550?

[lusso]

Anyone have pictures of the real 550 that was at Hershey yesterday?
As I understand it the gentleman who owned it drove it from VA to Hershey.

FANTASTIC! Four Cam and all!

Dave

[DanielDudley]

nOW i AM SORRY i HAD TO WORK.

OK, I'm better now.

[europorsche914]

You mean this one? ()

[mjshira]

is that real?

[Pele911]

No its a Beck Spyder. I saaw it serviced at a local shop last week.

[lusso]

jvreed,
I don't think it is a beck. I don't think you can get classic plates for a beck and I think that people would not put a four cam in a beck. Also why would you put drum brakes on a beck replica?

Right front panel under turn signal has paint rubbed off which exposed an aluminum body. I know someone is making aluminum bodies for replicas but the others items don't make sense on a replica.
I will take the owners word that it was real.
David

Europorsche914 thank you very much.

[GrantG]

Originally posted by lusso
jvreed,
I don't think it is a beck. I don't think you can get classic plates for a beck and I think that people would not put a four cam in a beck. Also why would you put drum brakes on a beck replica?

I don't know if it's real or not, but Beck uses drum brakes (discs optional) and MANY people are able to register their Beck and other replica 550 cars as 1953-1955 cars...

[Joe Bob]

Arizona is a state that allows replicas as Vintage registrations....I'm sure there are a few more that do as well. BTW, 356 drum brakes are not any weak sisters. They will stop better than some disc setups.

It's just not "cool" to have drums....

[Pele911]

Its a decent replica however;

In Va replica cars get vintage plates of the same year they replicate (If vintage)

Becks come with drums makes them more authentic.

The body is fiberglass. The clumsy patch work you saw under the headlight is not a good indicator (picture above). Had you looked further, in the wheel wells for example, you'd have seen the obvious fiberglass body work.

The pais de resistance is the fake 4 cam engine. yes fake, cover over a 912.

Lusso, you can take the owners word if you like, but he has been telling inwitting people for years that its real. Sorry man you saw a replica!

It gets serviced at a place in Northern VA called the Karosserie LTD. Great shop for early cars especially 356's. There was an article about them in Excellence 2 months ago for an outlaw they did, but I digress.

[dlagerstrom]

Like this one?



Buddy of mine took this photo at the Mille Milgia in Italy 2 years ago. We were going to go this May but had to cancel. I will be there next year for sure and will take lots of pics. I understand that to run in the races, it doesn't just have to be real but has to be a chassis number that originally ran in the race.

[detroiter]

Here's one for sale in New England:

http://www.astonmartin-lotus.com/inventory/index.php?page_function=detail&product_id=517

[the]

Neat car, but that's pitiful for the owner to lie about it being a real one if it is not.

[Soterik]

A Spyder was never fitted with dual wipers.....by special order you could have gotten a light aluminum framed windshield with a drivers only wiper, but most Spyders were fitted with either the drivers only windscreen, or a low windscreen that also protected a passenger, neither one had a frame. The top for a Spyder was a very flimsy affair that was held down in the front by leather straps, Weldon Scrogham showed one like that at the Boston Parade in 1991 (I was helping with a Carrera Speedster right beside his Spyder), but it still had the drivers side only windscreen.

The windshield on the car pictured is from a Speedster, or Speedster Replica, as is the top and side curtains (no side curtains ever for a Spyder).

Here's a pic of a friend of mine's Spyder (and my kids), I drove this one a couple of years ago. Unfortunately my friend passed away last summer, and the car is now in the hands of Seinfeld.

Regardless, that Beck or whatever, looks great, and probably goes like stink...

Eric

[tcar]

FWIW

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_550_Spyder

there's a company in Boulder, CO that makes an obvious 'replica', it has a Subaru engine.

[onlycafe]

i was at hershey when he drove in, it looked like a beck to me. i did not get to see under the bonnet. was there a four cam type shroud? did anyone get pictures of the engine?
i spoke with him for a minute or two. he didn't seem really anxious to talk about the car. maybe i offended him with the beck question.

[lusso]

The M.....F....r told a large group it was real. Just going on the word of the owner. I believe the group here.

MIKEZ I never said anything negative about drum brakes.

Soterik thanks for the info...sorry about your friend.

Dave

[Pele911]

Bottom line is that its still a cool car. I just didnt want someone to be duped into thinking its real, then next thing you know your bying "real" 550 parts or worse (if you have 1.2 m)!

Lusso your welcome also

[Joe Bob]

Originally posted by lusso
The M.....F....r told a large group it was real. Just going on the word of the owner. I believe the group here.

MIKEZ I never said anything negative about drum brakes.

Soterik thanks for the info...sorry about your friend.

Dave

Didn't say ya did....I just have first hand knowledge on 356 drum brakes. They are huge compared to the vehicle and dwarf VW brakes.....

On replicas? When people ask me about MY fake Speedster...I just say it's a 57.....when they get a little more curious I spill it....and tell them it's a tube framed Speedster replica.

Oh you mean a VW pan and a plastic body? No, it's a TUBE FRAMED hot rod......replicas have levels of fake ya know.....

[lusso]

This is what I love about this site.

You get the right info fast.

Thanks to all

David

[crashmy911]

It had a 912 motor in it. the guy acted like a prick but who knows when some one with a camara sticks there nose in the door and you cannot close it, would that piss you off. If I remeber correctly he said it was real and that the real motor was in his house. Who knows. The guy was like 4foot 11. If he was any taller he would not have fit in it.