356 Coupe replicas

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by Reifle

I recently saw some beautiful "kit"cars from California - not too sure if it is the same company but very well built!

This was at Carlisle in May.

Great looking car. I would drive this everyday with a Subaru (shock horror!) engine in the back.

[deathpunk dan]

Google 'Envemo Super 90'
Beck has acquired the tooling and is now building Envemo 356 cab replicas. I emailed them about the future possibility of a coupe and they essentially said yes, in the future...maybe.

How cool would that be? A super 90 with a real (not VW based) specialized frame/platform, 4 wheel disc brakes and your choice of modern subie 2.5, T1, or Raby T4 power. Make mine a 2270cc fi Raby type IV please.

[Cory M]

The beauty of a replica is that you can build it however you want, drive it as much as you want, and not feel bad about hurting an original. A well built replica should handle and brake better than an original, it will probably have more power and be lighter too. We have a spyder replica, it has a hotrod 911 engine and is a lot of fun. We've got a 904 on the way too.

I'm glad someone is building 356 coupes, the shop that built our spyder only makes speedsters and roadsters. I'd like to buy just the body and build my own chassis for it, I'll add that to my long list of projects I will probably never have the time to do...

[Joe Bob]

Registration nitemare and hard to resale....

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by signature65

I had a speedster replica that I restored....yes restored! These cars sure look beautiful and they get tons of attention. But at the end of the day they really are not much fun to drive and you still are driving a volkswagen. I say buy the real thing and you will always know what the real thing feels, drives, and smells like instead of always wondering what if.

Now dont get me wrong.....I love VW's but they should stay VW's.

Let me get out my checkbook and cut that $1/4 million check right now...

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Great looking car. I would drive this everyday with a Subaru (shock horror!) engine in the back.

Before Boulder Speedster moved I got to see their one-off version with an Ej257 300bhp STi engine in it. That thing was a beast. Way more than I would ever want in one of those cars, but an interesting project nonetheless.

[mickey356]

Carey at Special Edition (Beck) is an awesome guy! Their production of the 356 cab is limited and the demand is pretty low, or so I hear.
As already mentioned, there are a million ways to make one of those replicas a fast, fun, reliable daily driver, but then you're gonna be getting up there dollar-wise.
To put it up against an original is apples to oranges. An original isn't worth much unless is very clean and to get one, or make one, very clean is very expensive.
I should retract my "value" statement and clarify it; A replica has value (some Intermeccanicas that cost $40-$50K to build are resold is the $30's) A pan based car built in the low $20's will often resell in the mid to high teens. I don't see any difference between a replicas resale value and any other cars. When it comes to originals you can't really compare - I think my 83SC sold new for something like $32K now, 27 yrs later it's worth what, $16-$17K? A 356 B or C coupe, or an A coupe for that matter probably sells for the same it did new 45-55 years later. Obviously if its show quality it waaaayyy more and if thats the case you probably aren't the orignal owner and put tens and tens and tens of thousands of dollars into it to get it that way. So to cut to the chase - a replica doesn't cost much to start so it wont resell for much either.
I am selling my speedster replica and putting that money toward my SC "project", but I will likely buy another one (Spyder or Coupe) within the next couple years. I don't care what anyone says about them; I LOVE the look of old Porsches and if I can wake up everyday and see that shape sitting in my driveway and smile I don't care if it's real or not.
It's been said before, replicas and breast implants are similar, you know they're not real but that doesn't make them any less fun!

[R K T]

I've owned four 356s....all of them "real"! Including a 55 Speedster. It drove me nuts when I pulled the Speedster in the gas station and someone always commented on what a nice replica it was.
If you buy a replica, just don't try to show up at a 356 Registry or 356 Club event. You'll end up leaving real quick because everyone will either laugh or totally ignore you.
Sort of like showing off a fake Rolex.

[mickey356]

Why would I, or anyone, show up at 356 registry meeting with a replica? And for that matter why would I want to hang with a bunch of people who would laugh at me and ignore me because of the car I drive?
I just enjoy the company of people who take pride in their cars no matter what they have, maybe I'd feel different if I joined a club like the 356 registry?

[OttoB]

I bought a really sharp looking Vintage Speedsters Carrera replica brand new (36 miles) for about $29K in 2005 to use as my daily driver, although my office was about 1-2 miles away. Notwithstanding the fact it wasn't weatherproof, I really loved the car for the 2.5 years I owned it. It was very fast with a 2400 cc motor in it, got tons of looks here in Miami, and nothing bad to say about it but always wanted a coupe. I sold it for $28K with 7K miles on it and to those whom always wanted one, not all are built the same, so be weary. Now I drive a mint 1991 991 turbo which I've been modifying and will share with everyone once all little details are sorted out...

[Joe Bob]

Originally Posted by mickey356

Why would I, or anyone, show up at 356 registry meeting with a replica? And for that matter why would I want to hang with a bunch of people who would laugh at me and ignore me because of the car I drive?
I just enjoy the company of people who take pride in their cars no matter what they have, maybe I'd feel different if I joined a club like the 356 registry?

You'd only join if you were a crotchety old bastard.....

