Who is considering a Beck 904?

[Waz356]

Got any links for Kraftwerk?

Yep, here you go John. http://www.kraftwerkz.net/

Unfortunately i think they update their web page annually!!!

[nostatic]

i would buy one in a heartbeat. I love my 911, but the 904 to me is the most beautiful Porsche ever made.

[Jack Olsen]

Both the 911 and the 904 were Butzi Porsche designs. Did he do any others?

[svandamme]

a 50K Replica with no engine or tranny, to make baby Jezus cry...
man , you guys must have some quality dope down there... i'm in Holland and even i never get that high...

[jfw834]

Originally posted by nostatic
i would buy one in a heartbeat. I love my 911, but the 904 to me is the most beautiful Porsche ever made.

most def....although i also think that the price is daunting when you will still have to take care of the whole drivetrain.....easily into 80k range which can buy you a whole lot of cool cars that aren't replicas.....

for comparison, how much is the beck 550 spyder and what are the differences in the two chassis/sus setups?

[JeremyD]

well I think there is a line between clone and replicar and kit car. Clone takes all the components and assembles and duplicates - replicar takes most of the key items and assembles - maybe even improving on some. Kit car would be one that just looks like one of the originals, with driveline not having any resemblence to the original.

I would classify the beck 904 as a replicar. Looks like he has made some improvements on the original. As others have said - $50K is alot for a car. That being said, and look at the details of the Beck 904 - you could get a 904 - with a tricked out engine for less than a 997. Probably won't see another one at the stoplight.

How much for the kraftwerkz 917? That would be a fun DE car...

[ljd-924SC]

Originally posted by jfw834
for comparison, how much is the beck 550 spyder and what are the differences in the two chassis/sus setups?

spyders are around $25K complete with a VW engine and transmission. chassis/sus uses a lot of VW components to keep cost down. 904 replica is a reinforced version of the original car's chassis/sus with revision that are designed to accommodate the forces generated by much wider, stickier tires than on the original.

[svandamme]

since you guys like replicars so much ... why don't you just get a Covin and be done with it...

http://covintechnical.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
and slap a Chevy V8 in it while you're at it

i assume y'all got ****loads of Rolexes at home , with a faceplate marked "Rolexx" ? i mean, it's important to have everything matched and color coordinate , might as well match and fakecoordinate the rest too..

[hkspwrsche]

I agree.. Fake cars dont do it for me.. plus we have the technology to build that car cheaper than 50k for a roller. I'd rather have a real anything else...

[Chilling in VT]

i]Originally posted by hkspwrsche [/i]
]I agree.. Fake cars dont do it for me.. plus we have the technology to build that car cheaper than 50k for a roller. I'd rather have a real anything else...


I agree, but with the price of a real 904 being what it is, the Beck version has it's merits. I was at the historic races a few weeks ago at Laguna Seca and saw one there in the Porsche corral. I went up to it and saw a fellow in it enjoying his lunch. I stopped by and started to talk to him about the car and it turns out it was Chuck Beck himself. The first car he built had a 3.6 in it and he was not happy with it. This car had a 3.2 in it and he says this engine suits the car better (higher reving, etc). It was great seeing the passion he had for the cars and the quality of the kit seems first rate. I think it would be a superb addition to my garage for those early Sunday morning trips.

Joe

[Scott Clarke]

I wish the Beck 904 was a little more faithful to the original. I don't get why wider tires are necessary on a car that weighs so little. The added fender flares just don't seem right, kind of like flat black trim on a longhood. There is a British company that makes exact replicas of 904s (as seen in Excelence a while back). I think they were offereing complete cars for around $90,000. That's the direction I'd head. It's a lot of money, but what a blast!
-Scott

[svandamme]

Originally posted by Chilling in VT


I agree, but with the price of a real 904 being what it is

that's the same thing posers say when they by a Rolexx because they can't afford a real Rolex...

i say if you can't buy a Rolex, get a Swatch.

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by ljd-924SC
I apologize for the OT question, but I would like to know how many air-cooled 911 owners/lovers are seriously considering the Beck 904 replica.



It will be interesting to see how many 911 purists who are unhappy with the direction of new porsches and the M96 engine will buy this 'new' car that offers all the power and beauty of a 911, but in a mid-engine layout.

I'm assuming you are somehow connected to Beck and these are your two questions? I guess I'd semi qualify as one unhappy with the direction of the new Porsches...to the point that I won't consider buying a new one. All that said, nope...not interested in buying a kit 904 car either. For the price, I could add a hot rod early 911 as a stable mate to my original S, and have a bit of change left over. Then I'd have a pair of real Porsches instead of one fake one.

