Vintage Speedsters are a well-known manufacturer of Porsche 356 replicas based in the town of Goodyear, Arizona USA. They are mostly based on VW Beetle running gear.
- US Vintage Speedsters body
- Complete rebuild in 2012
- Hot 1600cc engine with race cam
- Excellent paint and interior
Well respected in the USA for the quality of their kits they have produced over 3,300 Speedsters in various configurations since 1988. With lots of options available to personalise your build no two Vintage Speedsters are truly alike, but they are fun to drive and look great.
Purchased by the seller in 2007 this cool 356 Speedster Widebody replica was built from a kit supplied by Vintage Speedsters. The kit is thought to have been shipped to France in 2004 and built using the running gear of a left-hand drive French 1975 Volkswagen Beetle.
The seller spotted the Speedster on French Ebay and bought it to drive at his house in the South of France. After 5 years of summertime fun, it was looking a bit worn, so in 2012-13 it was completely rebuilt by a local engineer. It was then used for local trips and days out around his house near Nice.
Brought back to the UK and registered here in March 2021 it is now being offered for sale. Being part of a small collection of cars the seller hasn’t driven it as much in the past year, so he has decided to sell whilst it’s still in great condition.
The inside of the Speedster has been nicely trimmed in cream leather with dark blue piping and tan coloured, hard wearing matting on the floor. The 3 spoke steering wheel by Flat4 GT features a wood rim and aluminium spokes, all very period correct.
Equally smart is the dash area with black faced gauges with pale green lettering echoing those of the Porsche 356. There is a large rev counter, a speedometer (in kph) with temperature and fuel plus warning lights on the third gauge.
The dash area is painted to match the bodywork, with a separate, leather trimmed binnacle to keep sunlight off the gauges. The door panels are trimmed in leather, with small storage pockets.
Up front, under the bonnet, there is space for some luggage, and the battery which is mounted under the black carpeted floor. There are some drop-in style Perspex side windows in a leather bag, but they look like they have not been used as there are no mounting points on the doors. There is a half zip tonneau cover that fits well and would keep a shower from soaking the interior.
Overall, the interior simple is comfortable, clean and in excellent condition.
The Exterior
The dark blue exterior has a brilliant shine and contrasts well with the cream colour of the interior. The body has the look of a Porsche 356, with more “stance” thanks to the wider track and flared arches front and rear that give it a more hot-rod look. The wheels are polished American Racing 15 inch Torque Thrusts with matching set of Mastercraft Avenger GT tyres, 205 profile on the front and 225 rears. This gives the Speedster a sporty rake, -very purposeful! The wheels are in great condition with no curb marks or corrosion.
Priced at £27,500