Wingho Spexter Speedster Is Pure Art On Wheels
Designed by a small team, the Wingho Spexter is based on a 1981 Porsche 911SC, but you’d almost never know it.
When the factory doesn’t make the car you want, sometimes you have to make it on your own. In the early 80’s, it had been a while – over 20 years – since Porsche made a factory Speedster. That prompted Porsche collector Clyde Kwok to imagine a new one on behalf of his company, Wingho Auto.
Kwok is a Canadian enthusiast with an eye for design, and partnered with coachbuilder Spex Design, thus the designation of “Spexter.” The base car began as a 1981 911 Targa, presumably for the added rigidity for the new design which would call for a lack of roof. From that baseline, all body panels were stripped off from the beltline down. From the beltline up, all items were eliminated all together to make way for a steeply raked windscreen.
The bodywork that now dresses the car is fiberglass. Perhaps most interestingly, the entire front nose section is just one piece. integrating bumper and fenders. The styling is far more flowing than anything Porsche had ever branded with a 911 badge. And it looks considerably modern relative to the 911 they were producing at the time. In fact, Porsche’s own 911 Speedster was being developed at the same time as the Spexter, convincing many that Porsche’s Boxster was inspired by the Spexter.
There could be merit to that as well, given the Spexter looked more like a 959 with an early Boxster than it did a 911. Around back, there’s a heckblende style tail lamp section, which look similar to a Boxster, albeit a rear engine one. Inside, things are definitely of the era. Moulded fiberglass seats integrate with the rest of the car’s body, and seatbelts come out from the seat-backs.
Instruments are in a triple pod, and bring the essential information to the driver, as viewed through a spindly and simple tri-spoke steering wheel. The center console flowing upwards reminds us of the Carrera GT, too. It really is an amazing thing to look at.
Mechanically, some mild upgrades adorn the 3.2 liter flat 6 engine. Exhaust work delivers 252 horsepower to the rear wheels. Otherwise, things like brakes and suspension were deemed well engineered by Porsche, and left to do their work uninterrupted. The Spexter is part of Kwok’s personal collection, and is one of many Porsche design interpretations in his eclectic collection. This car still shows less than 2,500 miles, even though driven regularly to keep things fresh.
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Photos courtesy of Wingho Auto
