1957 Porsche 356 Speedster Replica by Vintage Speedsters
Vehicle Details
- Year: 1957
- Make: Porsche
- Model: Speedster Replica
- VIN: 1422432506
- Mileage: 7,400
- Transmission: Manual
- Title Status: Clean
- Color: White
- Seller Type: Private Party
- Location: Hualapai, AZ 86409
- Lot #: V-0040435
This 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster was built by Vintage Speedster of Hawaiian Gardens, California, and comes finished in white over a red interior. The handcrafted fiberglass bodywork is mated to a 1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia-derived chassis, and the car is powered by a 1,835cc flat-four engine with dual Weber 40 IDF carburetors. Acquired by its current owner in May 2022 and subjected to extensive recent service, this Speedster replica was previously listed on PCARMARKET and is being offered for auction once again by its seller out of Arizona.
The replica fiberglass bodywork was recently refinished in white two-stage paint followed by multiple layers of clear coat. The car includes a tan soft top with removable side curtains, a matching boot cover, body-color bumpers, gold Porsche Speedster badging, Mobil Pegasus fender decals, dual chrome tailpipes, and silver 15” Mobelwagen steel wheels with 205/70 Firestone FR710 tires (0711).
The cabin is lined with new charcoal carpeting and red vinyl upholstery covering the bucket seats, door panels, rear parcel shelf, and upper dashboard. Accessories include a wood-rimmed Nardi three-spoke steering wheel, black and tan Coco floor mats, Simpson lap belts, a wooden Porsche-crested shift knob, 356-style VDO gauges, Porsche dashboard badging, a Pioneer Bluetooth stereo, and a heater. The seller notes that there are no speakers installed, however, wiring is in place for future installation.
Power comes from an air-cooled, dual port, and dual relief 1,835cc flat-four engine featuring dual Weber 40 IDF carburetors, a Bergmann Carrera-type cooling fan, a remote oil cooler with a thermostatically controlled fan, a remote oil filter, and Aeroquip stainless-steel pressure lines with AN connectors. The rear wheels are driven by way of a 4-speed manual transaxle. Service completed over the last year is said to include replacing the front hubs with new wide-five disc brake units with new bearings and calipers as well as all new brake pads, a new steering box, new steering column bushings, resealed rear hubs, throttle pedal upgrade kit, and new Porsche throttle linkage with a ball and socket connection.
This sale will include a clean title for a 1974 Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia.
Auction Results
- Highest Bid: $31,250
- Auction End: Feb 23, 2024 08:00:28PM UTC
- Number of Bids: 24
Comments (60)
Such a cool car... but I'm out, since I already have 2... ;-D
Bid in the amount of $31,250
Bid in the amount of $31,000
Bid in the amount of $30,500
Bid in the amount of $30,000
Bid in the amount of $29,750
Bid in the amount of $29,250
Bid in the amount of $29,000
Bid in the amount of $28,500
Bid in the amount of $28,000
Bid in the amount of $27,000
@BestCar, Hi and thanks for the bid. I really have no idea of the hp but I would suspect somewhere in the neighborhood of 100. It's 1835cc with dual Weber IDF 40 carbs but I'm not sure about the camshaft or headwork. The rockers are stock and I suspect the cam is stock or mild as the powerband is relatively flat. It pulls strong thru the range but with no sudden power peak.
Bid in the amount of $26,000
Hi! Do you know how many HP the engine delivers? Great looker. :-)
Hi folks, just a reminder as we approach the conclusion of the auction. Within the last year: Everything in the interior is brand new: the seats, including rear seat pad, not just recovered, the door panels , door pulls and caps (old ones have holes for speakers, not having it), shift and parking brake boots, latch and link seat belts, dash cover, throttle pedal upgrade kit and full carpet kit. Engine compartment; thermostatically controlled cooling fan for oil cooler forward of firewall, new remote oil filter, upgraded throttle linkage (tight and accurate), Aeroquip oil and crankcase vent lines with AN fittings.
Replaced steering box with near new used unit (new not available), rebushed steering column, new wide 5 disc brake front hubs (has discs in rear), stainless brake lines, new alloy wheels, alloy disc brake covers (faux drums), Tonneau cover, body gaskets, most body emblems, mirrors and a professionally done 2 stage paint job that has been cut & buffed. OK, that's all I can think of at the moment. Please hit me up with any questions you may have and Good Luck.
@diamondmotorworks, Thanks for the bid. You're a jewel. Don't go too far away as this will be over in about 3.5 hours.
