was a buyer.

 

Carey and I spoke and he made me an offer I couldn't refuse.  The wife took a little convincing, but she came around.  A team of wonderful people that I now consider close friends helped build an incredible little car at the '06 Carlisle show and the rest is history.

 

It's almost 10 years (and some 44000 miles) later and other cars turn my head on occasion, but I'm still having more fun than I deserve with some of the finest people on the planet.  Should I happen to make a change I will still be annoying people with my corny humor here and at Carlisle.

Same here Stan.  No fond memories of my Dad's old 356 in the driveway just 17 foot long Caddy's or my brothers bitchin 69 mustang Fastback.  Oh, there was also the AMC Gremlin that pops won in a poker game but thats another story. 

 

Edit... Stans post disappeared???

I had a 500 word essay all typed out, but there's no way it could ever hold a candle to the way Terry told his story.

 

I stumbled into this hobby, and I'll never leave. I was expecting a car, and I made some lifelong friends.

 

The one ridiculous thing about my story is my original thought regarding the cost (which is what this thread started out being about). I remember thinking, "it's a VW, how much can it cost anyhow?". Those, friends, are famous last words.

 

No matter. I'm a lifer.

Ok, there it is.  My first drive was in a new 550 Beck Spyder that I thought was expensive at 27K. Circa 2006.  

I drive replicas because I could not afford a genuine Cobra or an original Speedster! I had always wanted a Cobra after the first time I saw one up close and personal on the streets of Denver when I was 17yrs old. Years later, I rebuilt one and now own one. Same with the Speedster widebody, I saw one up close and personal while living in Phoenix back in the '90's with a very aggressive look to it and said "some day" I'll have one of those.

 

I've done my share of dealing with rust and bodywork on old cars over the years I've been in this hobby and do not look forward to doing anymore restorations or rebuilds. If, and I mean "IF" , I ever decide to build my "dream hotrod", a '32 Ford 5window hi-boy it too will be fiberglas bodied.

 

Replicas are poor boys dreams come true, those of us with champagne tastes and beer budgets really benefit from the replica industry.

 

I fantasized for years about getting a real one.....then looked into prices. I then found Special Edition followed by the SOC. Everything said above is correct.

I always marvel at the different ways people enjoy their cars. We all like to drive them, but it seems like some of us can't wait for the next thing to break to be back in the garage (Cory), some can't wait to do a new build (Dr. Clock), some of us don't want to get our hands dirty, and some of us keep reengineering the design.....and it's all good :-)

> On Sep 26, 2015, at 10:31 AM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>

Wow I never thought my initial comment would cause all this ...  Around 2007my wife gave me the green to get a toy ... Even an old original ... Or a new boxter or 911 I started investigating and even went to the dealer then talked to my friends and when they told Me they always  buy new and trade in at 36 months I realized the same repair and maintenance bleed would occur should I need service.  Being in my early fifties at the time I wanted some value for the dollars spent that is when I remembered that IM was in Vancouver and I trekked out to see Henry tested Ron's car and waited another year before I found one used from Henry with the specs I wanted ... Tried the full AC experience again for 5 years kind of went back to my youth with my coupe. and now subie ...
I like the car ... I always loved the 356 shape and I had never had a convertible now I really like the convertible aspect of the car even though at times I would like Phil's hardtop to try it out ...
Anyway nice chatting Ray

My reasons "why":

 

