Porsche 356B Speedster Replica

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Although it looks spartan at first glance, the 356 was in fact a milestone in car design and is one of those rare machines that just gets more impressive the closer you study it.

Porsche’s first production car, the 356 was launched way back in 1948 and remained in production until 1965. Lightweight, nimble and exciting to drive, this iconic rear-engined air-cooled marvel began a cult that continues to this day, winning the hearts of generations of driving enthusiasts who revere the blend of speed, style and wayward engineering genius that is uniquely Porsche.

Designed by Ferry Porsche and styled by Erwin Komenda, it began life with an air-cooled flat-four 1100cc engine producing just 40bhp and was effectively little more than a VW Beetle in a party frock. However, by a process of continual engineering refinement and improvement, it quickly grew into a world-class sportscar and achieved success in such top events as Le Mans, the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and Carrera Panamericana, as well as countless other races and rallies worldwide.

A bewildering number of sub-models were produced and today they fetch anything from £30k to £800k depending on the spec. Naturally these high prices have spawned an industry of copy-cat manufacturers to cater for the many people who would love to own a genuine 356 but simply can’t afford to.

This particular car is a high quality replica of a 365B Roadster which was specially made by a team of craftsmen assembled by the i2i TV production company for the Dream Machines programme that was broadcast on the Discovery Channel in 2003. Taking 200 man hours to build and broadcast over three 45-minute episodes (which can all be seen on YouTube), it cost over £15,000 in parts alone and was sold to its first owner for in excess of £30,000 once the filming was over.

Based on a 1971 VW Beetle donor vehicle with a shortened floorpan, it uses a GRP body tub supplied by Pilgrim and is fitted with a new 1600cc air-cooled VW engine. The body has been expertly painted in Mellow Yellow and the interior is trimmed in black leather. A hood and tonneau cover are also included, as is a dust cover to protect it while in storage.

Since the build was completed it has covered only 12,400 miles and is said to drive superbly. It apparently comes with a large history file documenting the build and a DVD of the original TV programme (although at the time of cataloguing none of these items were available for inspection). Appearing to be in fine condition throughout, it is due to have a fresh MOT before the sale and looks an absolute snip at the guide price suggested.
 

Footage of this car being built can be seen on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OTmHvTI3D4