Bid in the amount of $25,250
@jab7106, Thanks again for the bid. I'm beginning to sense a level of determination on your part to make this happen. I want to wish you well in your pursuit of this but then I feel like I'm letting down the rest of the bidders. I would love for this auction to have a happy ending for all participants, but I guess that's asking for too much. Thanks again for your continued bids jab7106, it means a lot to me.
Bid in the amount of $25,000
@Dagman912, again one of my favorite vehicles. You and 9146max are obviously Porsche enthusiasts and I truly appreciate your bids. I had several 356's as a teenager and believe they may be the best driving cars ever built, hence their popularity and $ today. The 912 is the closest thing to a 356, shares the drivetrain, brakes and build quality and for the moment, remains a bargain. The 914 while initially sneered at by the "purists" has now come into it's own, especially the 2 litre with 911 performance, go cart like handling with pricing rising dramatically to boot. Thanks again both you and good luck!
Bid in the amount of $22,000
Bid in the amount of $20,500
@jab7106, 9146max & Baf430. Wow, I went to bed last night with 4 bids and awakened to NINE! Thank you all so very much for your interest and faith in the car. I planned to go for a drive yesterday but it rained all day. Right now the sun is shining, the top's down and I think I'll go and terrorize the community for what may be the last time. Good luck with the auction folks. I'm gonna love seeing the look on the face of the new owner when he/she sees the car in real life for the first time.
@ Mentoring1, The Bergmann cooling fan was one of the reasons I bought the car. I live in northern Arizona where summer temperatures can be 110 degrees or more. VW motors need all the cooling they can get at these temps. I figured the high flow fan would be a big help, and it is. I've done a sustained climb of about 2000 ft over about a six mile distance at 70 mph with temps over 100 degrees and the cooling fan was never triggered, oil temp rose to a tick beyond midpoint and stabilized there. As I understand it the motor was built by a performance shop in LA, but I have no further information about that. Oddly, they neglected to provide a cooling fan for the oil cooler and failed to properly isolate the engine compartment. We're cool now.
@Dichotomouse was the Bergmann Carrera-type cooling fan original equipment or did you added it?
Bid in the amount of $20,000
Bid in the amount of $19,250
Bid in the amount of $19,000
Bid in the amount of $18,250
Bid in the amount of $18,000
@jab7106, The tire date codes are as follows: 3 tires are 2412, one tire is 3312. The tires have no cosmetic or functional issues but have obviously aged out. Based on that I'm lowering the reserve by $1000.00 to cover the cost of new tires.
@9146max, Hey, good handle. Assuming you have a 914-6 hang on to it forever. They are solid gold. Thanks for the bid. You obviously have stellar taste.
Bid in the amount of $15,000
@Redspider, I nominate you for president of the Speedster fan club. You need to have this car... Just do it!
@Gormo4, Thanks for the bid. Two days and 20 hours til the moment of truth. I've had the car in mothballs for the winter but now I'm thinking I may take it out to the donut shop tomorrow as i may not be able to much longer. There no quickie trips in this car though, as every stop results in a conversation with a curious stranger or six.
Regardless car is fantastic
Not that it really matters on this tire conversation, but photo #82 shows black wall tire on front driver side all others are white walls…
Bid in the amount of $12,000
@Aktifspeed, Thanks for the hint. It would never have occurred to me to look at the "inside" of the tire. I just attempted to do that but the car sits too low. I'll get it up on a lift tomorrow morning and share what I discover. I'm a big fan of tire rack - buy all my automobile tires there & mount em myself. Now I need a balancer.
@jparish, Thank you for your bid. Please feel free to deluge me with questions.
@Dichotomouse In response to the date codes for the tires, based on your pictures they are likely to be found on the "inside" of your tire (where the whitewall is) as that was meant to be the "outside" of the tire according to the manufacturer. If you're not sure on how to read the date code, Tire Rack pops up among many other resources when you search how to online. It would be important for any potential buyer to know whether or not they need to factor in the purchase of a new set of tires or not... GLWTA!
Bid in the amount of $10,000
@Don3699 Thanks for the bid, I was getting worried. Actually, I'm still worried. But now the ice is broken. Lets see where this go's.
@SoCal4me, I agree. Feel free to add a few of your own
I think someone left off a couple zeros...
Bid in the amount of $250
@Redspider. Wow, thank you, I kinda like this car as well. As far as bidding goes, you need to visit the home page and in the header go to "More". All of your questions regarding bidding are fully explained. I found that photo of James Dean's car after I completed the renovation of this car and was stunned. I remembered that he had a Spider but never knew he raced a Speedster prior to that, How Cool! Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. I enjoy the interaction.
