Beck Spyder

[daepp]

Has anyone here ever built a Beck 550 Spyder? Do they still sell the kits?

[fastpat]

Originally posted by daepp
Has anyone here ever built a Beck 550 Spyder? Do they still sell the kits?

Yes, they do, and Angela has photos of her's in another thread.

[dd74]

Just drive on up PCH to Cross Creek, which is right below Pepperdine U; the dealership is there in the strip mall. They always have a newly-built example on display.

[id10t]

Or you could spend the $ on a driver quality 356 and put a mild to medium type 4 engine in it (shoot for ~120hp to duplicate a 4cam) ... Put the original engine back in and make a profit in a few years...

[NOTASIX]

The Beck cars are not really sold as "Kits" any longer, they are complete cars with wiring, paint, interior and the works. They only lack the engine, transaxle and brakes pretty much to be a driving car- hell they even have the battery already installed!

I just completed one for demo purposes for my engine company..
It's listed on Ebay at the moment and has 3 days left..

185HP Type 4 powered Spyder on ebay

Here is a leisurely drive of the car, it is very, vary fast and offers a driving experience that you can't get for less than 100K+ bucks in an exotic sports car that won't get 1/2 the looks and attention of this car!
driving the 550 in North Georgia

0-60 in 4 seconds is certainly addictive!

[K9Torro]

Hey I am building a car now, here are a couple of pic's,

Todd

[masraum]

I would so love a Beck 550. I've seen a few at various concours and shows. I even spent 30-45 min talking to a guy that had 2 at one event. He had driven from Houston to Baton Rouge with it a couple of times. That's a fair amount of driving on busy fast moving interstate. He said it's a bit scary at first because you are so much smaller than everything else, but it's not bad.

[gaijindabe]

Dont get in a fender bender with anything larger than a Sentra. They are low and light. Scary even..

[NOTASIX]

Yep, it takes getting used to! Being eye level to other cars and their bumpers takkes getting used to.
It much like riding a motorcycle as you have to watch every move everyone else makes closely...

But its a feeling you can experience any other way!

[dd74]

Providing the fact those tires are so skinny, how well (or not) do the Becks handle and brake?

[NOTASIX]

Very well.. I have a 205/60 on the rear of my car and a 195/60 on the front..

It handles and stops very well... The lack of weight doesn't necessitate the larger tires nearly as much as with other cars.. These cars weigh 1200 pounds!

Mine has a power to weight ratio of 6.3 pounds per HP, thats about the same as a new Z06 vette at 6.2PPH..

[gaijindabe]

I rode in one to the 50 year anniversary at Watkins Glen. Every stop along the way - every gas station and diner was like an event. At the Glen - it was off parked on the grass and had a constant crowd around it.

If I was to build one - I would use a real 356 motor. Just to shut up the "its just a VW kit car" yahoos. Also, the disk brakes were very sticky - for such a light car, I think drums would be enough..

[NOTASIX]

Using the 914 engine shuts them up too! Plus it doesn't cost 10K bucks for a 100HP engine, for 10K we pump out 180+ ponies and do it much more reliably than the 356 engine at 120HP..

Thats why so many 356s are getting swapped to Type 4 power- no mods needed to the car and they bolt right up with more reliable power..

[K9Torro]

Jake has already pointed out a great deal of information about these little car's so not much more I can add.

I will say this, these are not " VW Kit " car's , they are produced by a large manufacturing company in Brazil that has been making them since the 50's as replica's. They use a full frame and have a mid mounted engine, not a pan based frame using a rear mounted engine.

There was a company that made a VW based 550 it was called Perry and they show up from time to time.

The car's do use some VW type part's, my car is using a type 1 block and making 120 HP which is more than enough in my car which weighs less than 1000 pounds fueled with me sitting in it.

I use front disk and rear drum brakes, out of all my car's it get's the most attention both on and off the road, people always want to stop and talk.

A great site to check out for info is www.spyderclub.com

Todd

[dd74]

The dealership closest to me is in Malibu, CA, which really is a very small boutique store that sells Ferrari and Porsche gift items. The car is so small, though, they can fit about four inside the space, with all the merchandise still inside.

The owner of the store is very cool; just a nice rollie-pollie car guy who let's a person all but drive the Beck out the front and onto Pacific Coast Highway.

I've never driven one, but have sat in them. The build quality is very solid. It feels like a production car - a very small production car.

Barris, who created the Batmobile and the Munsters' hotrod hearst has a Beck Spyder. One of the guys there had a "mishap" with it that he said occurred while he was at speed. But aside from some body damage, the car held up fine.

Personally, for less than the cost of an Elise, I think they're bargains. The only other cars like it that I've liked are the Ginettas.

The Ginetta G4:


The Ginetta G20:


The G20 is built off a Mazda Miata.

[onlycafe]

k9, i have a beck 550 too, at the scales i come in at 1440lbs. with the spare tire and 3/4 tank of gas. how is yours so light? i won't ask what you weigh.
david

[NOTASIX]

I was wondering the same thing... Mine is 1215 without me in it..

[K9Torro]

My car was ordered and built using an aluminum , steel and composite frame.

It did not come from Beck and has absolutely no affiliation with Chuck or the current owners, pardners or any other person dealing with the Beck name.

My car came directly from the Chammy factory in San P. through a licensed importer into the port of Miami safely inside a container...

It came with a MSO and has not been titled as of yet, the build continues

Todd

Ps... I don't weigh much and I did'nt put much gas in it, also no spare or tools, jack, top , curtains and so forth was also weighed without the exhaust attached, I got that from Greg at Vintage and just got it put on.

[NOTASIX]

Mine also came straight from the factory with the same MSO, I bought it from the only importer of the cars since the factory was opened.

if the chassis is aluminum that would make it definately lighter!

[onlycafe]

i need to lose weight.
david