I've always wanted one

I'd be interested in thoughts on this 550 Spyder. Love the looks a lot on this particular car.

Am looking for advice on what to look for mechanically etc.

http://www.speedsterowners.com/topic...ation-for-sale

 

I think Beck is the go to company for 550 replica's.

That car is a turn off to me because it is A) water cooled and B) a Subaru engine.

 

Ditto. There is nothing attractive about this car with a 2L Subie engine and a $37K price tag.

At least with a "proper" replica, you'd have a Porsche drivetrain to get some of the nostalgia.

 

Just buy a real one

 

What would a proper 550 replica be exactly?

 

I think I stated that in my 1st reply....

 

Seem to be quite a few Beck's for sale out there.
http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/...Facet=Vehicles for Sale&makeFacet=Porsche&modelFacet[]=550&sort=sort_time_desc&page_size=15&start=0

 

Sorry but I guess I am still confused. It just needs a Porsche drivetrain to be 'proper'? There must be some other attributes also to consider when looking at replicas, right?

 

I sold a Beck 550 Spyder to buy my 993...Purchased it new from the constructor (not Beck)...It had an SCT-built VW-based engine...1800 cc with dual Webers, headers into a "stinger" pipe, and a Kennedy clutch and lightened flywheel combination...165 HP in a 1250 pound chassis with a VW suspension and brakes made for some "interesting" moments on the road...

Purchasing it new was a mistake. It took me six months and the expertise of Jake Raby to sort it all out. This is one situation where you would be better off letting someone else build/buy a 550 and put a few thousand miles on it sorting is all out before you take it off their hands...

The 550 is a very small car (The top of the driver's door hit me mid-thigh) and its shape, combined with the classic silver color made it very difficult for other drivers to see...A skateboard or motorcycle analogy is dead on for these cars....

While I understand what Ed is saying about the Porsche drivetrain and agree that there's something weird about a Subi drivetrain in a 550 replica, I wouldn't be too **** about a Porsche drivetrain...After all, it is a replica. You can take a VW case and add aftermarket crank, cam, pistons, cylinder, carbs, etc. that will provide an astonishing power/weight ratio, sound as good a a Porsche 4-banger and has rock-solid reliability without the Porsche prices. You will have to learn/relearn a few "old school" skills like balancing carbs, adjusting timing, etc. but it's a lot of fun (Or at least was for me)

The car was fun to own, but truly a fair weather toy...I grew tired of it pretty quickly, but did manage to get my money out of it.

 

One more comment about the "replica" concept...

The Beck is a "replica," not a "reproduction." There are numerous differences between the Beck and a production 550 that are necessary to make the Beck street legal. Look at a photo of James Dean's 550 beside a photo of a Beck production car and differences in things like the windshield, air intakes on the fenders, wheels etc. become obvious...Not to mention that the production 550's had really crappy build quality since they were essentially built to race.

It is certainly possible to build a Beck that is a fairly close copy of a production 550, but to do so requires a lot of money and time and in the end, you still only have a copy of the real thing...The Beck 550 slippery slope is just as slippery if not more than that of the 993 and like any other "custom" car, it rarely pays off when you go to sell (But that's not what it's about anyway is it?)

 

It's a start. I also had the word proper in " ".

 

TMc993,

thanks for the info.

Those particular detailed thoughts were of help.

 

my grandfather picked up a used 550 from beck earlier this year. his car only had ~200 miles on it at the time he got it - I can echo the above comments that it is a car that needs some sorting off the shelf before he was happy with it (pedal placement/adjustment, some issues with header placement, alignment of the rear clamshell - those are the issues I recall causing the most annoyance). his is the 125hp CB motor version.

the car is incredibly small, and nerve racking to drive it in traffic around other vehicles due to visibility concerns. another comment is that I have driven my grandfathers and at 6 foot tall, my hair is wrecked after I drive it - my grandfather at 5'9-10" is just below the wind line, just food for thought.

very fun little car, but it is truly a toy - I would not pick one up expecting it to be more than such

beautiful car though
_DSC1329 by DrFraserCrane, on Flickr

 

Thank you for all the info I haven't driven one but was interested in the Beck 550 as a companion to my 2006 997 coupe
After reading the comments I believe that i may instead look for a nice 4 cylinder 914 !

Russ DeJulio
Pittsburgh PA

 

This is a neat car. I too occasionally toy with the idea of getting one. To be honest, I don't care for the way this one is set up.
Not that I dislike the Subie motor, but the VW motor offers so many performance options all on the cheap.

If I were going for one, I would want the VW motor ( the Porsche motor would not be worth the premium to me in this car).

Good luck