[Chilling in VT]

[[B]that's the same thing posers say when they by a Rolexx because they can't afford a real Rolex...

i say if you can't buy a Rolex, get a Swatch.

True. But nowhere on the car does it say Porsche. It is being built with the 904 as it's inspiration. If the people who buy it, buy it with that in mind, great. If they buy it and try to pass it off as a 904 then there is a problem. Same thing with the Beck Spyder. It should be viewed as a nice looking $25,000 car that has a resemblence to a 550. As it comes from the factory, all the badges say Beck. Some people are fine with that, others have to put other badges on it. They will never have real value but they will be fun to drive. Would I plink down $50,000 for one? No but it would still be a fun car to have.
Joe

[ljd-924SC]

Originally posted by pwd72s
I'm assuming you are somehow connected to Beck and these are your two questions?

I'm definately not connected to Beck, though I wish I was. I'm a humble graduate student in biomedical engineering. I have two semesters left in school, but I'm starting to think about how to spend my first couple year's salary.

Fortunately, the owner of a prototype Beck 904 lives in town and I'll be seeing one in the flesh soon.

I'm not really interested in who makes a car or a watch.

It just so happens that this replica satisfies all my requirements for a dual purpose street/track car:
- small/light/agile
- powerful engine with true dry-sump and good sound
- mid-engine layout
- attractive styling
- easy to maintain

Very few cars seem to fit the bill, unless you think Ferraris are easy to work on or consider 914/6 styling attractive. Since there is such a shortage of car with a dry-sump engine placed 'midship', I'm extremely interested in how this replica turns out.

[dd74]

Originally posted by jfw834
for comparison, how much is the beck 550 spyder and what are the differences in the two chassis/sus setups?

I saw one in Malibu, from a dealer in 550 Spyder replicas, going for $23,000 - including drivetrain.

[nostatic]

You could get an Elise, or the Beck for about $20K more. Depending on setup, the Beck would spank the Elise at the track, and with a lot more panache.

In general I don't like kit cars, but the looks and performance of this "904" are sweet.

[svandamme]

Originally posted by nostatic
Depending on setup, the Beck would spank the Elise at the track, and with a lot more panache.

might be a bit optimistic to think Beck will outengineer the suspension of Lotus ,
the 904 replicar is designed to look like a 904,
while the Elise was designed to handle from the start

[sammyg2]

I am not concidering buying a beck 904. At least not until the kids are through college and I can afford one, but:
How many of us have actually gotten up close and personal with a "real" 904?
I got news for some of you, these things were kit cars from the factory. A true 20 footer, beautiful from far away but ugly up close (unless they were over-restored).
From initial design to final assembly in something like 18 months, the fiberglass bodies had horrible fit and finish outside and inside. First time I saw one (reportedly Butzi's personal car at one time) i couldn't believe the factory would put out such a POS as far as fit and finish and attention to detail.
I can guaranty the beck car will be better than original in every respect except maybe for the sound from the original 4 cam engine.
Call it a kit car or a replicar or whatever, I consider them a tribute to the original only better.

Besides, how many posts are there on this board of people drooling over RS clones? Are they fake cars? Should their owners be wearing fake watches?

PS, an Elise? Seriously. They look like they were drawn up on a scratch pad by a 9th grader daydreaming during history class.
I could never get used to that over the top styling. Plus they will be completely broken down and falling apart very soon if they are true to the Lotus tradition. Maybe if they put a Japanese 4 cylinder watercooled engine in the beck car
Just my opinion.

[dd74]

Originally posted by svandamme
might be a bit optimistic to think Beck will outengineer the suspension of Lotus ,
the 904 replicar is designed to look like a 904,
while the Elise was designed to handle from the start

I agree. The idea behind these replicas is to mirror the nostalgia of the original. For example, the 550 Spyder, while fast, handles much like the original due in part to skinny tires -- again, like the original. Road tests have stated the car is not entirely confidence-inspiring in the corners. You'll at least not get 911-like handling.

On the other hand, Lotuses have traditionally been engineered to handle above any other aspect of any other car, and utilize light weight with the handling. So from Lotus's point of view with the Elise, who needs a 3.0, 3.2 or 3.6? A 1.8 inline four is fine.

Plus, the Elise is approximately $10K less than a 904 replica missing an engine and transmission. For my money, I'd take an Elise over a 904. Hell, in some respects, I'd take an Elise over a GT-3. At least with the Elise, you can drive it off the lot instead of trailering it as is the case with the 904.