1957 Porsche 356

1957 Porsche Speedster Vintage Re-Creation Porsche's first production sports car-the 356- debuted to the world in 1948 and vastly altered the public's opinion of what a sports car was. Over the car's 17 year run, the design continued to evolve but the general ethos stayed the same- small, lightweight car with a flat-4 engine hanging out the back. As collector values of the original Speedsters began to increase, manufacturers began to recreate the body and place them on Volkswagen Beetle chassis. Although there are some differences between the two, the general layouts of the Beetle and Porsche 356 are very similar and these recreations provide a very similar driving experience to the originals for a fraction of the price. This Speedster was built by Vintage Speedsters out of California, who have been building recreation Speedsters for over 30 years. Painted in a stunning Signal Red, this Speedster features numerous upgrades to improve the driving experience and overall performance. On the inside, the car has been outfitted with the classic Speedster style seats upholstered in a fantastic cream leather and the carpet is finished in a period correct square weave red fabric. The correct ivory Banjo steering wheel has been fitted and the dashboard is covered in leather as well. In the rear, the VW's flat-4 has been punched out to now displace 1915cc and has dual carburetors to both give it more power and the proper Speedster appearance when you open the decklid. The 4-speed manual gearbox has been upgraded with a 3.88 final drive ratio which gives the car more legs on the highway and makes this a far more pleasant place to be for a long drive than any original Speedster out there. The vehicle has been upgraded to have front disc brakes to improve stopping over an original Speedster which only came with four wheel drums. This Vintage Speedster recreation represents fantastic value for money and gives all the same looks and driving enjoyment as an original, without having to worry about it every time it leaves the garage. Paired with the host of mechanical upgrades, this Speedster will provide years of top down driving enjoyment in a classic shape that will start conversations anywhere you go. Out of all the derivations of the Porsche 356, the Speedster, built from 1955 through 1958, is the most sought after variant-typically commanding in excess of $400,000 in today's market. Conceived by New York based Porsche importer Max Hoffman, the Speedster was intended as the entry level 356 and was so sparsely equipped, it did not even have real windows! That being said, the low level of equipment meant that it was also the lightest 356 variant and people quickly found it to be a very adept race car- with engines producing sub-100 horsepower from the factory, the Speedster was able to beat up on much more powerful race cars for less money and, typically with greater reliability. If that sort of driving experience sounds like it would appeal to you, this is a gr