1. I can improve it. A dual port Type 1 is almost infinitely customizable. It can be as simple as an anvil, or pretty darned complicated. 
2. It'll never rust.
3. Nobody knows what the heck it is. There is absolutely zero "gold-chain/white-shoes" baggage with a plastic clown car.
4. The car is not smarter than me. It's analog where I want it to be. Sometimes, I get where I'm going by my own wits and ingenuity. It makes me feels smarter than I really am.
5. It's inherently slow for a car with sporting pretenses. Make no mistake, my car is fast by any reasonable metric-- but compared to "serious" performance cars (ZO6, 911 GT3, etc.), it's absurdly slow. The handling can be downright scary in the twisties, unless you are paying attention. But driving a slow car quickly is easily 2x as much fun as driving a fast car slowly. I don't need to go 150 mph to have fun in my car.
6. It's a clean slate- I can do anything I want with it, and I'm not molesting anything that shouldn't be molested. If I want to do an exhaust cut-out, I do an exhaust cut-out, etc.
7. Everybody loves it, and I make friends wherever I go. Kids point, old guys rubber-neck, Harley riders give me the "low wave". Nobody makes any assumptions about a possible midlife crisis, compensation for other inadequacies, or my general level of conspicuous consumption.
8. There's no "formula" or right way to do it. The SBC world has an orthodox which is where the smart money all gravitates. Even 911s fall into this trap. Speedsters are powered by everything from little electric motors and a bunch of lead-acid batteries to 3.6 L Porsche 6s. Type 1s, Type 4s, Subarus, Audis, Porsches, all of them have a place, and reflect individuality.
9. The car puts me in the weather. The threat of rain means I've got to prepare, but it doesn't keep me at home.
10. I can drive it. It's cool, and unique, and looks like something it's not. If it were something more valuable or irreplaceable, I couldn't actually use. I like that a lot.

A replica TD cost one-fifth of a real one--$4,000 instead of $20,000--and gets at least as much positive attention.

 

And I say "at least as much" because the replica (i.e. "kit car") can be driven on the highway at highway speed, for hundreds of miles, whether powered by a Chevette engine, Ford 2.3, VW (like most) or a Subaru (like mine). You do not see early '50s MGs on the road very much. You don't see the replicas out much either--but they can do it, and then the crowds gather.

 

Easier repairs, cheaper parts; all that is part of the advantage. The rear-engine TDs also feature a front "trunk" which the originals never had. Handy. Hot-rodding is encouraged, as is tinkering and customizing. TDs are cheap compared to 356s, but it's still frowned-upon to cut them or tart them up. Not so with a fiberglass replica.

 

There are some MG "purists," of course, who turn up their noses. But they are very rare--more rare than their cars. They're nothing like the PCA guys.

 

In short, for head-turning, crowd-pleasing, cost-effective fun it's really hard to beat a TD-shaped, VW-based kit from the 1980s. 

 

Drive on, my brothers.

I got one cuz I like the way it looks and the gratification I get every time I drive it (which is pretty much every day)! 

 

Jimbo I think your missing CU-Layer lights, a THIRD eye flashing to save you on those 6 lane highways aghhh, TO live in Governator land and drive tanks, oops I mean speedsters every day that is the life. Ray

Having gone thru a series of sportscars, the last being a 914 that I sold, I found myself car-less after about a year. By chance, I happened across a red flared CMC at an autoparts store. Last having a 914, it clicked and that's all it took! A month or two later during Sept. 2002; after a 24 hr.marathon to Rhode Island and back....Voila Blackie!!

~WB

Jim Ignacio for President.

 

I don't know if he'll win next November, Stan, but at this point he could lock up the Republican nomination.

 

 

The Guamaniac, 66 years of keeping it simple! 

 

 

Come on Jim, someone's got to step up and take on Trump.

This is why I got my replica......

 

NICE!! 

How'd that road get so bent.  Aren't they all supposed to be straight and flat like all of 'em around here?  Sigh. 

These roads are only 4 hrs up I-26 from you, Lane.

This road is actually a loop in my neighborhood. Before I got my car tagged, I was using it as my personal track. The neighbors probably hated me. Luckily, we don't have to be going very fast to have fun in our cars.

Carlos,

 

That is a fantastic shot, and a gorgeous road. I'd love a road like that in my neighborhood. You are blessed.

I really need to spend more time up that way.

That looks like the road to my house, Carlos! 

Like you, another reason for a cute little sports car.

That's why I put a Berg 5-speed in Penny! 

Carlos, I'm with Stan on the road, there are very few like that unless you go up into the mountains here, we got lots of long straight roads going N and S and E and W around here. That is one of the few things I miss about living on Bainbridge Island, WA there were quite a few roads like that there.

Thanks everyone.