[mickey356]

BINGO, Joe Bob!

[BK911]

Originally Posted by R K T

If you buy a replica, just don't try to show up at a 356 Registry or 356 Club event. You'll end up leaving real quick because everyone will either laugh or totally ignore you.
Sort of like showing off a fake Rolex.

Ha! That was how I felt when I first joined the PCA in 1999 and pulled up at a meeting in a 1970 911T Targa. Nobody would even talk to me. Now people tend to gather around the long hoods. If they only knew then!!

Of course this is different.

I am going to look for for a driving restoration project in the LOW $20s. Must have original engine and tranny. Other than that, dont really care. Please let me know if you see one.

If I cant find one I may go for a nice Ghia coupe.

[Matt Monson]

There can also be certain advantages to shopping in the used market for a speedster replica. I once saw one with a 4 cam in it. The guy had no clue that his $25k replica was carrying a 6 figure heart because he bought it and built it when nobody cared about those pesky little 4 cams engine that never wanted to run right in a street car. This guy wasn't really a Porsche guy so all he new was he had a Carrera engine, but he didn't have a clue what it was worth and if he ever sold the car I suspect he wouldn't have priced it appropriately.

[mickey356]

Matt,
It still would have been ignored and laughed at at a 356 Club gathering because it was wrapped in fiberglass. (I have a buddy that has a Beck with a 912 engine in it, it's a very nice little car)

The thing that gets me about folks who turn their noses up at "other" cars is it exhibits the same prejudice behavior that causes so much grief in the world. Why would anyone feel better than anyone else just because of the car they drive? That said, I'm sure they have no problem with someones skin color, religion or sexual preferences, just as long as they don't drive "one of those". Tells me alot about a person when they take that view.


BK911,
I'm sure you'll find a nice car that'll give you piece of mind. In the end the only thing that matters is you're happy with what you buy. If I run across anything in my area I'll give you a heads up. Good luck with the search. (I've got a replica 58 Carrera Speedster for sale if you change your mind )

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by mickey356

Matt,
It still would have been ignored and laughed at at a 356 Club gathering because it was wrapped in fiberglass. (I have a buddy that has a Beck with a 912 engine in it, it's a very nice little car)

The thing that gets me about folks who turn their noses up at "other" cars is it exhibits the same prejudice behavior that causes so much grief in the world. Why would anyone feel better than anyone else just because of the car they drive? That said, I'm sure they have no problem with someones skin color, religion or sexual preferences, just as long as they don't drive "one of those". Tells me alot about a person when they take that view.

I suspect that's a regional thing. While I don't spend much time around the 356 guys anymore, when I did, here in Colorado at least, there were a couple of replicas and noone seemed to care. The guys around here are very unpretentious and down to earth.

Just look at the range of cars in our Boulder Cars and Coffee thread. There's Lambos and Ferraris (brand new ones) that show up and park next to my lowly '68 911t, or even my Subaru when I don't feel like fettling with my carbs. I've never once caught a attitude from any of these people. It's so refreshing. Being raised in the Bay Area and going to car shows there for most of my life, it's night and day here. The airs and attitudes I used to see in CA are non-existent here. The people here are just awesome. If you are into cars, that's all that matters.

[R K T]

Originally Posted by mickey356

Why would I, or anyone, show up at 356 registry meeting with a replica? And for that matter why would I want to hang with a bunch of people who would laugh at me and ignore me because of the car I drive?
I just enjoy the company of people who take pride in their cars no matter what they have, maybe I'd feel different if I joined a club like the 356 registry?

Wow, sorry if I touched a nerve there! I don't know why YOU would or anyone would.....but they do. They want to be part of the 356 gatherings and join in with the fun of owning a 356. There have been lots of replica owners representing their cars as REAL Porsches and the die-hard 356 owners have always had a problem with this. Before more quality workmanship was put it to the reps, the cars were basically junk VW bugs with poor fitting body panels.
The 356 crowd is a different breed. A lot of the older owners have owned their cars since new, and feel the car should be EXACTLY the way it was when it left the assembly line. The Porsche assembly line!
I doubt many 356 owners would laugh in a replica owners face but would walk away shaking their heads thinking "what a poser".
I brought out one of the first 356 Outlaws to a Registry event.
It was a PreA Coupe with a 2.5 liter 914 motor in it. It was obnoxiously loud with straight headers, no bumpers, Fuelsafe gas tank....It literally shook the old farts up.
BUT....it was one of the most popular cars there that day. Only difference was that it was a REAL Porsche. That's all.

[R K T]

And just for the record......I no longer belong to the 356 Registry or the 356 Club or PCA!
I wouldn't belong to any club that would have me as a member!

[Billyfeet]

I laugh ever time I fire up my Intermeccanica Roadster and hit the coast highway or make a run up Palomar Mountain. Somebody standing next to a car on a lawn in a pair of "driving shoes"is a POSER.

[Danny_Ocean]

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

Registration nitemare....

Yes, in California where they limit the number of titles for "assembled" cars. In most other (normal) states, you can walk right in to DMV and, with an inspection and application, walk out with a title & reg (for about $35 in my state).