Carrera GTS or 904 repro

http://chuckbeck904.com/

If they are, they shouldn't be.

I vote for anything original over any reproduction. Just my $0.02.

 

Chuck's 904 doesn't seem to be very close to the original thing. Depends if you want a true to the original replica or do you want something that looks like the original and drives like a more modern car. The suspension is pretty much a rip off of a Chevron, and Chuck seems to have a version that uses wider wheels and tires and has a 3.2 liter motor in it..

These guys http://www.technic-motorsport.com are producing a pretty true to life 904 replica, but I don't have a clue as to the cost. From what I am seeing the Beck 904's are in the $50k-to $60k range, (less engine and tranny). There are obviously a lot of Porsche engines out there and they can be had for a reasonable amount, so the car isn't too expensive. The 904, while a great performer at the time, was designed just before a big leap forward in tire and suspension technology came along and had a short racing life. The original 904 only had 5.5 inch wide rims! Because of that, a replica that is "true" to the original car is not going to perform all that well compared to a 906 or GT40 replica. Chuck is addressing that by upgrading the suspension, but then is it really a 904 replica?

The RCR turnkey (minus engine) replicas or the Superformance GT40 continuation cars are only a bit more expensive and offer a lot more bang for the buck, in my estimation. If you're a Porsche guy and always wanted a 904, go for it. I just like the 906 a lot better, but the replicas of that are a good bit more expensive. I did see that there is a company called Kraftwerke that is making a 906 replica from the factory chassis drawings, which to my mind is pretty cool, but it sells for $95k (less engine!) which, although its a faithful replica is, to my mind overpriced for what it is...

 

Well........for the price of the Beck replica and it's exceptional quality (their spiders are just one example of this) I think it would be worth it and a really neat car to own.

After all......116 real ones were built and the survivors are worth probably $750K - $1MM each.......

 

+2.