 

I moved here for the Mountain Biking and outdoors. 40% of Transylvania county is National or State forest. I live in a small town, so most of the roads are this way.

 

A 5 speed would be very nice here. I feel my tranny with a 3.44 is a bit long legged for this area. Live and learn.

"A 5 speed would be very nice here. I feel my tranny with a 3.44 is a bit long legged for this area. Live and learn."

 

The rules that govern the MADNESS dictate that you must buy the necessary parts to change this so that your Spyder is in a constant state of being improved.

Don't worry Robert, this will have him spending a fair chunk!

 

Carlos, click on the link and check out the 2 gearsets- 

 

http://www.teammfactory.com/ge...Transmission+1+%26+2

 

The first is probably what you have in your car (I'm guessing), and without the long flat stretches to really take advantage of the 3.44 r&p/.89 4th combo, I can see it being a little frustrating. If you like the lower 3 gears the way they are you could install a shorter 4th (.93 or 1.00), or for even more fun, shorten 3rd a little as well. Going from a 1.26 to 1.35 in 3rd and from .89 to .93 or 1.00 in 4th would be more fun to drive and still leave the car with reasonably long legs (you don't want to go too short). Or, have it redone with stock 1st through 4th gears and either a 3.88 or 4.125 r&p and sell the 3.44. This would, of course, require a complete teardown of the transaxle.

 

Closing the spreads between gears really makes it all a whole lot more fun, and that's what you can do with a 5 speed. It just requires some more $$$. With the 2nd example you can really romp through all the gears and stay on the powerband all the time! I shortened up 5th just a little (from .89 to .93), but you could shorten it up a little more to a 1.00, which would still give you 74mph at 3500rpm. Now the 4-5 spread is really short and you have the opportunity to use a slightly shorter (1.21) 4th. 

 

I know you probably aren't ready to do the transaxle again, but I'm just pointing out the possibilities...Al

Thanks for that info ALB. I've thought of this, but I've spent my allotment of "fun" money for a couple of years. lol  I can't even get a new mountain bike this year. The horror!

I know, first world problems.

 

I'm still learning the car and doing a fair share of tweaking to improve things. The wife doesn't understand the tweaking part. She's always asking "What are you doing now? That's supposed to be new."

 

 

In the wise words of Yoda, "DO OR DO NOT. THERE IS NO TRY."

 

Someone needs to get more creative. Numbers 1, 15, and 21 are quite creative:

 

http://www.dailyfinance.com/ph...een&slide=980291

You're welcome, Carlos. As I said, just pointing out the possibilities. There are other combinations that would work as well. When putting a gearbox together a number of questions should be asked, the most obvious being what do you like about what you have now, and what do you want to change?  Besides the 3.44 r&p, do you know what gears are in the car?

 

And call me Al (come on, you know the tune..).

@ Robert

#21, I can see it now, "Not tonight honey, I've got a big day at work tomorrow."

I've got a bunch of stuff to sell, maybe Craigslist, I just hate dealing with people that want to get something for nothing.

 

@ Al

I don't know what gears are in it, but I'm going to find out.

I think the best thing would be to sell this tranny and start from scratch.

Probably. A nicely set up .89/3.44 should be worth a good price to somebody.

 

I'd bet a donut that you have stock VW Type 1 gears (3.80/2.06/1.26/.89) with the 3.44. That's because it's a "not bad at all" gear-set for non-twisty-road cruising. 

Drive it for a while, and if you get to the point where you're ready to change things you'll have a better idea of what you want. Have you driven beetles in the past? I ask because I'm wondering what you think of the longer 1st gear the 3.44 gives?

I will drive it for a while longer. It's not horrible, but in a perfect world, it'd be nice to have some closer gears. It does have a very willing 2275 to push it along though.

I've never driven a beetle. I did own a 74 914 2.0 and loved it. So far, I like the longer 1st, but really have nothing to compare it to. I should check out the local VW club and see if I can test drive a couple of other trannys.

 

Thanks again for all the replies.

 

Now if only this damn rain would stop so I can back out on those twistys. It's been raining nonstop for the last 5 days.