I agree but you are a Porsche guy so would know that. I thought his car looked pretty cool but I am not into cabs so it doesn't peak my interest as much as a coupe.

As long as they are not selling them off as Porsche cars I don't really care.

It's not quite so black and white (if you'll pardon a bad South African pun).

I've lived in a number of countries that have a 100% tax on imported cars. (Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia)

In fact in Singapore and Hong Kong the tax is closer to 150%—or even 200%. Both are small islands, and both want to discourage car ownership as much as possible because of the congestion.

Of course Hong and Singapore both compensate with low income taxes. Really low in the case of Hong Kong. And Singapore compensates with outrageous women. And all these countries have sensational food.

So you really have to look at places in the round to decide whether they are worth living in or not. ( For example, I don't think I've ever lived better than in Singapore or Hong Kong.)

BTW that blue cab looks all wrong. As though it were slightly compressed. (Front and back overhangs are slightly short.)

I wouldn't have a problem with building.owning a one-off, 4130 Tube-frame/carbon fiber monocoque flat six powered car that had a lightweight 930 body for racing purposes. Something hardcore.


But doing it all just to throw in a 1.5L 4cyl truck motor and crappy type 3 suspension.... naah.

Again, I'm not disagreeing that some of those people put together what look to be very pretty cars. On the outside.

Exactly! I moved to the USA from the UK and would never have seriously considered being able to own a 911 there. First you have to find a nice one that isn't rusted to crap, then you have to abe to afford it.

I think these kits are built on their own chassis and have a Ford or similar four cylinder engine in the back. It ISN'T a VW chassis and VW flat four.

I think the attraction to a lot of people who build these these is three fold;
1) You start off with a rot-free chassis
2) It's relatively affordable to build
3) Uses reliable and readily available parts

I wouldn't want one myslef but I can see why people would do it. We are spoiled over here with a plentiful supply of decent cars, that helps keeps the prices relatively affordable.

There's still a couple of buildings who put 356 replicas on VW chassis, but the rest have long ago abandoned that silly stuff. One of the best reasons to continue to do this is for ease of registration. It most states, it remains the the VW original VIN and registration is a cakewalk.

There is one 550 maker who uses the pan - that's Perry. They are pretty low end and obviously rear engined. All the other 550 makers use tube frame chassis and the engine is properly placed amidship.

The only VW part on our car is the fuel tank and about 12" of the upper steering column. The rest of the car is 911 or 914, steering rack, brakes, transmission, and engine. My favorite 356 builder is a tube frame user who uses 911 suspension, steering, brakes, transmisison and the engine for his very high dollar cars (Intermeccanica with the "6" option). Starting at 60,000 us dollars and strolling to the northside of 100,000 dollars. Yes, you read this right. $100,000 for a replica car. Entirely handbuilt to your specifications and exquisite in every detail. But they are 100K.

Worth 100K? I did get to drive one a few months ago. An absolutely exquisite Motronic 3.2 powered car with a Wevo enhanced 915, 911 brakes, steering etc., all hand stitched leather, etc. Good a/c and heat, all the good bits. It drove like an EXTREMELY fast, flawlessly sorted high performance 911, but looked like a 1950's 356 speedster. I've been priviledged to drive a lot of nice cars in my life and without reservation will tell you this was the finest all around vehicle I have ever driven. I could never afford it, but it was without question worth the 100K admission price.

The market has moved upscale for 550 and 356 replicas. There's still room for the entry level Perry (pan 550 with rear engine), but after that, the well heeled and descriminating individual can and does pay a great deal more...

Oh and for the record? We have NEVER introduced our car as anything but a replica. It's a replica. It's fake. It will tear the testicles off of a real one...

angela

I've been around a bit and cannot imagine a city with better food or more beautiful women than Los Angeles. It's absolutely filthy with both and it's in the United States. I've also live in NYC, (in the west village), and my bro has an apt. in the 5th in Paris. I'd love to visit Singapore some day but SE Asia is actually higher on my list. (Viet Nam, Cambodia, Thailand). The women of that region are insanely beautiful. (When they are).

I just have a concept of what I consider confiscatory taxation and I would never subject myself to it willingly. Why buy a regular old 911 for Ferrari 430 money? That's like wanting fresh-caught lobster in Des Moines, Iowa. It's stupid. :cool:

see, you can't make this point with me.. it no longer has the flaws that the real thing does. You're just pointing out more things that are wrong with the idea.
it has fine leather, AC and heat...
So it's not VW chassis based, that don't mean much other that it's a refined fake.

a 550 ain't about leather interior or AC, it was not designed or built for that.
And if it's that good, make it a car of it's own, with a design of it's own...


So now the point can be brought, but what if it was completely true to the 550 design? well, then it's just a better fake... Like a Mona Lisa that has been made to be an exact copy, stroke by stroke... Still fake, still worth eff all to me...


I'de rather spend my money on a 924 then spend any money on something that ain't real.

And if i cant' afford a 924 , i'll have to settle with something else...

right now, i'm working on my house, but i'll get me another Porsche as soon as possible, a real one, won't be new, it will have flaws, and if they can be fixed, i'll fix em... if they are part of the design, i'll learn to to get used to em, some i might even learn to love... That's what it's about.

for 100K, i'm sure there's plenty of choice of real cars, without having to resort to something that's just an expensive fake...

I think some of those Covins look pretty nice.

I'm glad you mentioned Intermeccanica. ( www.intermeccanica.com)
They're built right here, not far from where I live, and I occasionally stop by to check out their latest builds. The place is a real treasure. I swear I will drop some serious money there one of these days.

I think it's nuts to consider all cars based on older designs "replicrap". In England there is a huge cottage industry turning out exquisite modern and useable copies of older machines. Bentley's, C-types...you name it. I had the pleasure of driving a Lynx C-type once, and would give my left nut for one of those. These cars are usually much more useable than the genuine article. I know a couple of collectors there who park their originals and drive the crap out of the copies. And why not?

Of course in England these are considered "bespoke motorcars". Not "replicrap".

This is a really silly comment.

I think I'll have that Lynx C-type or that Intermeccanica Roadster—and you can have your 924.

And I'm pretty sure that I will prefer my reality to yours.

You've got the maker right. I wasn't going to mention names, but yes, it is Intermecanicca or more commonly called an "IM".

They are the equivalent of a fine hand sewn suit built in exactly the style you love but with modern touches gracefully folded into the cloth. When you have an IM built, you aren't just buying a car. You are commissioning a fine piece of useable art.

I can't afford one, even a used one. That doesn't stop me from trying to figure out HOW I can afford one... One lucky lottery ticket that's all I need...
:D

angela

I'm loving my replicrap VW pan-based wannabe '57 speedster copy. I can't wait to upgrade the brakes and steering, and then to move on to building a full chromoly DOM tube framed chassis on the next one. I might even do a mid engined car.

These cars (speedster replicas) are cheap. The parts for them are all cheap and available. Your 924 trailing arms and brakes are VW parts anyway, and a direct bolt on for the IRS beetle chassis in my garage, so go ahead and laugh away :)