Whats the most authentic 550 Replica?

Who makes the most honest to the origional 550 repro? I always loved them, the replicas too. But the Becks and many others have too many modern elements. The best kind I guess would have to be made of a basket case 356.

 

IIRC, the 550 was a tubular frame/aluminum body design with the famous Porsche four cam engine. Most of the fakes are plastic, with VW engines -- basically toys.

I don't think a rear-engined, welded-steel unit-body 356 is a very good starting point.

You'd be better off with a real 356, IMHO. Great coupes can still be had for <$50K. If they're dialed in properly, they are fantastic to drive, and a real handmade Porsche.

 

Just curious. What modern elements do the Becks have?

Dale

 

well, all of it... VW motor modern tech chassis, etc I suspect it would feel like a modern recreation of a vintage car rather than a vintage car.

I would have thought there were more authentic repro options out there. Like ones available for Jaguar D-Type replicas.

 

Mine is NOTHING like a Beck. It has insane power. Probably one of the prettiest cars in my garage. I would sell my 356c cab 10 times before this car. It's crazy fast. 100mph yes plus the engine has almost 175 hp dyno'd. The car I would guess weighs about 1800 with 2 passengers and the 4 gears are strong throughout. To my knowledge only 4 were made by this guy and I don't know a ton more about the build. My friend even got me a nice leather helmet and scarf to match
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Porsche engine?

 

Thats a beautiful car!!!

 

It is not. I've actually asked my mechanic today if he can tell me exactly what it is. It really looks a chunk like my 356 engine but it's power is about 3x's it. I don't think I have a picture of the engine bay but it's simplicity is what makes this car so awesome. I can't afford 1.5 million wrapped up in a real one and most likely wouldn't drive it if I did so this car is perfect for me.

I've looked over 3 becks very closely and they just aren't 1/2 the car this is. I patiently waited for 2 years for the owner to finally sell to me. I'm very happy he finally came down to my price

 

I've been corrected my Mechanic told me it's a type 4 914 engine he believes

 

the black one above is beautiful!

I had a ride in a Thunder Ranch Spyder about 10 years ago when I stopped in their facility. VERY fast car.

http://www.thunderranch.com/550.html

Most if not all Beck Spyders have live axles, whereas the TR has IRS.
There are fans of both on Spyder forums.
cheers

 

The Beck 904 is really the "Big deal"

Your right h20; that spyder is extremely nice, and by the photos its nicer than any Beck spyder I've seen!

 

There are some guys in the south of Florida who build the 550 completely in aluminum bodies, I think they duplicate the original chassis as well.

http://www.alloycars.com/

 

Those are pretty cool... I wonder what the cost is?! Tack on another 100k for a real Carrera 4 Cam engine and you'd have a fantastic "near authentic" 550 driver. I know I'd never want to drive the real deal on the road, so this would be as close as I'd ever get to experiencing one.

 

The devil (and dollars) are in the details. I own a Beck based recreation that has had substantial detailing, but parked nexted to the real deal, you can clearly see the differences...
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I don't think anyone would drop six figures on a real Porsche four cammer for a kit car.

If it's not a Porsche, it's not authentic, so you may as well go cheap all the way, because everyone will assume it's a fake.

 

I see your point, but not everyone follows the same path and I'm one of those if I could afford to. There are some Porsche recreations out there that are from $120K (without running gear) to some that went over $180K. There's another guy building a 917 recreation and has bought many original 917 parts for it, including a horizontal fan from a 935 that costs over $24k. These aren't kit cars but reproductions, at least the 906, 908 coupe, 917 that I'm referring to are correct to original, some including the same fiberglass that's hard to find. I'm thinking of building either a 962, 908 or 917, but I can't afford a $100k motor

 

Not that I am speaking for what I would do, but the guy I bought my car from had over $100k in it. Between all the original parts, custom fabrication, labor and silly stuff, it all adds up pretty fast although over a good period of time.

People do strange things when it comes to passion over an "incremental trying to improve" time period.

 

People do I totally agree. Your car looks nothing like any Beck I've ever seen and his $$$ spent shows well.

I purchased mine for the very simple reason I wouldn't drive a 1.5 million dollar real deal anywhere. It would be crazy to have that investment sitting in the garage unless you are like one of our local guys with over a 100 million sitting in his garage. It's chump change there but having 1.5 million in one of the very few remaining spyders I would park it and look at it. I'd rather own a Poster of it. I can get in mine and drive it anywhere. It gets more attention than any of my other cars because it's lines are just awesome. It's louder than I would like it from the straight exhaust but it's crazy fun.

I surely don't regret the money I've spent on mine and I have NO where near the money tx246's builder has in his.

Nice looking car tx...It looks raw and lean and very good

 

They also aren't Porsches.

I wouldn't be harping on about this in a replicas thread or a kit car board, but we're in the Porsche section. Either you can afford it, or you can't. Everything else -- even if nicely assembled and finished -- requires excuses and footnotes.

 

I make no excuses or add no footnotes to my replica. I can afford a real one. I don't have one because I wouldn't drive it. All can have their opinions and one might ask if you don't own a Ferrari why would you be on Ferrari Chat. I've got no clue if you do or don't. I'm just saying possibly 80% of this board doesn't yet they also add opinions and speculation on cars and performance without actual knowledge......my 2 cents


We are on a Ferrari Board actually.......Why even have Porsche discussions with that opinion.

How do you feel about the 2-3 million dollar 250 GTO replica for sale on Dupont Registry would be my question? Same view point? If you can't afford the 30 million example why bother? Cars are a passion for most and unless you are worth 100's of millions most of these insane cars are out of reach. So why not have fun with the replicars as you call them. Not one of my friends thinks mine is real though they all Love the car.

 

Yes.

 

obviously I dont subscribe to the whole original or nothing theory as that is completly pointless... but on the other hand, H2's car makes me not want any other. That car just looks right!

 

I don't buy cars to pose around so I can care less if people think its real or not. The reason of a reproduction for me is because no other car is going to give that special driving experience and the great looks. I wouldn't buy a seven million dollar car if I can replicate it for a fraction. The only way for me to buy a 917 is if I had twenty million liquid in the bank. To each his own, but I never figured you for a poser until now, maybe I'm wrong.

 

No, you nailed him right. Jake Raby can build a modernized Type IV engine that will smoke the original Fuhrmann Type 547 DOHC flat four.

 

My point is that driving something that looks like a 250 GTO, or 550 Spyder, etc., is posing in the most literal definition of the word -- pretending to be something that it isn't.

If you own a real Porsche 550 Spyder, and you drive it or participate in vintage racing, that is a display of wealth, but it's primarily real motorsports at its best --not posing. The fact that the car is expensive is secondary. The experience of driving a Porsche 550 can be had only in a Porsche 550.

If you own a plastic replica of a 550 Spyder, put a Porsche badge on it and give it a more modern engine than the real one had, that is posing. As long as someone is within the law, then it is what it is. I always feel disappointed when someone brings a fake to a car event.

Many modern cars will smoke many 1950s cars. The value is in the authenticity of the object and the experience.

If you put a Jake Raby engine in something that doesn't pretend to be something it is not, no one would have a problem with it.

A high res photo of the Mona Lisa isn't hard to come by. Yet a lot of people waste a lot of time and money going to see the real one. And, those of us who don't own the real one find other artwork to hang on our walls.