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I met Chuck about 10 years ago at his home in Victorville, CA. He took me on a drive in his 550 Spyder and then let me drive it on the way back. Let me tell you, Chuck is a helluva driver and builds these cars to enjoy and to race. It's a thrill to drive the car. But... understand, that what has been recreated is 1950's technology, with all its glamour. In basic terms, if you hit the brakes from 70mph, the car will squiggle around, and if you make a mistake in the turn, it'll come around you.
If you live out in rural area with lots of open roads and two lane country roads, I couldn't think of a better car to take out and enjoy on a sunday morning drive. But if you're in the city, with other cars around... they can't see you, and any accident can cost you your life as there is no protection, especially if you get t-boned. I never got one for these reasons -- live in the city.
I've owned 2 different ones over the past 6 years. Here are some pics of my current one. Air cooled 2316 914 engine, approx. 200 HP & 200 ftlb torque, very fast. If anyone wants any info let me know.
I had one for 7 years - selling it in 2012 - great fun with 'no frills' - it's really a throwback to early sports/racing cars and the Beck aircooled model is a good replica.....they do need some 'sorting out' -
and you'll either need to do some work yourself or find a good aircooled VW mechanic. Weber carbs need adjusting from time to time.
Mine had a 2.3 liter CB Performance type 1 VW engine / about 160 hp....over time I added a larger rear window to the sometimes-used convertible top,
dual exhausts (not shown in this photo - marginally quieter than the shown single exhuast that's standard). I replaced the original red carpeting with
some German square weave - also in red. I had the transmission modifies so the top gear was 'taller' ('freeway flyer' kind of VW transmission -
For these cars,
The windshield is either a 'racing' plexiglass low model (count on wind in the face) or one modelled after the Porsche Speedster (if you're shorter it will send
most of the wind over your head. Some owners have added custom plexi windshields that hare a bit taller, some have worn helmets. Earplugs are usually
standard (the exhaust systems are loud). Wind tends to hit you from all angles so you are 'windblown' a bit more than a standard convertible.
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generally no side windows, many have no top, no heat (some put in seat heaters), of course no airbags, 1300 lbs, 'skinny' tires (although they're fatter than the original's).
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I'm in Northern California so the weather's not generally a problem - this little car gets more attention at a car show, or rolling down the road,
at a stop light, gas station etc, than anything else I've seen. necks snap back to get another look. People hang out of car windows with cameras
or phones to take photos. We managed to get 2, 3 or sometimes 5 or 6 of the cars together for a drive or show and they would always draw a crowd.
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Regarding the Air Cooled vs Water Cooled question - the Subaru engine fits nicely and performs well, so I would look at Suby powered offerings
as a 'plus' personally....more torque, less fuss and a nice neat looking engine bay. The Aircooled VW engines are a closer look to the original and
to other Porsches, and usually cheaper to buy. I'd opt for one with a top and the Speedster type windshield since it offers a bit more wind protection.
For me the silver exterior with red seats and interior is a nice choice....I had the silver-blue offered by Beck - and when I saw the silver blue and
silver cars side by side I personally liked the silver blue. A few are seen in black or red. A tonneau is nice to have as you can leave the car in the
sun (or a little overnight dew or rain) without worry. No door locks so the tonneau helps a little to keep eyes and hands out of the interior. The
top is 'weather resistant' - not much like a modern convertible top.....you can expect some rain to get in through the top and side curtains (I had side
curtains but never used them once). I did use the top occaisionally as it buffered the wind and made an hour or two drive to an event a bit less tiring.
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Oh....registration --- I can only address California - it can be easy or challenging - easy is if you buy one registered already in California under
'SB100' (smog exempt) as a SPCN (special construction vehicle) - the exemption goes with the car. If you need to register a new one or bring
one from out of state - there are hoops to jump through and a limit of 500 smog exemptions per year - some years the exemptions are gone in
2 or 3 days (early January) - so you'll need to get your 'ducks in a row' to make sure you're 'in line' on January 2nd.......(I bought my car in 2005,
sold it in 2012 so this information may be slightly out of date).......I was able to buy the car for a discount (maybe 20%) from the price of a new
one, and to sell it 7 years later for a few thousand more (new prices had gone up and that brought up the used prices - the Ca. SB100 exemption
helped the value a bit too).
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I had a great time owning this little car and don't regret it for a minute - if I were to buy another one someday I'd probably consider a Subaru powered model.
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try Ebay, Craigslist, Pelican, rennlist, 6speedonline, and as many porsche oriented forum sites as you can find - some list used 550's for sale
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I posted a lot (1000's) of 550 Spyder related photos at http://www.spydersite.shutterfly.com over the years - scroll down to
'albums' 2002 - 2013,
04-20-2015, 10:03 AM