To seller. All I can say , is I love this car.! I have always wanted deans car since I was a kid, and now it would be great to at least own a great quality replica of same. How do I bid? Redspider….
@jab7106, You are very welcome. I know how difficult it is to commit to an online purchase. I understand that prospective bidders need all the information they can get to enable them to bid confidently. I wish folks could see this in real time, listen to it, drive it and examine the details. For those that can't do that, I'll do my best to fill in the blanks.
Thanks for all your prompt responses
@jab7106, Good question. All of the heater components are in place and functional. However, the standard heating system on an air cooled VW or Porsche is pathetic and I suspect this will be no different in really cold weather. But then, that's not what this car is really about. People that I know with similar cars think of them as fair weather weekend or holiday cars used for scenic drives, out for ice cream, cars & coffee events, car shows and so on. I can verify that the heater works as well as possible but it's really not a winter car. I find it a little claustrophobic with the top up and side curtains in place (although it does look kinda badass). Thanks for the question, keep em coming.
How does the heater work? Heater box or heat exchangers like all vintage Porsches??
@jab7106, I just ran out to look at the tires and they all show DOT WBMO 711. I don't recall ever seeing a 3 digit date code but suspect it indicates a manufacture date of the seventh week of 2011, but I can't confirm that. The tires are obviously older but appear essentially new with no sidewall cracks or bulges. I purchased the car from the second owner that stored the car with a slew of classic cars in a massive garage in Malibu CA. I think the car was driven little if at all as the owner knew very little about it. I think he bought it for his wife and it just sat for some time. The car has rarely seen the light of day, has always been garaged at my home as well _ also required by my insurance company.
I have a chubby folder of receipts for most of the purchases related to the renovation of this car but keep in mind I intended to keep this and was not concerned with noting every expense, in fact I'd rather forget how much I spent to complete this as I had a bit of difficulty controlling my impulse to reach an unrealistic level of perfection. I do have some invoices from the prior owner as well.
Do you have documentation of some of the work you have performed? Receipts?
@Jab7106, Hey thanks for checking it out. The oil filter is in the right wall of the engine compartment. All of the maintenance items you noted have been completed within the last 150 miles. I just completed fabrication of throttle linkage using Porsche ball and socket connectors and the linkage is now super accurate and keeps the carbs in sync thruout the range of throttle openings. Throttle response is now really crisp and adjustment is greatly simplified. The only issue that I can identify is the directionals do not always return to home without assist. I've adjusted the internals of the steering column several times but have yet dial that out. The standard VW shift linkage can be a bit vague. I might consider installing an upgraded shifter but it's not really needed but would improve the look and precision. Original Speedsters however had essentially the same mechanism as the VW's of the time.
Also, can you provide the date codes on the tires?
Hi Dichotomouse....Beautiful looking replica. The underside photo of the sump almost appears like a 914 engine. Where is the oil filter located? If you were going to keep the car, what, if anything, does it require mechanically?
When was the last time fluids were changed? ie oil, transmission oil, brake fluid , etc Have carbs and valves been adjusted within the last year?
Hi Joe, good eye. Yes they are Mobelwagen 520s interceptor alloys, painted, with 34 mm offset. I chose painted wheels rather than polished as I was shooting for authenticity in appearance. You may note that behind the wheels are disc brake covers that provide the appearance of the alloy drums that were standard on all original Speedsters.
I think those are alloy wheels. Seller canyon confirm? Any idea of the offset?
GLWTA, Joe in Hudson
HI, thanks for checking out my Speedster replica. I had a 55 Speedster as a teenager about fifty years ago, loved it but sold it thinking I would have another one day. Who could have guessed that they would be selling for half a million dollars one day? I bought mine for $800 and sold it for $1000.00 years later, thinking I made out like a bandit...I purchased this as a bit of a fixer upper. It was well built, great drive train but had been sitting and seemingly neglected for a period of time. I spent about a year going over the car, front to back and top to bottom replacing everything that seemed marginal and upgrading as I went along. The end result was well worth the effort and expense in my eyes. But now my final bucket list wish is to be able to participate in track days in an appropriate sports car. This car is way too nice to subject to that kind of abuse so I've decided to part with it to help finance a more track focused vehicle. This has been a delight to drive, runs great, is a huge attention getter and will bring the next caretaker nothing but pleasure. Thanks for looking, please ask questions and I will be checking in daily to share my insights.